Full-Time
Senior Purchasing Specialist
Posted on 1/16/2026
Carbon Robotics
201-500 employees
Autonomous laser weeder for weed control
Compensation Overview
$92k - $107k/yr
Seattle, WA, USA
In Person
 Operations & Logistics (1) |
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- 5+ years in strategic sourcing, commodity management, or supply chain in a manufacturing environment.
- Strong negotiation and contract management skills.
- Knowledge of global supply markets for mechanical, electrical, and/or electro-mechanical commodities.
- Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems (NetSuite a plus).
- Data-driven, with solid financial and cost modeling ability.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Develop and manage sourcing strategies for assigned commodities (e.g., electro-mechanical, fabricated metals, electronics, robotics components).
- Identify, qualify, and develop new suppliers to support New Product Introduction and scaling production.
- Negotiate pricing, terms, and long-term agreements that align with company goals.
- Partner with engineering on design-for-cost and design-for-supply-chain initiatives.
- Support New Product Introduction by securing suppliers early in the design cycle.
- Work with operations and production control to ensure continuity of supply.
- Lead Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) with key suppliers.
- Monitor supplier performance (on-time delivery, quality, responsiveness, cost competitiveness).
- Drive corrective actions and continuous improvement with suppliers.
- Create, issue, and track purchase orders for production materials and services.
- Monitor open orders, expedite deliveries, and resolve discrepancies (pricing, invoices, receipts).
- Maintain ERP (NetSuite) accuracy for lead times, pricing, and order status.
- Maintain accurate supplier and sourcing data in ERP/MRP system (NetSuite).
- Support development of purchasing policies, templates, and standard work as we scale.
- Act as the primary contact for a defined set of suppliers.
- Negotiate pricing, payment terms, and delivery schedules within approved frameworks.
- Support supplier onboarding and compliance requirements.
- Escalate and resolve quality or delivery issues with suppliers in partnership with engineering and operations.
- Identify opportunities for cost savings, improved terms, and supplier consolidation.
- Support dual-sourcing and supplier risk reduction initiatives.
- Participate in Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) with critical suppliers.
- Provide input on commodity strategies developed by the supply chain leadership team.
- Work with engineering on design-for-cost and design-for-supply-chain considerations.
- Partner with production control and planning to ensure supply aligns with the master schedule.
- Collaborate with finance and accounts payable to support budgeting, accruals, and timely supplier payments.
- Help document and improve purchasing processes and standard work.
- Contribute to projects to streamline the procure-to-pay process and improve supplier responsiveness.
- High-mix, complex product manufacturing experience is preferred.
Carbon Robotics creates an autonomous weeder for farms. Its main product, the Autonomous LaserWeeder, attaches to a tractor and operates without a driver to identify and eliminate weeds using computer vision and high-powered lasers, reducing the need for chemical herbicides and manual labor. The system first recognizes crops vs. weeds with its AI-powered vision, then fires lasers to kill weeds while preserving crops. This approach differentiates Carbon Robotics from traditional chemical herbicides and manual weeding by offering a precise, on-field weed control tool that can be bought or leased by large vegetable growers. The company aims to lower farmers’ costs and environmental impact, improve crop yields, and expand sustainable farming practices.
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
Series D
Total Funding
$248.4M
Headquarters
Seattle, Washington
Founded
2018
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Fiscal 2026 revenue exceeded $100 million, proving strong commercial adoption.
- The fleet eliminated over 40 billion weeds across more than 500,000 acres.
- Carbon ATK expands the platform beyond weeding into broader farm automation.
What critics are saying
- John Deere's Augmenta and Blue River products compress pricing and distribution advantages.
- LaserWeeder economics depend on 1-3 year payback; tighter farm margins delay purchases.
- Safety incidents or certification delays in Europe would slow deployments and damage trust.
What makes Carbon Robotics unique
- Carbon Robotics combines AI vision, lasers, and tractor-mounted autonomy for specialty crops.
- LaserWeeder G2 scales from 6.6 to 60 feet for diverse farm sizes.
