Director, Infrastructure Compute Procurement

About the company the company’s mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a quickly growing group of committed researchers, engineers, policy experts, and business leaders working together to build beneficial AI systems. the company is seeking a Director of Infrastructure Compute Procurement to build and lead the function responsible for how the company procures, tracks, and governs its compute infrastructure assets at scale. This is a function-building role within the Finance org. You will own supplier strategy, cost optimization, and category management for one of the largest and most complex capital procurement portfolios in AI. You will simultaneously operationalize three enterprise-scale initiatives: a multi-entity procurement structure spanning domestic and international jurisdictions, a compliance-critical Asset Lifecycle Management program and procurement operations for the company data center sites across the US with international expansion underway. This role reports directly to the Head of Procurement and serves as the senior procurement leader embedded with Infrastructure Accounting, Finance, Tax, Legal, and DC Operations. You are building the team, the playbooks, and the systems that will govern billions of dollars in compute infrastructure spend. Key Responsibilities Supplier Strategy & Cost Optimization Own key supplier relationships across compute hardware (networking, storage, racks, power infrastructure) and negotiate pricing frameworks, and volume commitments Establish playbooks and sourcing strategies for hyperscale infrastructure procurement Drive material savings through partnering with strategic sourcing teams within the Data Center Design and Ops teams, vendor consolidation, and commercial optimization across a multi-billion dollar spend portfolio Support contract negotiations and understand the liabilities and obligations with compute vendors Data Center Entity Operationalization Operationalize new entity for tax-optimized procurement of data center and infrastructure equipment Stand up international procurement operations as local entities are formed. Manage vendor contracting party transitions, contract novation/repapering, local vendor onboarding, KYC, and VAT/GST registration Partner with Tax and Legal on entity structure decisions, ensuring procurement workflows align with the interim-to-permanent entity transition framework Asset Lifecycle Management Serve as Procurement’s DRI on ALM implementation (Steerco and OpCo), owning the Asset Taxonomy and Zip/Three-Way Match workstreams and implementing with the business Drive PO data remediation (unit price, quantity, MPN) and configure PO item types to enable automated three-way match (PO - receipt - invoice) at serial-number granularity Enforce ASN compliance as a contractual condition on all new POs; standardize shipping terms across vendor contracts Ensure procurement controls meet all audit requirements Data Center Expansion & Operations Lead finance procurement operations for domestic data center sites and international expansion, managing concurrent buildouts with developers and partner operators Manage BOM-to-PO reconciliation, equipment logistics, shipping coordination, and delivery tracking across all active sites Build and maintain interim reconciliation workbooks and dashboards to provide Finance, Legal, and Security with complete procurement visibility until systems are fully operationalized Lease Administration Hire and lead a dedicated Lease Admin Lead; own the build-out of the lease administration function (people, process, and systems) Own implementation of the lease administration platform, partnering with Infra/Workplace, Finance, and Accounting on configuration, data migration, and operational workflows; ensure upstream lease data accuracy (abstraction, system data hygiene) Ensure critical dates (renewals, options, notices) are tracked and routed to the appropriate stakeholders; decision rights on renewals and options remain with Infra/Workplace Oversee reconciliations and landlord billing audits Oversee landlord billing operations and payment escalations, with the commercial landlord relationship owned by Infra/Workplace Team Building & Process Excellence Build, hire, and lead the Infrastructure Compute Procurement team, defining roles spanning supplier strategy, compute operations, international procurement, and systems and project management Design and implement scalable operating models, DRI/RACI frameworks, and governance structures for cross-functional handoffs between Procurement, DC Operations, Accounting, and FinSys Embed Claude into key procurement workflows (intake, vendor onboarding, PO management, reconciliation, reporting) to reduce manual effort and improve cycle times Minimum qualifications Deep domain knowledge of compute infrastructure components: servers, GPUs/TPUs, networking equipment, storage, racks, power distribution, and cooling infrastructure Experience managing capital-intensive procurement portfolios (multi $B+) including negotiation, category strategy, and vendor consolidation Strong understanding of procure-to-pay processes, purchase order governance, and asset lifecycle management Experience operating in SOX-compliant environments with understanding of ITGCs, ICFR, and financial control frameworks Experience with international procurement operations including entity structuring, customs/export controls, VAT/GST recovery, and cross-border logistics Proven track record of process improvement, systems implementation, and workflow automation in high-growth environments Familiarity with data center colocation agreements and equipment financing structures (lease administration / ASC 842 exposure a plus, not required) Leadership and systems design influencing skills. Preferred qualifications 12+ years of procurement experience with a minimum of 5 years in compute infrastructure, data center operations, or hyperscale supply chain 8+ years of people management experience, with demonstrated ability to build and scale teams during periods of rapid organizational growth Experience at hyperscale infrastructure companies (CoreWeave, Equinix, AWS, GCP, Azure, NVIDIA) or other frontier AI/ML companies Direct experience standing up procurement entities (buy/sell structures, intercompany frameworks) for tax optimization Experience implementing asset lifecycle management or ERP systems in infrastructure contexts Background in supply chain for semiconductor, networking, or high-performance computing components Experience with procurement platforms such as Zip and Workday Experience using AI tools (including Claude) to automate procurement workflows Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Finance, Accounting, Business, or Engineering #J-18808-Ljbffr