Category Manager, HPC Network & Storage

NorthMark Strategies LLC; Irving (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 290,000; Full time

Job summary

NorthMark Strategies LLC is seeking a Category Manager – HPC Network or Storage to define and execute the global sourcing and supply chain strategy for end-to-end HPC and AI data center infrastructure. The role oversees high-speed networking and storage technologies, driving market intelligence, supplier strategy, and complex negotiations.

Ideal candidates will bring deep HPC/AI infrastructure knowledge, experience with long lead-time components, and a proven track record in enterprise

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, with preference for SCM, operations, engineering, or related fields.
• 8–10 years of experience in category management, strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain management.
• Proven experience managing large-scale infrastructure spend in Networking or Storage (>$100M).
• Deep understanding of HPC and AI data center infrastructure incl. GPUs, networking, storage, and rack-scale designs.
• Experience managing long lead-time, high-demand hardware procurement.
• Strong background in enterprise negotiations and supplier contract management.
• Ability to lead in fast-paced, high-growth environments and manage complex stakeholder networks.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and executive-level influence.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute global category strategy for HPC infrastructure including networking, storage, and rack-scale designs.
• Lead market intelligence, technology roadmapping, supplier strategy, sourcing, and contracting.
• Manage annual category spend and optimize cost, capacity, and supply continuity.
• Negotiate terms, oversee supplier selection, and drive performance across multiple regions.
• Collaborate with engineering, finance, legal, and operations to align sourcing with roadmaps and deployment timelines.
• Identify and mitigate supply, capacity, geopolitical, and technology risks.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Project management

Financial analysis

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

NorthMark Strategies is a leading investment firm, combining capital, innovation, and engineering to drive long‑term value. From operating complex businesses to backing breakthrough technologies, our mission is to build enduring businesses. Our team combines intelligent risk-taking, operational excellence, exceptional talent, and world‑class computing capacity to create shareholder value.

Our company offers a dynamic environment where individuals have the freedom to lead companies toward bold achievements by embracing innovation, leveraging technology, and fostering differentiated business strategies. Our values are Integrity, Ability, and Energy, and the company aims to hire individuals who possess those qualities.

At NorthMark Strategies, we believe the future isn’t something to hope for, it’s something to build. We don’t just invest, we create. Bringing together strategic insight and technical horsepower to deliver outcomes that endure.

The Position

We are seeking a Category Manager – HPC Network or Storage to define and execute the global sourcing, procurement, and supply chain strategy for end-to-end high-performance computing (HPC) and AI data center infrastructure, focused on high-speed networking and large-scale storage architectures.

This role owns the full category lifecycle across some of the most capacity-constrained, technologically advanced infrastructure in the market, supporting cutting‑edge HPC, AI/ML, and large-scale data center deployments. The Category Manager will lead market intelligence, technology road mapping, supplier strategy, sourcing, contracting, and competitive benchmarking, with annual spend responsibility of $100M to $500M+.

The ideal candidate brings deep domain expertise in modern HPC and AI Network and Storage infrastructure, thrives in fast-moving, supply‑limited environments, and has a proven track record managing long lead-time, high-demand components such as networking silicon, storage platforms, and integrated rack‑scale solutions across complex, global organizations. This is a critical role responsible for architecting and building out a strategic category around HPC Infrastructure that will be able to scale alongside company and procurement organization growth.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Portfolio Leadership

• Own and drive the global category management strategy for HPC Infrastructure, spanning:
• Rack-scale and integrated systems (pre-configured racks, liquid-cooled and high-density designs)
• High-speed networking (InfiniBand, Ethernet, optical interconnects, switches, NICs, cables)
• Storage infrastructure (high-performance parallel file systems, NVMe, object and tiered storage)

• Lead technology road mapping and market intelligence, staying ahead of industry trends and ensuring early access to next-generation and “latest and greatest” infrastructure technologies
• Design and execute supply chain strategies for highly constrained, long lead-time infrastructure, including networking silicon, optics, storage media, and power components
• Manage and optimize annual category spend of $500M, ensuring cost efficiency, scalability, and continuity of supply while enabling aggressive growth

• Responsible for making critical decisions regarding entering contracts, negotiating pricing/terms, signing agreements and committing capital.

