Director, Electrical Category Management, NA
WFA Digital Insight
The Director of Electrical Category Management role at VantageDC is a rare blend of strategic sourcing and deep technical know‑how, sitting at the nexus of engineering, finance and operations. Unlike a typical procurement job, this position owns the global vision for high‑voltage power infrastructure that powers hyperscale data centers. Candidates will be shaping supplier portfolios, negotiating long‑term capacity agreements, and steering risk‑mitigation plans for critical equipment such as UPS systems and transformers. VantageDC’s culture gives engineers authority to influence sourcing decisions, meaning the person in this seat can directly impact the reliability and sustainability of the company’s expanding footprint across continents. Understanding how electrical standards intersect with rapid data‑center growth is essential before applying.
Job Description
About Vantage Data Centers Vantage Data Centers powers, cools, protects and connects the technology of the world’s well-known hyperscalers, cloud providers and large enterprises. Developing and operating across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific, Vantage has evolved data center design in innovative ways to deliver dramatic gains in reliability, efficiency and sustainability in flexible environments that can scale as quickly as the market demands. Procurement Department The Procurement team is responsible for securing the equipment Vantage’s data centers require to function. The team leads these efforts from conception through commissioning, working with Sales, Operations, New Site Development, and Engineering along the way. Procurement also works closely with vendor partners to come up with a vertically integrated design, and we manage these partners to deliver the projects on schedule and budget. Vantage is unique in that our technical staff is given the responsibility and authority to directly drive the process. Our internal team can align long-term operational sustainability with value engineering and cost metrics to deliver products aligned with corporate goals. This approach empowers each member of the team to drive high- impact decisions and even more impactful results. Position Overview This role can be remote or based in any of our US locations: Denver, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Santa Clara, CA; or Ashburn, VA. This role leads the global electrical category strategy, supplier portfolio, and governance model for mission-critical power distribution infrastructure supporting data center and large-scale technical builds. This includes high voltage to medium- and low-voltage equipment such as switchgear, transformers, UPS systems, busway, PDUs, and associated controls and monitoring systems. The role sets the enterprise sourcing direction, drives executive alignment across Engineering, Construction, Operations, and Finance, and is accountable for long-term capacity planning, supply resilience, and lifecycle value across global regions. The Director partners deeply with internal stakeholders including Electrical Engineering, Energy and Utility interface teams, Product, Construction, Commissioning, Reliability, and Operations, as well as external OEMs and suppliers, to ensure sourcing strategies align with technical standards, regional deployment models, and accelerating capacity requirements. This role also drives standardization, supplier performance governance, and total cost of ownership improvements while proactively managing risks such as supply constraints, obsolescence, and geopolitical exposure to support scalable and reliable infrastructure delivery. Essential Job Functions Define and lead the global category vision and multi-year strategy for electrical infrastructure, aligned with enterprise growth, uptime requirements, regional expansion, and power distribution standards. Establish and execute supplier portfolio strategy, including preferred supplier frameworks, segmentation, regional allocation models, and executive governance structures. Own executive-level supplier relationships and negotiations, including long-term agreements, capacity reservations, risk-sharing mechanisms, warranty structures, and performance accountability. Develop and implement enterprise contracting strategies for switchgear, transformers, UPS systems, busway, PDUs, and associated services, including commercial levers, indexed pricing, and escalation frameworks. Partner with Engineering, Product, Construction, Operations, and Finance to align category decisions with network growth, capital planning, and technical roadmaps. Drive alignment to enterprise electrical standards, preferred platforms, interface requirements, Product Design Libraries (PDLs), and approved deviation frameworks while enabling scalable deployment and reduced customization. Lead supply chain risk management strategies, including mitigation of capacity shortfalls, utility constraints, component obsolescence, grid interface challenges, and geopolitical risks. Sponsor and deliver total cost of ownership improvements through standardization, modularization, reduction of conversion losses, optimized service strategies, and lifecycle maintenance planning. Lead supplier performance management through scorecards, executive business reviews, corrective action programs, and closed-loop resolution of field performance and reliability issues. Ensure alignment of sourcing strategies with commissioning, quality, and operational requirements, including support for quality control, field performance feedback, and continuous improvement. Provide executive-level reporting on supply market conditions, supplier performance, cost outlook, and category risks, with clear recommendations for mitigation and strategic actions. Lead and develop category management team capabilities, operating cadence, governance, and performance expectations to scale with business demand.
How to Stand Out
- Highlight specific projects where you negotiated long‑term contracts for high‑voltage equipment; include contract values if permissible.
- Prepare a concise Excel model showcasing how you reduced total cost of ownership for a similar category.
- Emphasize collaboration experience with engineering and finance teams; cite concrete cross‑functional outcomes.
- Be ready to discuss risk‑mitigation strategies you’ve implemented for supply‑chain disruptions.
- Research Vantage’s recent data‑center expansions and reference how your sourcing expertise can support those builds.
- During negotiations, ask about the equity component and remote‑work stipend to gauge total compensation.
- Watch for vague timelines on decision‑making authority; ensure the role truly offers the technical influence described.
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