Director, Strategic Program Management -AI Infrastructure

Sumitomo Electric U.S.A., Inc.•San Jose, CA

17d•$180,000 - $200,000

About The Position

The Director, Strategic Program Management serves as the primary strategic interface between Sumitomo Electric U.S.A. and leading chipmakers, hyperscalers, and ODM/rack integrators in the U.S. market. The role combines strategic account management, product management, customer program management, and business development. As the single point of accountability in the U.S., the director translates customer requirements into technical specifications, product roadmaps, and supply-chain strategies. The director leads cross-functional teams across Japan, the U.S., Vietnam, and Mexico, taking programs from initial RFQ through NPI, customer qualification and certification, and full-scale mass production. The role owns the business lifecycle, including customer strategy, business-case development, commercial negotiations, program execution, and revenue, profit, and ROI management, with a focus on the AI and data center infrastructure market. This is a full-time, exempt position reporting to the SVP, Data Center Business Division. The role requires 20–30% travel and is performed in an office environment. The salary range is $180,000–$200,000 per year.

Requirements

Proven B2B sales or management experience with semiconductor manufacturers, hyperscalers, cloud providers, ODM/EMS companies, or network equipment vendors.
Experience negotiating with procurement stakeholders and C-level executives.
Strong knowledge of connectors, optical cables, transceivers, data center equipment, or server/switch architecture.
Ability to interpret drawings and BOMs and translate them into technical challenges for internal teams.
Experience leading the full lifecycle from RFQ/RFI and costing through NPI, capacity planning, and mass production.
Demonstrated ability to lead across geographies and hold stakeholders accountable without direct hierarchical authority.
Strong executive communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical and commercial issues clearly and persuasively.
Financial acumen, including proficiency in ROI and NPV calculations and P&L management for product lines or accounts.
Understanding of lead-time management, safety stock, and capacity planning in a global manufacturing environment.
Experience with complex commercial contracts, such as LTAs and Master Service Agreements, and ability to work with legal teams to mitigate risk.
Native or professional fluency in English.
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field.
At least 10 years of experience in B2B sales, account management, business development, or product management.
At least 5 years of experience in a leadership role managing a team.

Nice To Haves

MBA.
Japanese-language proficiency.
Familiarity with AI server and rack-scale architectures, relevant industry standards such as OCP, IEEE 802.3, and MSAs, and hyperscaler qualification processes.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary contact for Tier-1 chipmakers, hyperscalers, and ODMs, building relationships with engineering, procurement, and executive stakeholders.
Analyze customer technical roadmaps, product architectures, and demand trends to anticipate needs and secure early positioning in design-in cycles.
Monitor competitors, emerging technologies, and pricing dynamics to inform product and account strategy.
Review RFQs, demand forecasts, BOMs, CAD drawings, and connectivity diagrams to identify gaps, inconsistencies, and responsibility boundaries.
Translate customer requirements into product specifications, volume targets, cost structures, quality standards, and capacity requirements.
Own the responsibility matrix and change-management process, documenting changes and assessing their impact on specifications, scope, schedule, pricing, and commitments.
Lead global matrix teams across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Procurement, Supply Chain Management, and Finance to drive quotations, development, and production planning.
Manage programs from NPI through customer qualification, certification, and stable mass-production ramp-up; proactively escalate and resolve schedule, quality, and yield risks.
Establish program governance, milestones, KPIs, and regular reviews to provide customers and internal leadership with visibility into status and risk.
Negotiate NRE, CAPEX underwriting, Minimum Purchase Guarantees, Long-Term Agreements, and inventory liability.
Balance customer forecasts, supply scenarios, and investment risks to ensure ROI.
Own account-level revenue, margin, and growth targets, and report performance to executive leadership.
Support occasional matters as directed.