• Develop and maintain should-cost models, TCO analyses, and competitive benchmarks across networking, storage, and rack-level solutions to assess pricing, commercial terms, and supply strategies versus industry peers
• Support rapid-scale deployments by aligning procurement strategies with cluster-level and rack-scale build requirements, including factory integration, testing, and logistics
• Partner closely with engineering, infrastructure, architecture, data center design, finance, legal, and operations teams to align sourcing strategies with technical roadmaps, capacity planning, and deployment timelines
• Identify, assess, and mitigate supply, capacity, geopolitical, and technology risks, including vendor concentration, roadmap dependencies, allocation constraints, and macroeconomic impacts
• Secure capacity commitments, allocation agreements, and strategic supply assurances with key suppliers

• Responsible for making critical decisions on supplier selection and partnerships

• Drive supplier performance management, including delivery assurance, quality, capacity, innovation alignment, and roadmap transparency
• Influence suppliers to co-invest in next-generation infrastructure, advanced cooling, and performance-optimized designs
• Operate effectively in highly complex, multi-entity and global environments, coordinating across regions, business units, and legal entities
• Provide executive-level insights on market conditions, supply risks, and technology inflection points

Procurement Sourcing & Commercial Execution

• Lead the full source-to-contract lifecycle, including:
• Category market intelligence, supplier landscape analysis, and technology roadmaps
• Supplier segmentation, dual/multi-source strategies, and ecosystem partnerships
• RFP/RFQ execution, commercial structuring, and complex negotiations
• Contract development, execution, and ongoing lifecycle management

• Develop and maintain should-cost models, TCO analyses, and competitive benchmarks across networking, storage, and rack-level solutions to assess pricing, commercial terms, and supply strategies versus industry peers
• Support rapid-scale deployments by aligning procurement strategies with cluster-level and rack-scale build requirements, including factory integration, testing, and logistics
• Partner closely with engineering, infrastructure, architecture, data center design, finance, legal, and operations teams to align sourcing strategies with technical roadmaps, capacity planning, and deployment timelines
• Identify, assess, and mitigate supply, capacity, geopolitical, and technology risks, including vendor concentration, roadmap dependencies, allocation constraints, and macroeconomic impacts
• Secure capacity commitments, allocation agreements, and strategic supply assurances with key suppliers

• Responsible for making critical decisions on supplier selection and partnerships

• Drive supplier performance management, including delivery assurance, quality, capacity, innovation alignment, and roadmap transparency
• Influence suppliers to co-invest in next-generation infrastructure, advanced cooling, and performance-optimized designs
• Operate effectively in highly complex, multi-entity and global environments, coordinating across regions, business units, and legal entities
• Provide executive-level insights on market conditions, supply risks, and technology inflection points

Required Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required, with a strong preference for Supply Chain Management, Operations, Engineering, Business, or a related field
• 8-10 years of experience in category management, strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain management
• Proven experience managing large-scale infrastructure spend in Networking or Storage vertical ($100M+)
• Deep understanding of HPC and AI data center infrastructure, including GPUs/accelerators, compute platforms, high-speed networking, storage systems, and rack-scale designs
• Strong background in supply chain strategy for long lead-time, high-demand hardware
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex, high-stakes commercial negotiations and execute enterprise-level contracts
• Experience operating in fast-paced, high-growth, and dynamic environments
• Exceptional stakeholder management, communication, and executive-level influence

Preferred Qualifications

• Category management or supply chain certifications (e.g., CPSM, CSCP, CPM, CIPS, or equivalent)
• Experience supporting hyperscale, AI, cloud, or HPC infrastructure deployments
• Familiarity with latest-generation GPU ecosystems, interconnect technologies, and advanced cooling architectures
• Proven success working within matrixed, multi-entity, or global organizations
• Strong analytical capabilities, including cost modeling, benchmarking, market intelligence, and capacity forecasting