Director of Procurement, Data Centers

We're building the company which will de-risk the largest infrastructure build-out in history.

When people finance GPU clusters, the datacenters housing them, and the infrastructure powering them, they need "offtake" - meaning someone has signed a contract to lease the cluster for a period of time before its even built.

Financing a GPU cluster is inherently risky, since margins are thin and volumes are huge. Lenders don't want to take on the risk that cluster developers can't repay their loan, and cluster developers really don't want to risk not selling their cluster. As a result, risk is offloaded to the customer using fixed-price long-term contracts.

If you don't mitigate this customer risk, there's a bubble. This isn't SaaS anymore - application layer companies sign multi-year contracts for computer and inference, but sell to customers on monthly subscriptions. If you mess up a purchase, it's game over: a minor shift in your revenue growth rate might mean the difference between profit or bankruptcy. But what if companies could exit their contract by selling it back to the market?

Otherwise, as AI scales, compute only becomes available to folks who can effectively take on that risk. A 2-person startup in a San Francisco Victorian can't realistically sign a 5-year take or pay contract on $100m supercomputers. But they may be able to buy the month of liquidity that someone else sold back.

So that's what we make: a liquid market for GPU offtake.

About the Role:

SF Compute’s Development Team is actively deploying large GPU clusters into colocation facilities and greenfield builds. The Director of Procurement will oversee the end-to-end sourcing strategy for data center projects. This role is based at SF Compute’s headquarters in San Francisco with some travel required. All applicants are required to submit a portfolio of prior data center projects.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end sourcing strategy and execution for SF Compute's critical procurement categories, including: MEP equipment (transformers, switchgear, UPS, generators, PDUs/RPPs, chilled water plant, DLC/liquid cooling systems, fire suppression, BMS/controls, structured cabling); construction services (GC and specialty trade bid management, EPC/design-build procurement); and IT/hardware supply (GPU servers, networking equipment, cabinets, optics, and high-density rack power)

• Lead competitive RFP/RFQ processes from brief through bid analysis, commercial negotiation, and contract award; manage the full contract lifecycle including MSAs, SOWs, purchase orders, PCO tracking, and close-out documentation

• Build and maintain sourcing roadmaps and commodity strategies for each category; conduct ongoing market intelligence on pricing benchmarks, lead times, supplier capacity, and supply risk — with particular focus on long-lead or sole-source items (large power transformers, custom switchgear, specialty cooling)

• Develop and manage a curated panel of strategic suppliers across all categories; cultivate executive-level relationships to influence partner roadmaps and secure preferential capacity commitments; establish supplier KPIs and lead regular performance reviews

• Partner with the Design & Engineering Lead to translate design specifications and equipment BOMs into procurement-ready packages; flag supply chain constraints early in the design cycle to prevent late-stage design changes and schedule impacts

• Coordinate with the Project Delivery Team on OFCI/OFOI delivery programs: factory witness testing schedules, site delivery logistics, receiving inspection, and on-site equipment staging

• Work with Finance to develop capital expenditure forecasts, cash-flow models, and purchase order governance; ensure procurement activities comply with SF Compute cost targets, project schedules, and applicable client contractual requirements

• Build SF Compute's procurement function from the ground up: implement systems, processes, playbooks, and approved vendor lists appropriate to our stage and growth trajectory

About You:

• 8+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain management, with direct exposure to data center infrastructure, cloud computing hardware, or large-scale construction procurement; 3+ of those years focused on MEP equipment or construction services categories

• Experienced in full-cycle procurement: market analysis, RFx design and execution, bid evaluation, commercial negotiation, contract award, and supplier performance management

• Familiarity with the MEP equipment supply landscape for mission-critical facilities: key vendors, lead time dynamics, pricing benchmarks, and common commercial structures ac