Director, Advanced Cooling Category Management, NA

Vantage Data Centers•Denver, CO

4d•Remote

About The Position

This role owns the global mechanical category strategy and supplier ecosystem for advanced thermal management systems supporting data center infrastructure. Scope includes chillers, cooling towers, heat exchangers, pumps, valves, piping systems, and emerging liquid cooling technologies such as CDUs and skids. The role is responsible for ensuring cost, quality, delivery, and reliability outcomes, while enabling scalable deployment across regions and reducing supply chain and technical risks. The Director partners closely with Mechanical Engineering, Product, Construction, Commissioning, Operations, and Reliability teams to ensure alignment with design standards, capacity expansion plans, and evolving cooling technologies. This role also drives global supplier strategy, performance governance, and total cost of ownership improvements, while proactively managing risks such as long-lead equipment constraints, regulatory exposure, and technology transitions.

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
Ability 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

Responsibilities

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
Additional duties as assigned by Management