About us
We are an early-stage humanoid robotics startup building intelligent robots designed to work alongside people. Our mission is to multiply human progress — creating machines that can take on useful work in real-world environments, from factories and warehouses to streets and public spaces.
We are small, technically ambitious, and moving fast. Every team member here has outsized ownership over what we build and how we build it.
About the role
As an NPI Buyer/Planner, you sit between engineering and the factory floor. When a new design or a redesigned part comes out of engineering, you're the one who finds it a home: a qualified supplier, a real lead time, a purchase order, and a place on the build schedule. You'll work from our material cost breakdowns and BOMs directly — real part numbers, real suppliers, real weight and cost data — not a black-box spreadsheet someone else maintains.
This isn't a steady-state buying job. Volumes are moving from single digits to hundreds of units inside a year, new suppliers are being onboarded as you read this, and the tools you'll use (our ERP and PLM systems) are still being stood up. You'll help shape them, not just use them.
If you are energized by getting robots out of the lab and into the world, and frustrated by the gap between a demo and a deployed product, this role is for you.
What you'll do
Issue and manage POs against supplier quotes; track order status, confirm lead times, and chase anything at risk of slipping a build date. Ensure compliance with finance for tax filing/reports.
Flag cost or supply anomalies before they become production problems: a part priced out of line with its family, a single-source component with no backup, a lead time that doesn't match the ramp.
Own supplier onboarding for new vendors — capability questionnaires, account setup, first-article coordination — and keep that process moving as we add suppliers for gears, motors, PCBA, cabling, and optics.
Coordinate international logistics for supplier visits and part shipments — customs paperwork, carrier accounts, import/export compliance — alongside our logistics lead.
Translate the unit forecast into component-level purchase requirements by month, including spares buffers for service and rework.
Represent supply chain in NPI design reviews: flag long-lead or hard-to-source parts while a design can still change cheaply, not after it's released.
Help configure and maintain our ERP and PLM systems as they come online, so the BOM, the PO, and the schedule all agree with each other.
What we're looking for
5+ years of buying or planning experience in hardware, robotics, or a related electromechanical precision-manufacturing environment.
Comfort reading a BOM and an engineering drawing well enough to have an informed conversation with both a supplier and an engineer.
Experience translating a demand forecast into purchase requirements — you've done the math on spares, lead time, and safety stock before.
A track record of qualifying and onboarding new suppliers, ideally for precision mechanical or electromechanical components.
Working knowledge of an ERP or MRP system; PLM experience is a strong plus.
Comfortable with the ambiguity of an early-stage ramp — you build the process while you're running it.
Business-level English for internal communication. Japanese is a plus but not required.
Nice to have
Experience with international procurement or logistics — customs, import/export compliance, multi-carrier shipping accounts.
Exposure to actuator, motor, or precision motion-control supply chains specifically.
A hand in standing up an ERP or PLM system from early implementation, not just using one someone else configured.
What we offer
Competitive salary and meaningful equity in an early-stage company.
Access to a cutting-edge humanoid platform and a full robotics lab in central Tokyo.
Direct influence over how foundational robotics technologies meet the real world.
A small, senior, technically dense team where decisions move at startup speed.