- Its Large Plant Model trains on 150 million plants across 15 countries.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Long Term Disability
Unlimited Paid Time Off
401(k) Retirement Plan
Pre-IPO Stock Options
Commuter Benefits
Pet Insurance
Mental Health Support
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 0%1 year growth
↑ 1%2 year growth
↑ 1%Carbon Robotics has appointed Kevan Krysler as Chief Financial Officer and announced it surpassed $100 million in annual revenue for its fiscal year ending 31 January 2026. The Seattle-based agriculture AI and robotics company now serves customers in 15 countries across North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Krysler brings nearly 30 years of experience, most recently serving as CFO at Everpure, formerly Pure Storage. He previously held senior finance roles at VMware and was a partner at KPMG. Carbon Robotics develops AI-powered agricultural solutions including the LaserWeeder and Carbon ATK autonomous tractor kit. The company recently launched the world's first Large Plant Model, an AI system trained on 150 million plants that powers its products.
Carbon Robotics has launched the world's first Large Plant Model, an AI system trained on 150 million labelled plants for plant detection and identification. The model enables farmers to begin laser weeding any field or crop within minutes and can be personalised for specific field conditions with real-time updates. The LPM powers Carbon AI, which operates across the company's LaserWeeder robots and Autonomous Tractor Kit. As Carbon Robotics' global fleet operates daily, the system continuously ingests field data, strengthening the model's performance for all users worldwide. A new Plant Profiles feature allows farmers to tailor the LPM using just two to three images in the iPad app, with the system adapting immediately—far faster than traditional AI systems requiring weeks or months. Carbon Robotics demonstrated the technology at Fruit Logistica in Berlin and World Ag Expo in California.
Carbon Robotics has launched a Large Plant Model, an AI system that instantly recognises plant species and enables farmers to target new weeds without retraining their LaserWeeder robots. The Seattle-based company announced the model on Monday. The LPM is trained on over 150 million photos collected from more than 100 farms across 15 countries where Carbon Robotics' autonomous weed-killing machines operate. Previously, identifying new weeds required 24 hours of retraining; now farmers can designate targets in real time through the robot's interface. Founded in 2018, Carbon Robotics has raised over $185 million from backers including Nvidia NVentures, Bond and Anthos Capital. The model will reach existing systems through a software update, with continuous refinement as machines collect additional data.
Seattle ag-tech startup Carbon Robotics raised $20M to develop a new AI-powered farm robot. Known for its LaserWeeder and Autonomous Tractor Kit, the company plans to unveil the new machine in nine months. The robot will use AI, computer vision, and machine learning to perform tasks beyond weeding. Carbon Robotics, backed by NVIDIA and Voyager Capital, has raised $177M to date and employs 260 people. The company is expanding its manufacturing to the Netherlands to enhance European deployment.
GeekWire’s startup coverage documents the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene. Sign up for our weekly startup newsletter , and check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory .Carbon Robotics vice president of product John Mey, left, and founder and CEO Paul Mikesell, with a tractor outfitted with the company’s new Carbon AutoTractor and its LaserWeeder. (GeekWire Photo)Long gone are the days on the farm where getting up at the crack of dawn to run a tractor through fields might have been just the start of a long day’s work. Now, the tractor could very well have been running all night — by itself.That’s the vision of Seattle agriculture-tech startup Carbon Robotics, whose latest product is called Carbon AutoTractor, an AI-powered, autonomous platform designed to fit on and control existing equipment and serve as an answer to labor shortages and increased productivity in farming.“We learned from farmers that their biggest challenges continue to be around labor and labor availability,” said Carbon Robotics founder and CEO Paul Mikesell. “If they could, they would run everything 24/7. They would run everything every minute of farming season to get as much done as possible.”Founded in 2018, Carbon Robotics has been chiefly known for its signature LaserWeeder machinery, which can be pulled behind a tractor and uses an array of AI and computer vision tech to detect plants in fields and then target and eliminate weeds with lasers