Procurement Director (French Speaker)

DataOne; Dubai; On-site; AED 551,000 - 771,000; Full time

Job summary

DataOne develops and operates high-density data centers for artificial intelligence workloads. We are seeking a Director of Procurement to lead the U.S.

and Americas portfolio, shaping strategy and governance for critical power, cooling, and infrastructure categories. The role demands hands-on execution and strategic oversight, with a track record in large-scale projects, supplier management, and complex negotiations.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of procurement experience, with significant management responsibility.
• Direct data center experience is required in procurement, strategic sourcing, category management, supplier management, or project procurement.
• Strong experience in data center construction, capital equipment, critical infrastructure, or heavy industrial construction.
• Demonstrated expertise in power generation, UPS systems, critical power, electrical infrastructure, mechanical systems, and cooling.
• Experience managing multi-million-dollar contracts and conducting complex commercial negotiations.

Responsibilities

• Define procurement strategy, governance, and execution for the U.S. portfolio.
• Establish procurement policies, approval thresholds, competitive bidding rules, contract controls, and compliance requirements.
• Lead key procurement metrics: savings, lead times, budget adherence, contract coverage, supplier performance, and risk.
• Own category strategies for power generation, UPS systems, critical power infrastructure, transformers, switchgear, and generators.
• Engage from the design phase with engineering and project teams to optimize specifications, cost, schedule, and performance.

Skills

Procurement leadership

Data center experience

Strategic sourcing

Supplier management

Complex negotiations

Cross-functional collaboration

Project procurement

Tools

Odoo

Job description

DataOne develops and operates high-density data centers for artificial intelligence workloads.

Director of Procurement:

Leads procurement strategy and execution across the United States and Americas, with strong responsibility for critical categories and securing long-lead-time equipment. This is a hands‑on as well as strategic role, requiring real data center experience and an understanding of the critical importance of schedule milestones in this type of infrastructure.

About the Job:

• Define procurement strategy, governance, and execution for the U.S. portfolio.
• Establish procurement policies, approval thresholds, competitive bidding rules, contract controls, and compliance requirements.
• Lead key procurement metrics: savings, lead times, budget adherence, contract coverage, supplier performance, and risk.

Category Management

• Own category strategies for power generation, UPS systems, and critical power infrastructure, including transformers, medium- and low-voltage switchgear, and generators.
• Manage mechanical cooling categories, including chillers, direct liquid cooling, rear-door heat exchangers, and coolant distribution units.
• Manage white-space categories, including racks, power distribution units, busways, and structured cabling.
• Cover civil and structural works, construction services, and professional services, in accordance with applicable building codes

Project Procurement & EPC Interface

• Engage from the design phase, contributing to specifications, supplyability analysis, and cost, schedule, and performance trade-offs.
• Lead sourcing processes, negotiations, and contracting with EPCs, general contractors, and manufacturers through to delivery and L1–L5 commissioning.
• Negotiate critical contractual clauses, including liquidated damages, warranties, spare parts, indexation, title ownership, and risk transfer.

Strategic Sourcing & Resilience

• Develop market intelligence, supplier panels, should-cost models, total cost analyses, and master agreements.
• Anticipate long-lead-time equipment, reduce single-source exposure, and implement dual-sourcing strategies.
• Work with customs compliance teams on international logistics and Chinese-origin equipment, including tariffs, anti-dumping measures, supply-chain traceability, and rules of origin related to tax incentive programs.
• Establish supplier qualification processes, audits, scorecards, and corrective action plans.
• Monitor cost, quality, delivery, and commitment-performance indicators.

Management & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing procurement team.
• Work closely with Engineering on specifications, Project Management on milestones, Finance on budgets, and Operations on execution.
• Support procurement digitalization (Odoo or equivalent) and data reliability.
• Present procurement strategy, supplier risks, savings, and project progress to the Executive Committee.

Requirements:

• 15+ years of procurement experience, with significant management responsibility.
• Direct data center experience is required in procurement, strategic sourcing, category management, supplier management, or project procurement.
• Strong experience in data center construction, capital equipment, critical infrastructure, or heavy industrial construction.
• Demonstrated expertise in power generation, UPS systems, critical power, electrical infrastructure, mechanical systems, and cooling.
• Experience managing multi-million-dollar contracts and conducting complex commercial negotiations.