Director, Advanced Cooling Category Management, NA

About the role

The Procurement Department at Vantage Data Centers is responsible for securing the equipment needed to power, cool, protect, and connect the data centers. This role is based in any of our US locations: Denver, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Santa Clara, CA; or Ashburn, VA.

Essential Job Functions

• Build and execute global category strategy for air and liquid cooling infrastructure aligned to capacity growth, reliability targets, and engineering standards
• Map global supply base by technology and region, establishing preferred supplier frameworks and regional execution models
• Lead sourcing and negotiations for mechanical equipment, including chillers, cooling towers, CDUs, pumps, and heat exchangers, as well as spares and service agreements
• Develop contracting strategies including indexed commodities, bundled equipment and installation, time-and-material vs fixed-price structures, warranties, and performance guarantees
• Partner with Engineering and Product to drive specification alignment, design-to-cost initiatives, and development of standard equipment building blocks and approved equipment libraries
• Coordinate with Quality and Commissioning to define acceptance criteria (FAT/SAT), documentation requirements, and change control processes
• Ensure supplier capacity planning for long-lead equipment and manage expediting, escalation, and recovery plans to mitigate schedule risk
• Lead supplier performance management including scorecards, QBRs, reliability tracking, corrective action programs, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Manage risks associated with cooling systems, including single-source exposure, regulatory impacts, extreme-weather resilience, and controls obsolescence
• Drive total cost of ownership improvements across energy efficiency, water usage, maintenance strategies, and lifecycle performance
• Develop cost models, should-cost benchmarks, and pricing frameworks for equipment, installation, and commissioning
• Maintain contract portfolios including framework agreements, service/maintenance agreements, warranty terms, and spares strategies
• Deliver supplier performance dashboards, risk registers, and executive-level insights on category performance and supply risks

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain, or related field; equivalent experience considered
• 5+ years of experience in category management or sourcing within mechanical systems, HVAC, or capital equipment
• Working knowledge of advanced cooling technologies including air-cooled and water-cooled systems, pumping/hydronics, and liquid cooling architectures
• Experience with capital equipment procurement, contracting, and lifecycle cost analysis
• Strong negotiation, cost modeling, and supplier management expertise
• Able to partner cross-functionally with engineering, construction, commissioning, and operations teams
• Experience managing supplier performance, reliability metrics, and risk mitigation strategies
• Understanding of commissioning, acceptance testing, and product lifecycle requirements for mechanical infrastructure

Physical Demands And Special Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.