Sr Category Manager

Position Summary

The Senior Category Manager develops and executes sourcing strategies for critical data center infrastructure categories to improve cost competitiveness, supplier performance, supply continuity, and alignment with technology roadmaps. This role leads strategic supplier relationships and commercial negotiations in support of global hyperscale data center growth.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Market Intelligence

Develop and execute multi-year category strategies aligned with business objectives and hyperscale data center growth plans, using market intelligence, spend analysis, industry capacity, technology roadmaps, and geopolitical risk to guide decisions.

Identify opportunities for total cost optimization, supplier innovation, regional diversification, dual sourcing, and long-range supply assurance for critical components and infrastructure materials.

Strategic Supplier Management

Build effective relationships with key supplier stakeholders, including executive-level contacts, and align supplier technology and capacity roadmaps with future data center requirements.

Lead supplier business reviews and use scorecards, corrective actions, and joint business plans to improve cost, quality, delivery, service, capacity, and innovation.

Commercial & Contract Management

Lead sourcing events and negotiate strategic agreements covering pricing, capacity, lead times, service levels, continuity, intellectual property, quality, inventory, and liability to strengthen AFL’s competitive position and protect supply, quality, and delivery commitments.

Deliver measurable savings, cost avoidance, total-cost-of-ownership improvements, and supplier productivity.

Capacity & Supply Assurance

Validate supplier capacity and scalability against forecasts and major deployment ramps, establishing capacity reservations, demand-forecasting processes, and allocation frameworks with strategic suppliers.

Develop multi-source strategies, continuity plans, and recovery plans for mission-critical materials.

Cross-Functional Leadership

Partner with Engineering, Logistics, Manufacturing Operations, Finance, Quality, Program Management, Product Line Management, and regional supply chain teams to support new product introductions, deployment readiness, and sourcing and technology decisions through design reviews.

Provide sourcing guidance, communicate risks and recommendations, and drive stakeholder alignment across global initiatives.

Key Categories

Categories may include fiber optic cable assemblies, connectors and components, structured cabling solutions, rack integration and assembly, and contract manufacturing services.

Performance, Innovation & Risk Management

• Establish supplier scorecards and executive reviews focused on delivery, lead-time adherence, quality, cost, capacity, corrective action, and measurable performance improvement.
• Lead supplier innovation and value-engineering initiatives that reduce cost, accelerate deployment, and support next-generation data center architectures.
• Reduce single-source exposure and maintain resiliency plans for geopolitical, operational, and capacity risks.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, Operations, or a related field.
• 7+ years of strategic sourcing, procurement, or category management experience.
• Experience managing global suppliers supporting cloud, networking, telecommunications, data center infrastructure, or a related technical environment.
• Demonstrated success leading complex sourcing initiatives and negotiating multimillion-dollar commercial agreements.
• Strong analytical, financial, contract-management, stakeholder-influence, and supplier performance-management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and drive measurable results in a fast-paced, global environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting hyperscale cloud infrastructure providers or comparable customers.
• Experience with optical connectivity, structured cabling, fiber infrastructure, networking hardware, or data center construction.
• CPSM, CIPS, CSCP, PMP, or MBA.

Working Conditions

Professional office environment with a hybrid work schedule.

Travel required: Some Travel