Head of Procurement

American Terawatt•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

American Terawatt is building an industrial electric grid for the United States, designing and deploying advanced power transmission systems for large industrial loads. Its network is based on HVDC transmission and standardized, modular terminals that integrate energy storage and can expand into nodes on the future network. The Head of Procurement will build the company’s procurement function and secure critical equipment for HVDC terminals and the transmission network. This hands-on, senior individual-contributor role owns strategic sourcing, vendor negotiations, and equipment delivery, working directly with the CTO and with Engineering, Development, and Commercial teams. There is an opportunity to build and lead a procurement team as the company scales. The position reports directly to the CTO. The role includes defining and iterating on specifications with internal teams; developing sourcing plans that balance supply constraints with customer requirements and timelines; securing transformers, switchgear, batteries, and other transmission hardware; negotiating vendor deposits, payment, and delivery terms; and keeping equipment deliveries on track. Early priorities include understanding the project roadmap and procurement risks, aligning on immediate sourcing needs, and engaging critical vendors. By six months, the role is expected to establish a procurement roadmap, secure supply and commercial terms for priority equipment, identify alternatives for critical components, and introduce repeatable vendor-selection, contracting, delivery-tracking, and supplier-risk processes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or another relevant engineering discipline, or equivalent experience.
Strong working knowledge of power systems or electrical engineering design and development processes.
10 or more years of hands-on experience procuring major equipment for large capital projects, with a record of keeping projects on schedule through delivery.
Experience developing custom-engineered projects involving long-lead equipment.
Demonstrated success sourcing components at commercial scale, including negotiating with industry-leading equipment vendors.

Nice To Haves

15 or more years of experience in the power transmission industry.
Familiarity with HVDC systems or high-voltage transmission hardware.
Experience with international sourcing and logistics.
Background in high-growth or startup environments.
Contract negotiation and vendor management experience, particularly involving milestone-based delivery and penalty clauses.

Responsibilities

Partner with Engineering, Development, and Commercial teams to define and iterate on specifications and requirements.
Develop strategic sourcing plans that balance supply-chain constraints with customer requirements and project timelines.
Secure high-value equipment at scale, including transformers, switchgear, batteries, and other transmission hardware.
Negotiate vendor deposits, payment terms, and delivery terms.
Keep delivery timelines on track and find workarounds to issues as they arise.
Review suppliers, contracts, orders, delivery schedules, gaps, and risks.
Establish a procurement roadmap tied to project schedules and long-term equipment needs.
Identify alternative suppliers for critical components and establish repeatable processes for vendor selection, contracts, delivery tracking, and supplier-risk management.

Benefits

Competitive compensation package, including salary and equity, commensurate with experience.
Medical, dental, and vision coverage, including 75% coverage for dependents and spouses.
Up to $300 per month reimbursement for gym and wellness expenses, or Bay Club membership for San Francisco-based employees.
Lunch provided daily when working from an office.
Unlimited PTO with manager approval.
Company-wide office closures for the week of July 4 and one week in December.
Laptop of choice provided.
Convenient San Francisco office location on the Embarcadero near public transit.
Pre-tax transit benefit.
Employee-contribution 401(k) program.