Role Summary
Responsible for sourcing, purchasing, order management, and expediting of compute, server, storage, and network equipment for data center fit-out projects. This role requires strong vendor-side or reseller experience, ideally with exposure to Dell, HPE, Supermicro, Lenovo, Cisco, Arista, Juniper, Nvidia, AMD, Intel, or similar OEM ecosystems.
The role is highly focused on CPU/GPU-heavy infrastructure, server BOM validation, delivery tracking, vendor, coordination, and ensuring IT hardware arrives on time for deployment, burn-in, rack integration, and commissioning.
Key Responsibilities
Procurement & Buying
- Source and procure compute, server, storage, and network hardware for data center fit-out projects.
- Manage RFQs, quotations, commercial comparisons, purchase orders, and vendor negotiations.
- Validate BOMs for server configurations, including CPU, GPU, memory, storage, NICs, optics, cables, rails, PSUs, and licensing.
- Work closely with technical teams to ensure quoted hardware matches project specifications.2
- Track pricing, lead times, warranty terms, support levels, and product availability.
- Coordinate with OEMs, distributors, system integrators, and resellers.
Expediting & Order Management
- Track orders from PO issuance through manufacturing, allocation, shipment, customs clearance, and site delivery.
- Expedite long-lead items such as high-core-count CPUs, GPU servers, switches, optics, NICs, and storage components.
- Monitor vendor production schedules, allocation constraints, EOL/EOS risks, and delivery commitments.
- Escalate supply risks early and propose alternatives where needed.
- Maintain accurate procurement and expediting trackers.
Vendor / Seller-Side Experience
- Leverage prior experience from OEM, distributor, reseller, or system integrator environments.
- Understand how server vendors build quotations, manage configurations, handle deal registration, and allocate stock.
- Engage effectively with sales, pre-sales, inside sales, supply chain, and technical account teams.
- Challenge vendor quotes where pricing, lead time, configuration, warranty, or support terms are unclear.
- Identify suitable equivalent alternatives across brands such as Dell, HPE, Supermicro, Lenovo, Inspur, Cisco, Arista, Juniper, Nvidia, AMD, and Intel platforms.
Project Coordination
- Align procurement deliveries with rack installation, cabling, burn-in, testing, and go-live schedules.
- Coordinate with deployment, network, logistics, warehouse, and site teams.
- Support material call-off planning and delivery sequencing.
- Attend project procurement, deployment, and readiness meetings.
- Provide weekly status updates on PO, delivery, and risk items.
Skills & Experience
- 8-15 years of experience in IT hardware procurement, sales operations, channel sales, reseller sales, OEM sales support, or supply chain coordination.
- Strong exposure to data center IT hardware, especially servers, compute nodes, CPU platforms, networking equipment, and storage.
- Experience with Dell, HPE, Supermicro, Lenovo, Cisco, Arista, Juniper, or similar vendors is highly preferred.
- Good understanding of server configuration, hardware BOMs, support contracts, and delivery lead times.
- Experience in fast-paced project environments with aggressive delivery schedules.
- Strong commercial negotiation skills.
- Able to read and challenge server/network hardware quotations.
- Strong follow-up and expediting discipline.
- Good understanding of CPU-heavy compute infrastructure.
- Familiarity with warranty, RMA, licensing, support, and service terms.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and deadline-driven.
- Comfortable working with technical and commercial stakeholders.
Preferred Experience (Advantageous but Not Mandatory)
Former buyer, procurement specialist, inside sales, account manager, sales operations, or pre-sales coordinator from:
- Server OEM
- IT distributor
- Value-added reseller
- System integrator3
- Cloud / data center hardware supplier
