Procurement Lead
VESSL AI · San Francisco · $180,000 (stated in the posting)
About the Role
VESSL is building the specialized AI cloud for the teams pushing AI forward: frontier labs, physical AI companies, and research institutions. In the US, demand is outrunning the capacity we can stand up. In a GPU cloud business, the constraint is rarely the customer. It is power, space, hardware, and the capital to bring them together on time.
This role exists to remove that constraint. You will lead all US procurement for VESSL: where capacity comes from, how it is financed, which vendors earn our trust, and when it comes online.
As the first hire on our US Supply team, you will run each deal yourself end to end: finding the right partners, closing the deal, overseeing delivery, and running the contract after signing. As volume grows, you will build the team that takes it to scale.
You sit in our global Supply function, reporting to our Chief Strategy Officer, who leads supply globally. Based in our US office, you will partner closely with our global supply team, US sales, product, infrastructure, and finance.
What You'll Own
Source and Secure Supply
Map the US data center value chain end to end: energy and power, data center developers and operators, OEMs and hardware partners, and the capital backers behind them
Source new capacity and onboard new supply partners
Verify offered capacity and delivery timelines before anything moves to negotiation
Build relationships that give VESSL first look at capacity before it reaches the open market
Own US capacity milestones: the right GPUs, in the right sites, on the timeline our customers and roadmap require
Qualify Every Vendor
Design and run vendor due diligence: financial health, ownership and capital structure, hardware provenance, operational track record, and contract risk
Run technical due diligence with Engineering: cluster specs, networking, and storage
Set and enforce VESSL's reliability qualification bar for data center partners, starting at Tier III standards for power, cooling, redundancy, and network
Set PoC scope and acceptance criteria before any commitment
Build a repeatable procurement playbook so every deal clears the same bar
Finance the Capacity
Structure how each capacity commitment is funded, and model its unit economics before we sign
Build relationships with financial partners and negotiate financing terms alongside our Chief Strategy Officer
Partner with Finance to turn available capital into a deployable compute plan
Structure deal funding terms that balance speed of delivery against cash exposure
Run Sourcing End to End
Define requirements for each deal: GPU model, node count, networking, and storage
Issue RFIs, compare quotes, and select partners
Negotiate commercial terms: pricing, contract term, payment structure, and risk allocation
Negotiate and execute MSAs, SLAs, and order forms, and handle KYC with HQ Legal and Finance
Agree on delivery schedules and milestones with each partner
Keep Operations Running
Track progress and manage delivery, cutover, and acceptance testing
Verify monthly invoices and settle payments
Monitor SLAs and claim credits when partners fall short
Negotiate renewals and expansions
Run the Pipeline
Own a single view of the US capital pipeline and compute pipeline: sourced, in diligence, in negotiation, financed, contracted, and live
Partner with US sales on supply and demand matching, translating demand signals into sourcing priorities so supply is secured ahead of the deals that need it
Report US capacity, pipeline, and capital status to HQ and leadership on a weekly and monthly cadence, with risks surfaced while they are still fixable
Align with our global supply team on shared standards, supplier coverage, and capacity planning
Who We Expect
7+ years of experience, including at least 2 years in investment banking or consulting, and hands-on work in the data center or cloud space
Track record leading data center, colocation, hardware, or financing agreements with real dollars at stake
Able to translate technical requirements into commercial terms and contract language
Hands-on experience with billing, settlement, and SLA management after signing
A working map of the data center value chain, from power to operations to OEMs to the capital behind them, and the judgment to tell a reliable partner from a risky one
Diligence instincts: you verify claims, underwrite counterparties, and build processes that catch problems before they become contracts
Builder mindset: you have hired and led a team, or you are ready to build one from scratch
On site, San Francisco
Nice to Have
Hands-on experience negotiating MSAs, SLAs, and DPAs
Hands-on experience in data center operations, deployment, or colocation, including power, cooling, rack density, and GPU networking
Understanding of NVIDIA GPU systems such as HGX and GB200 NVL72, their configurations, and build lead times
Experience designing benchmark and acceptance test criteria
An existing network across the compute and data center ecosystem
Fluency in infrastructure finance: how capital flows into infrastructure assets, how it is underwritten, and how financing terms shape unit economics
AI native: you use tools like Claude to multiply your output, model scenarios, and run diligence faster
What We Offer
The range we've posted represents the typical compensation range for this role. To determine actual compensation, we review the market rate for each candidate which can include a variety of factors. These include qualifications, experience, interview performance.
Base Salary : $180,000 ~ $ 210,000 per year
Perks
Medical, dental, and vision insurance
Basic Life and AD&D insurance
401(k) retirement Savings plan
Unlimited Vacation
Interview Process
Application Review → Initial Screen → Hiring Manager Screen → Culture-Fit Interview (2 rounds)→ CEO Interview → Offer
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