Senior Procurement Specialist, US
Verda · Palo Alto, CA · 2 days ago
On-sitePurchasingFull-time
About the role
Verda has a data center in the US and a hardware supply chain that spans Taiwan, Japan, the US, and Europe. The US is one of our top-priority markets and the Senior Procurement Specialist here will own it independently, sourcing hardware, managing suppliers, coordinating logistics, and handling the commercial agreements that keep everything moving. This is a role for someone who thrives with ownership. You'll be Verda's procurement presence in the US, working closely with the central team in Finland while running US operations with a high degree of independence. The expectation is that you bring the judgment and drive to make things happen locally and reach out when you need to, not because you have to.
Responsibilities
- Own end-to-end procurement for US operations: sourcing components and servers, issuing RFQs, evaluating quotations, negotiating pricing, placing orders, and tracking delivery through to invoice reconciliation
- Define and execute sourcing strategies for key hardware categories, identifying the right vendors, developing new supplier relationships, and building the supply options that give Verda flexibility and competitive pricing
- Manage supplier relationships day-to-day: performance tracking, lead time management, issue escalation, and RMA coordination
- Coordinate inbound and outbound logistics for the US data center, customs clearance, shipment tracking, and resolving delivery issues before they become operational problems
- Support CAPEX planning and procurement forecasting in close coordination with the Finland-based procurement team and Finance
- Review and manage procurement contracts and supply agreements, covering delivery terms, SLAs, liability, and price escalation, coordinating with Legal when escalation is needed
- Maintain accurate procurement documentation: purchase orders, invoices, contracts, and supplier records
- Develop new vendors and maintain a market view on hardware pricing, availability, and supply trends relevant to Verda's hardware categories
Requirements
- 5+ years in procurement, supply chain, or vendor management in a hardware, technology infrastructure, or data center environment
- Hands-on experience procuring GPU servers, AI accelerators, or related data center infrastructure hardware, with familiarity with server ODMs/OEMs and the supply dynamics of this market
- Proven ability to run end-to-end procurement independently, from receiving a purchase request through to delivery confirmation and invoice reconciliation. You don't need a process to be handed to you
- Strong negotiation skills: you've negotiated hardware supply agreements, volume pricing, and delivery terms and can evidence the outcomes
- Comfortable with logistics coordination and international shipping, customs clearance, Incoterms, freight forwarding, and the practical reality of moving hardware across borders
- Able to review and manage commercial contracts without routing everything through Legal first: you understand what you're signing and what exposure it creates
- Comfortable with full-time office presence five days a week, given the operational nature of the role (on-site coordination, logistics, and hands-on procurement work). This isn't a remote or hybrid position
- Professional proficiency in Chinese/Mandarin and English
Skills
- Understanding of Asian supply chains, ODM and OEM procurement from Taiwan, Japan, or mainland China, including lead time and allocation dynamics
- Experience in a scaling startup or high-growth environment where structure was still being built while work was being executed
- Additional languages relevant to our supply chain: Japanese, or a major European language
Benefits
- Cash and equity compensation
- Various fringe benefits (healthcare, lunch, wellbeing, and more)
- Profitable operations with rapid, sustained growth
- 40+ nationalities, with 6 different ones on the management team
- Real chance to make an impact and work alongside world-class engineers