---
title: 'NPI Buyer/Planner at Figure'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/npi-buyer-planner-figure-san-jose-c2wmkcznnzgn'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-31'
---

# NPI Buyer/Planner at Figure

- **Company:** Figure
- **Location:** San Jose, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-10-26
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-31
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/figureai/jobs/4724920006

## Job description

Figure is an AI robotics company developing autonomous general-purpose humanoid robots. The goal of the company is to ship humanoid robots with human level intelligence. Its robots are engineered to perform a variety of tasks in the home and commercial markets. Figure is headquartered in San Jose, CA.

As the NPI Buyer/Planner, you own material readiness for new product introduction PCBAs and components. From early prototypes through mass production, EVT/DVT, as well as the handoff to mass production stakeholders. You sit between Engineering and the Supply Chain teams, converting and assessing immature BOMs and shifting build schedules into placed POs, committed dates, and kitted builds that land on time.

This role is equal parts tactical buying, prototype planning, and cross-functional firefighting. You will work daily with Design Engineering, NPI, Manufacturing, Global Supply Chain, Quality, and Logistics teams to ensure pilot builds are clear-to-build in an environment where the design changes rapidly without notice.

Responsibilities:

- NPI Material Planning
- Convert engineering build plans and prototype schedules into time-phased material requirements for EVT/DVT/PVT and pilot builds.
- Plan against incomplete and rapidly changing BOMs; run BOM scrubs with Engineering to close gaps on part numbers, revisions, quantities, and reference designators before they become shortages.
- Identify long-lead and single-source parts early and drive risk-buy or bridge-buy decisions with Global Supply Managers.
- Build and maintain the NPI shortage list; publish clear-to-build status and recovery dates for each build event.
- Plan for build-specific overages using historical program data including attrition, engineering consumption, test consumption, and reliability samples.
- Tactical Purchasing
- Own the RFQ-to-PO cycle for prototype and pilot material: request quotes, place POs, confirm acknowledgments, and track ETAs to dock.
- Expedite and de-expedite based on schedule movement; escalate supplier commit risk with clear impact statements.
- Manage buys against unreleased or non-standard parts, including drop-in samples, distributor spot buys, and broker sourcing when authorized.
- Reconcile pricing, MOQs, NRE, and tooling charges; flag cost drivers ahead of production quoting.
- Change and Configuration Management
- Own material disposition for NPI Program(s) ECOs and deviations: scrap, rework, use-as-is, or run-out.
- Maintain accurate item master for BOMs, CTB/planning trackers, and lead times as well as cost in defined tools for transition into ERP as parts mature from prototype to production status.
- Build Execution Support
- Partner with GSMs on consignment materials required for each build.
- Maintain inventory accuracy for NPI stock at quick turn suppliers, including reconciliation of Figure-consigned material.
- Transition to Production
- Hand off part-level history, supplier commitments, lead times, and planning parameters to the production planning team at ramp.
- Feed EAU forecasts and demand signals to Global Supply Management to support supplier capacity and long-term agreements.
- Process Improvement
- Identify recurring failure points in the NPI material flow and implement fixes to reporting, planning, and cross-functional handoffs.
- Improve the fidelity of build-readiness reporting so risks are mitigated early.

Requirements:

- Education
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field or applicable industry experience for the role.
- Experience
- 3–5 years in buying, planning, or materials management, with at least 2 years supporting NPI or prototype builds.
- Background in complex electromechanical hardware — robotics, aerospace, medical devices, automotive, or consumer electronics.
- Direct experience buying against immature BOMs and managing engineering change in a live build.
- Technical Skills
- Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems (SAP, Oracle, or NetSuite) and PLM tools (Arena, Enovia, etc)
- Advanced Excel (XLOOKUP, pivot tables, shortage and coverage modeling); SQL or BI tooling a plus.
- Working fluency in reading BOMs; comfortable discussing tolerances, finishes, and component specs with engineers.
- Core Competencies
- High urgency and strong follow-through: you have the ability close loops without being asked twice.
- Comfort operating with incomplete information and changing priorities.
- Clear, direct communication with engineers and suppliers alike; able to translate a slipped ETA into schedule impact leadership can act on.
- Strong attention to detail on revisions, dates, and quantities – this is a role where a single missed line item stops a build.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $120,000 to $180,000 per year.

The pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package may also include additional components/benefits depending on the specific role. This information will be shared if an employment offer is extended.

## About Figure

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Figure is an AI robotics company building the world's first commercially viable autonomous general-purpose humanoid robot.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series C, $1.9B total funding)
- **Headquarters**: San Jose, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Brett Adcock

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: AI Robotics / Humanoid Robotics / Machinery Manufacturing
- **Target customers**: Enterprise (manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, retail) and, in future iterations, consumer/home markets.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: To bring a commercially viable general-purpose humanoid to market, making humans capable of more and addressing labor shortages.

## Products & Services
- **Figure 03**: The latest generation humanoid robot, designed for the home and the world at scale. Features a softer look and feel, advanced hand dexterity, and an integrated battery in the torso. It is powered by the company's AI model, Helix.
- **Helix / Helix 02**: Figure's in-house AI model for humanoid control. Helix 02 is described as their most powerful model to date, enabling the robot to perform complex tasks autonomously (e.g., using the whole body to do dishes end-to-end).
- **F.02 Fleet**: The previous generation robot used in a real-world deployment with BMW, where it contributed to the production of 30,000 cars over 11 months, running 10 hours per day.
- **BotQ**: Figure's manufacturing division, responsible for building the robots at scale.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (private company). Total funding is $1.9B.
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding of $1,854,000,000.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Parkway Venture Capital (led Series A and Series C), Intel Capital (led Venture Round), Brett Adcock (led Seed Round). Key partner: BMW (11-month deployment).
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 128.8% YoY to 442 employees. Active job postings increased 223.5% YoY. The company is actively scaling its manufacturing arm (BotQ) and commercial operations. It operates in 12 countries.

## Competitive Advantages
- **First-Mover in Commercial Humanoids**: Figure has a significant head start with a real-world, 11-month deployment at a major automaker (BMW), proving the technology's viability.
- **Vertically Integrated AI & Hardware**: Unlike many competitors, Figure builds both the robot hardware and the AI software (Helix) in-house, creating a tightly integrated system.
- **Massive Data Advantage**: Through its "Project Go-Big" and partnership with BMW, Figure is building the world's largest humanoid pretraining dataset, a critical moat in AI.
- **Aggressive Talent Acquisition**: Has hired top talent from Tesla (60), Apple (34), Boston Dynamics (12), SpaceX (9), and others, concentrating deep expertise.

## Strategic Focus
- **Commercial Deployment**: Scaling from pilot programs (BMW) to widespread commercial deployment across logistics, warehousing, and manufacturing.
- **Home Market Entry**: The design of Figure 03 signals a clear strategic pivot toward the consumer/home market as the next major growth vector.
- **AI Leadership**: Continued investment in the Helix AI model to achieve full autonomy and general-purpose capability.
- **Manufacturing Scale**: Building out BotQ to mass-produce humanoid robots.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-Driven & High Impact**: The company is laser-focused on a singular, ambitious mission: "to build the most groundbreaking company on the planet." Work is described as being "in the trenches together."
- **Culture of Speed & Fearlessness**: Core values include "Move Fast & Be Technically Fearless" and "Aggressively Optimistic." The environment is described as high-performance, with a "championship mindset."
- **On-Site, Collaborative Environment**: Employees work from physical offices in San Jose, CA (HQ) and a secondary location in Sunnyvale. The culture emphasizes in-person collaboration.
- **Generous Benefits**: Offers health insurance, generous parental leave, and family/childcare benefits.
- **Massive Growth Trajectory**: With 110 open roles, explosive headcount growth, and a clear path to market, employees have significant opportunity for career growth and impact.
- **Technical Challenges**: Work spans cutting-edge AI (reinforcement learning, perception, pretraining), hardware engineering (actuators, electrical, mechanical), and manufacturing at scale.

## Sources
1. [figure.ai](https://www.figure.ai/company)
2. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/figure-ai)
3. [Greenhouse Jobs](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/figureai)
4. [Built In](https://builtin.com/company/figureai)

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