Director, Capital Equipment Procurement

QTS Data Centers•Overland Park, KS

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Capital Equipment Procurement reports to the VP, Procurement and is responsible for planning, budgeting, strategic sourcing, supply chain management, critical supplier performance management and stakeholder management for all critical capital equipment within the data center. The Director will develop long-term business strategies aligned with key QTS stakeholders, executives, and other Global Procurement leaders to drive results linked to the business goals that contributes to QTS’s position as a leader in the market it serves. The individual will support development of long-term business strategies aligned with key QTS stakeholders, executives, and other Global Procurement leaders to drive results directly linked to the business goals that contributes to QTS’s position as a leader in the market it serves. The Director, Capital Equipment Procurement is a strategic leader within QTS, supporting the Development organization with procurement of complex OFCI equipment and site project execution. This role will be responsible for supervising staff, recommending, and implementing best practices, developing processes to ensure compliance related to the procurement and execution of project-related needs.

Requirements

BA/BS in business, engineering, supply chain management, computer science or equivalent degree and/or a minimum of ten plus years’ experience in procurement and supply chain roles.
Possess knowledge of equipment and materials common in the data center design and construction market.
Purchasing experience including solicitation and negotiations of contracts more than $100mm in volume by occasion.
Five or more years of experience lead team of professionals.
Knowledge of manufacturing and supply chain community and the motivations behind same.

Nice To Haves

Ten or more years direct experience in global supply chain management, category management, strategic sourcing, contract negotiations, and vendor management in variety of categories
Direct experiences in the following categories: Facility Management, Critical Electrical and Mechanical Equipment, IT Hardware and Software, Data Center Construction Design and Construction, Professional Services
Experienced in leading a large procurement function.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic leadership to the internal team regarding category plans, vendor relationships, and execution imperatives to reduce commercial risk and drive value on behalf of the company
Develop team capabilities to absorb capital plans to drill down equipment and services required to establish OFCI equipment budget and rolling 12-month procurement plans accounting for and adjusting to the sales projection updates
Critical Equipment Planning to ensure accurate cost and schedules are provided in a timely manner to the Development Program Managers in support of budget approvals and project schedule planning
Provide weekly Development procurement status, progresses, and recommendations to gain support from executives to align on the business objectives
Continually evaluate new critical infrastructure technologies with partners to ensure that QTS balances cost, availability, reliability and efficiency into its standard equipment offering.
Analyze category spend management opportunities, conducts research to understand the supply market and commodity trends, and deploy appropriate strategic plans and track KPI’s
Ensure QTS policies and processes are followed and continuously improve processes and systems to drive best-in-class procurement performance
Collaborate with Global Procurement leaders to ensure alignment and execution of category strategies
Continuously identify and implement strategies to improve procurement initiatives, increase speed to market, improve quality, and achieve a lower total cost of ownership
Understand business impacts and align with stakeholders to effectively assess risk levels, manage supply continuity, develop contingency plans and establish risk management strategies to mitigate risk.
Lead ongoing category management activities within assigned scope of spend categories to achieve business objectives and benefit targets
Develop RFP packages and lead competitive sourcing events to ensure structuring of commercial value, risk mitigation, and performances requirements are secured in a contract to protect QTS’s interests.
Support Sales revenue generator by securing competitive NRC costing for customer deals as requested
Resolve unforeseen technical and commercial issues that arise from the assigned projects, engage with subject matter experts, and escalate as necessary to close processes utilizing approved corrective actions
Ensure the most up to date design standards are distributed to the OFCI suppliers to deliver the products as specified
Obtain OFCI equipment submittals to support the design, specification, and process approval for each assigned project as needed
Develop KPIs to measure supplier performance (on-site delivery performance, cost savings, etc.)
Continuously evaluates supplier performance to create and lead teams to improve supplier performance as necessary
Ensure mutual contracted obligations are met to ensure the negotiated values are realized
Liaise with QTS Site Operations teams, Suppliers, Finance to be the escalation point on issues that need resolutions and lead process improvement initiatives to drive efficiency and maximize value
Travel to QTS sites, OEM facilities, trade conferences, and networking events to facilitate strong relationships to benefit the strategic positioning of QTS and department objectives
Provide ad-hoc assistance to the Site Operations’ needs on certain difficult to source equipment, parts, and services