Strategic Sourcing Manager, DC Networking Infrastructure

OpenAI

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Research Services 👥 201 employees 📍 San Francisco, CA, US Est. 2015

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with…

Job Overview

OpenAI, in close collaboration with our capital partners, is embarking on a journey to build the world’s most advanced AI infrastructure ecosystem. The industrial compute team is central to this mission, setting the core infra strategy and implementing this vision. From site selection to the buildout process, this team sits at the intersection of commercial, technical, strategy, and operations, interacting with teams and executives inside and outside of OpenAI.

About the Role

OpenAI is seeking a sourcing leader ready to take on global-scale challenges involving thousands of stakeholders and high-stakes commercial decisions. If you’re motivated by structuring transformative deals and shaping the future of infrastructure on a planetary scale, this is your seat at the table.

The Industrial compute team supporting Stargate OpenAI’s ambitious next-generation supercomputing platform is hiring a seasoned and strategic sourcing professional to lead infrastructure procurement efforts at the cutting edge of AI.

In this role, you will own end-to-end sourcing strategy and execution across datacenter network hardware. You’ll partner closely with engineering and business teams to ensure hardware availability, incubate new vendor relationships, and negotiate complex commercial agreements. This is not just sourcing, it’s foundational work for building the world’s most advanced supercomputer.

You’ll shape supplier engagement, define commercial terms, and drive vendor accountability, all while sitting at the heart of OpenAI’s infrastructure strategy. Your work will directly impact our ability to scale safely, securely, and swiftly.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and execute strategic roadmaps for the next generation of network infrastructure, including long-haul fiber, in-building networking, and optical transport solutions, in close partnership with engineering.


• Stay current on industry trends and leverage insights to shape forward-looking, category-specific sourcing strategies.


• Initiate, negotiate, and manage contracts for critical datacenter domains, including but not limited to network switches, routers, DWDM/RLS transport solutions, optics, cabling, and rack hardware.


• Identify risks and secure optionality for hardware availability across a broad portfolio spanning backbone and networking components.


• Partner cross-functionally with engineering, operations, legal, and finance to ensure sourcing strategies align with broader project and organizational goals.


• Develop and lead competitive commercial strategies, ensuring material readiness and cost efficiency across OpenAI’s infrastructure roadmap.


• Provide technical and commercial input during vendor evaluation and selection to ensure alignment with data center operational and design standards.


• Communicate sourcing progress, risks, and key milestones to executive stakeholders with clarity and precision.

Qualifications

10+ years of strategic sourcing, procurement, and contract management experience, with deep specialization in data center infrastructure and operations, including leadership of sourcing for major capital equipment and facilities.

Demonstrated success in contract negotiation and vendor management for large-scale data center environments, working with OEMs, JDMs, and global suppliers, with an emphasis on commercial structuring and international logistics.

Deep technical fluency in networks (e.g., DWDMs, switches, routers, cabling, NICs), optical transport, and end-to-end connectivity solutions.

Robust knowledge of network hardware and compute platform infrastructure, aligned with industry best practices and standards across network and compute domains.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a sharp focus on cost optimization, risk mitigation, and long-term value delivery.

Skilled in structuring complex, multi-equipment capital deals, negotiating commercial terms, and driving vendor performance and accountability.

Track record of cross-functional collaboration and leadership in high-stakes, fast-paced environments.

Exceptional communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.

Adaptability and resilience in navigating ambiguity and evolving requirements.

Willingness to travel as needed for critical sourcing activities and supplier engagements.