Senior Director, Operational Procurement

Nscale; Greater London; On-site; GBP 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Base + equity

Dynamic progression plan

Human-First flexibility

Autonomy to shape your day

Job summary

Nscale is seeking a Senior Director of Operational Procurement to lead global OFCI supplier strategies across data centers. You will align Construction, Engineering, and Operations, shaping contracts, playbooks, and teams to optimize asset lifetime and cost.

This role requires 12+ years in procurement with data-center experience, strong leadership, and the ability to drive cross-functional change in a hyper-growth setting. Expect base + equity and a human-first, flexible culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in a related field.
• 12+ years in procurement, strategic sourcing, or supply chain, with data center or infrastructure experience.
• Experience owning OFCI or MEP equipment procurement.
• Experience negotiating and administering capital/construction and operating/services contracts.
• Proven people leadership, building teams and playbooks from scratch.
• Strong commercial and analytical capabilities across cost modeling, benchmarking, and total cost of ownership.
• Track record building procurement processes and governance in hyper-growth environments.
• Excellent cross-functional influence and transparent communication with complex stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Embed operability, serviceability, and total cost of ownership into early-stage sourcing and technical specs.
• Standardize OFCI operating model and RACI for clear hand-offs between Construction and Operations.
• Ensure asset-data continuity, warranty protection, and spare parts availability into steady-state operations.
• Execute global category strategies for OFCI equipment, long-lead plant, and critical operating services.
• Use market intelligence to optimize make-vs-buy decisions and secure capacity in constrained markets.
• Structure and negotiate capital, construction, and facilities agreements including SLAs and performance regimes.
• Own change orders, back-charges, and renewals across the global operating fleet.
• Establish a supplier performance framework with scorecards and QBRs.
• Mitigate supply risk via dual-sourcing and compliance onboarding.
• Build and mentor a high-performing procurement team with scalable governance.
• Drive alignment on cost savings, cash flow outcomes, and capacity schedule objectives.

Skills

Proven leadership

Cross-functional influence

Cost modeling

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain / Engineering / Business / Finance

Job description

About Nscale

Nscale is the GPU cloud engineered for AI. We provide cost-effective, high-performance infrastructure for AI start-ups and large enterprise customers. Nscale enables AI-focused companies to achieve superior results by reducing the complexity of AI development. Our GPU cloud bolsters technical capabilities and directly supports strategic business outcomes, including cost management, rapid innovation, and environmental responsibility.

About Nscale

Nscale is the GPU cloud engineered for AI. We provide cost-effective, high-performance infrastructure for AI start-ups and large enterprise customers. Nscale enables AI-focused companies to achieve superior results by reducing the complexity of AI development. Our GPU cloud bolsters technical capabilities and directly supports strategic business outcomes, including cost management, rapid innovation, and environmental responsibility. At Nscale, our Procurement and Supply Chain team sits at the center of how we buy, build, and operate our data centers, securing the equipment, services, and supplier partnerships that keep our global fleet scaling. We thrive on a culture of relentless innovation, ownership, and accountability, where every team member takes pride in their work and drives it with excellence and urgency. As an Nscaler, you'll build trust through openness and transparency, where everyone is inspired to do their best work. If you join our team, you'll be contributing to building the technology that powers the future.

About The Role

Nscale is scaling its global data center footprint fast, and our Owner Furnished, Contractor Installed (OFCI) program is the engine behind how we buy, build, and operate those facilities. We're looking for a Senior Director of Operational Procurement to make sure Operations is a primary stakeholder from inception, not the recipient of decisions made elsewhere. In this global role you'll bridge Construction, Engineering, and Operations, making sure the entire asset lifecycle is optimized for long-term performance. You won't just manage contracts; you'll build the strategy, playbooks, and teams that define how our infrastructure evolves. This is a high-impact builder role for a leader who thrives on cross-functional alignment and commercial excellence.

What You'll be Doing

• Operational integration. Embed operability, serviceability, and total cost of ownership into early-stage sourcing and technical specifications.
• OFCI operating model. Standardize the OFCI operating model and RACI so hand-offs between Construction and Operations are unambiguous.
• Turnover to steady state. Secure asset-data continuity, warranty protection, and spare parts availability as facilities move into steady-state operations.
• Category strategy. Execute global category strategies for OFCI equipment, long-lead plant, and critical operating services.
• Market intelligence. Use market intelligence to optimize make-vs-buy decisions and secure capacity in constrained supply markets.
• Contract structuring. Structure and negotiate capital, construction, and facilities works agreements, including SLAs and performance regimes.
• Commercial resolution. Own change orders, back-charges, and renewals across the global operating fleet.
• Supplier performance. Establish a supplier performance framework built on scorecards, QBRs, and rigorous escalation paths.
• Supply chain risk. Mitigate risk through dual-sourcing, capacity reservations, and comprehensive compliance onboarding.
• Team building. Build and mentor a high-performing procurement team while implementing scalable governance and approval workflows.
• Cross-functional alignment. Drive alignment on cost savings, cash flow outcomes, and capacity schedule objectives.

About You

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, Finance, or a related field.
• 12+ years in procurement, strategic sourcing, or supply chain, with significant time in data center, mission-critical, construction, or infrastructure environments.
• Demonstrated ownership of OFCI or MEP equipment procurement, including the coordination challenges of owner-furnished / contractor-installed delivery.
• Deep experience negotiating and administering both capital / construction contracts and operating / facilities-services contracts.
• Proven people leadership, with the ability to build teams, processes, and playbooks from the ground up.
• Strong commercial and analytical capability across cost modeling, benchmarking, and total cost of ownership.
• A track record of building and scaling procurement processes and governance in hyper-growth environments.
• Excellence in cross-functional influence and transparent communication, particularly when managing complex stakeholder relationships.

Nice to Have

• MBA or Master's in a related field; CPSM, CIPS, or equivalent certification.
• Experience at a hyperscale, colocation, or infrastructure provider, or in a high-growth / start-up environment.
• Experience managing long-lead electrical and mechanical plant in a capacity-constrained market.
• Familiarity with global sourcing and multi-region contract structures while executing regionally in North America.

Why this role matters

Every megawatt we bring online depends on equipment being specified, sourced, and handed over in a way Operations can run for the next decade. Get that right and we protect uptime, cost, and schedule at the same time; get it wrong and we inherit a decade of workarounds. This role decides which of those happens, and it does so by design rather than by default.

What We Can Offer You

At Nscale, you'll find a collaborative, supportive, and innovative environment where your contributions spark real impact. We're building something extraordinary, and we want you at the core.

• Highly competitive package (base + equity) with reviews every 12 months.
• Join the fastest-growing tech startup, your chance to push boundaries, collaborate with brilliant minds, and make your mark on cutting-edge AI.
• Expect a dynamic progression plan tailored to your ambitions. Grow by trying new things, leading, challenging the status quo, and owning your impact, always with our full support.
• Human-First Flexibility: We treat you as humans first. Our flexible workplace trusts Nscalers to deliver, giving you the autonomy to shape your day around life's moments.

Equal Opportunities Statement

At NScale, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace. We believe that a variety of perspectives enriches our work environment, and we encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. We strongly encourage applications from people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, parents, carers, and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

If there's anything we can do to accommodate your specific situation, please let us know.