America Procurement Category Manager - Electrical
Volta · Palo Alto
About Volta
Volta is the category-defining, fully vertically integrated AI infrastructure platform – from capital to clusters to software, under a founder-led enterprise. Our mission is The Utility of Compute™: AI infrastructure as dependable and available as electricity, for every organization that needs it. Launched with a $10B strategic partnership with one of the leading frontier AI labs, a Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, and a $5B AI Infrastructure Fund, Volta is building the infrastructure layer of the AI era from the ground up. We are 100+ people across London, Palo Alto, and New York, with rapid growth expectations to hundreds.
The Role
We are looking for a Procurement Category Manager to build a strong, resilient supply chain for one of Volta's core infrastructure categories in your region. This is a critical role for Volta: you will develop the category and sourcing strategies that secure everything we need to deliver our campuses on time. You will report to the Regional Procurement Director and work closely with Global Procurement Operations and the onsite procurement teams at each project.
This is a partnership role. You will develop long term relationships with key suppliers and put in place master goods and services agreements that secure capacity for Volta's future pipeline, so that our onsite teams always have a ready, trusted supply chain to draw on. You will run Volta's procurement processes for your category, bringing stakeholders across the business together to define the right requirements and enabling the business owner to select the right provider at the right time. It is a first of fleet role: you will help shape the supplier panels, agreements and ways of working that Volta will repeat across every site as we scale.
Category Scope - Electrical: Medium and low voltage switchgear, switchboards, transfer switches, transformers, UPS, generators, turbines, exterior busway/cable bus, power distribution units, battery energy storage, modular and prefabricated power solutions (such as eHouses and skid mounted power modules) and associated electrical equipment
What You Will Do
Develop and deliver the category and sourcing strategies Volta needs to deliver its campuses on time, building a resilient supply chain with the depth, capacity and geographic coverage to support the project pipeline
Identify, develop and manage strategic supplier partnerships, building relationships at every level and acting as Volta's main point of contact for your category's key suppliers
Put in place master goods and services agreements and framework arrangements, including pipeline, capacity reservation, manufacturing slot and volume commitments that secure supply for future projects
Make the supply chain available to onsite teams, with clear call off routes, pricing and contacts so that sites can leverage approved suppliers quickly as they need them
Run Volta's procurement processes end to end, from market engagement and supplier pre-qualification through RFI, RFQ and RFP to evaluation, negotiation and contract award
Engage stakeholders across engineering, design, preconstruction, construction, commissioning, controls, operations, project controls and finance to define clear requirements, and bring the team together to make a timely, well-informed joint selection of providers for all goods and services
Negotiate commercial terms, pricing, lead times, delivery schedules, payment milestones, warranties and service levels, working closely with the Project controls team and Procurement Legal Counsel on contract drafting and non-standard positions
Act as the escalation point for supplier issues raised by the onsite procurement teams, resolving delivery, quality, commercial and performance problems quickly and fairly
Proactively plan and facilitate regular business review meetings with key suppliers, covering performance, KPIs, forward pipeline, capacity, risks, innovation and continuous improvement
Identify and manage supply chain risk, including single source dependencies, capacity constraints, multi-supplier award scenarios, price volatility, tariffs, supplier financial health and ESG or compliance concerns, and build in dual sourcing and contingency where needed
Work with Global Procurement Operations to keep supplier records, agreements, purchase orders and spend data accurate, and report category spend, savings, pipeline and supplier performance to the Regional Procurement Director
What You Will Bring
4 to 7 years in procurement, category management or supplier relationship management, ideally in data centers, mission critical facilities, energy, construction or large-scale infrastructure
Direct experience buying in Electrical, with a good understanding of the supplier market and how the equipment, works or services are specified, made and delivered
A track record of building strategic supplier partnerships and putting in place master agreements, frameworks or capacity arrangements that support a pipeline of projects
Strong relationship management skills, with the credibility to manage senior supplier contacts, handle escalations calmly and lead effective business reviews
Experience running structured procurement processes and working with stakeholders to define requirements and support decision making
Working knowledge of commercial contract terms such as liability, warranties, liquidated damages, payment terms and change control, and of standard form contracts such as NEC, JCT, FIDIC, GMP or AIA
Strong analytical and cost modelling skills, including total cost of ownership analysis, and comfort using ERP, AI based systems, procurement systems and Excel
CIPS or CPSM qualification, or working towards it, would be an advantage, as would experience across both European and North American markets
What We Offer
At Volta, we believe people do their best work when they feel supported, trusted and able to grow. We're building a company where you can make an impact, keep a healthy balance between work and life, and build a career you're proud of.
As a global team, we do our best to provide great benefits wherever you're based. While some benefits vary by country due to local regulations, we believe looking after our people is simply the right thing to do.
Competitive salary based on the work you do here, not your previous salary
Equity in Volta, giving you the opportunity to share in the company's long-term success
Retirement/pension contributions
Comprehensive health, wellbeing and insurance benefits
Generous number of vacation days each year
Additional Information
Background Checks
All offers of employment at Volta are conditional on the satisfactory completion of pre-employment screening, which includes confirmation of your right to work, verification of your employment history and a criminal record check, where this is permitted by local law. Screening is carried out by Zinc, an accredited third-party provider, after an offer is made and all information is handled confidentially and in accordance with applicable data protection law.
Equal Opportunity
Volta is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and make employment decisions based on skills, qualifications, experience and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic.
Accessibility
Volta is committed to providing an accessible recruitment experience for all candidates. If you require accommodations or adjustments at any stage of the application or interview process, please contact us at askpeople@volta.com. We will work with you to identify reasonable accommodations that enable you to participate fully in the hiring process.
Candidate Privacy Notice
Note to Recruitment Agencies
Volta does not accept unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles from recruitment agencies. Any unsolicited submissions, including those sent directly to hiring managers or employees, will be treated as the property of Volta. No agency fees will be payable unless a valid, signed recruitment agreement is in place, and the agency has been specifically engaged for the relevant vacancy.
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