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Description Summary:
The Electrical Procurement Category Manager is responsible for developing and executing procurement strategies for mission-critical electrical equipment supporting DC BLOX's hyperscale, backbone, and edge data center development programs. This role serves as the subject matter expert for electrical equipment procurement, leading supplier discovery, commercial negotiations, contract development, and procurement lifecycle management from project inception through final delivery.
Working closely with Engineering, Construction, Legal, Commissioning, Finance, and key equipment manufacturers, the Electrical Procurement Specialist ensures electrical systems are procured in alignment with project schedules, technical requirements, quality standards, and corporate procurement objectives while optimizing total cost of ownership and mitigating commercial risk.
Essential Duties:
- Develop and execute sourcing strategies for mission-critical electrical equipment supporting hyperscale and backbone (edge) data center construction projects.
- Lead supplier discovery, qualification, evaluation, and selection for major electrical equipment packages.
- Develop, negotiate, and manage commercial Terms & Conditions for electrical equipment procurement agreements.
- Author, negotiate, and administer supply agreements, purchase orders, framework agreements, and long-term supplier contracts.
- Procure mission-critical electrical equipment including but not limited to:
- Standby Generators
- Medium Voltage (MV) Switchgear
- Low Voltage (LV) Switchgear
- Protective Relay and Power Protection Systems
- Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Systems
- Power Distribution Units (PDUs)
- Busway Systems
- Automatic Transfer Switches (ATS)
- Static Transfer Switches (STS)
- Coordinate procurement activities associated with electrical distribution systems, protection systems, controls integration, and building automation system interfaces.
- Collaborate closely with Engineering to ensure equipment selections satisfy design intent, operational performance, constructability, reliability, and commissioning requirements.
- Partner with Construction and Project Management teams to support procurement schedules and critical project milestones.
- Lead commercial negotiations including pricing, payment terms, warranties, delivery schedules, liquidated damages, escalation provisions, supplier performance guarantees, and service agreements.
- Manage supplier relationships throughout procurement, manufacturing, factory acceptance testing (FAT), delivery, installation support, commissioning, and warranty periods.
- Coordinate with Corporate Legal Counsel during development and execution of procurement agreements.
- Administer procurement activities through the organization's Procure-to-Pay (P2P) systems, ensuring compliance from requisition through invoice and project closeout.
- Evaluate supplier performance, manufacturing quality, delivery metrics, contractual compliance, and continuous improvement opportunities.
- Support value engineering initiatives while maintaining reliability, resiliency, uptime, and project schedules.
- Work closely with Commissioning teams to ensure electrical equipment supports successful energization, startup, testing, and turnover activities.
- Assist with warranty management, aftermarket service agreements, preventative maintenance strategies, lifecycle planning, and long-term equipment support.
- Maintain current market intelligence regarding electrical equipment technologies, supplier capabilities, pricing trends, manufacturing capacity, and industry lead times.
- Support cross-functional initiatives involving Civil, Structural, Mechanical, and Controls disciplines as required.
Education/Training/Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, Construction Management, or a related technical discipline.
- 10+ years of procurement experience supporting commercial construction, manufacturing, mission-critical facilities, or data center construction.
- Advanced knowledge of electrical equipment design, operation, and application within mission-critical facilities.
- Demonstrated expertise procuring large-scale electrical equipment for complex construction projects.
- Thorough understanding of commercial contract development, Terms & Conditions authoring, and contract negotiations.
- Proven experience executing Procure-to-Pay (P2P) processes from sourcing through final payment.
- Working knowledge of electrical construction practices, commissioning methodologies, and electrical safety standards.
- Knowledge of electrical construction safety standards, commissioning procedures, and industry best practices.
- Experience collaborating with corporate Engineering organizations.
- Basic understanding of Civil, Structural, and Mechanical systems utilized in data center construction.
- Knowledge of power reliability, electrical system resiliency, power quality analysis, disruption mitigation, and recovery strategies.
- Strong commercial negotiation, analytical, supplier management, and contract administration skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence internal and external stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Previous procurement experience supporting hyperscale or colocation data center construction.
- Established relationships with major electrical equipment manufacturers and suppliers.
- Experience negotiating warranty provisions, aftermarket service agreements, lifecycle management, and preventative maintenance contracts.
- Experience with Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), equipment inspections, and manufacturing oversight.
- Previous experience coordinating procurement activities with Corporate Legal Counsel.
- Knowledge of utility coordination, grid interconnection, and mission-critical electrical infrastructure.
- Professional certifications such as CPSM, CPSD, PMP, CCM, PE, or equivalent are a plus.