Director, Strategic Program Management -AI Infrastructure

Sumitomo Electric U.S.A., Inc.; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Sumitomo Electric U.S.A., Inc. is seeking a senior leader to act as the primary strategic interface with world-leading chipmakers, hyperscalers, and ODM/rack integrators in the US market.

This hybrid role combines strategic account management, product management, and business development to translate customer roadmaps into technical specs and supply chain plans. You will own the entire lifecycle from RFQ through NPI to mass production, coordinating with teams across Japan, the US, Vietnam, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA is a plus.
• 10+ years in B2B sales/account management with leadership exp.
• Experience negotiating complex contracts and driving cross-functional programs.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary strategic interface with Tier-1 chipmakers, hyperscalers, and ODMs.
• Translate customer requirements into technical specs, roadmaps, and supply chain plans.
• Lead global matrix org (Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Procurement, SCM, Finance) through RFQ to mass production.
• Negotiate commercial terms including NRE, CAPEX, LTAs, and inventory risk.
• Ensure ROI, P&L ownership, and program governance with clear KPIs.

Skills

Strategic Account Mgmt

Tech translation

Lifecycle ownership

Matrix leadership

Executive comms

Financial acumen

Supply chain

Contract literacy

English fluency

Japanese advantage

Industry ecosystem

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Engineering

MBA (preferred)

Job description

The salary range for this position is from $180,000 to $200,000 per year.

(Full-Time, Exempt position)

I. Job Summary:

We are seeking a high-impact leader to serve as the primary strategic interface between our organization and the world’s leading Chipmakers, Hyperscalers, and ODM/rack integrators in the US market.
This hybrid leadership role combines the responsibilities of a Strategic Account Manager, Product Manager, Customer Program Manager, and Business Development Manager.
As the “single point of accountability” in the US, the successful candidate will translate complex customer requirements into actionable technical specifications, product roadmaps, and supply chain strategies.
You will lead cross-functional teams across Japan, the US, Vietnam, and Mexico to drive programs from initial RFQ through NPI to full-scale mass production, supporting customers in the rapidly scaling AI and data center infrastructure market.

This job’s mission is to bridge the gap between ambitious customer visions and operational reality. Rather than simply relaying information, you will own the entire business lifecycle: capturing the customer’s strategic roadmap, defining the business case, negotiating commercial terms, and ensuring stable, profitable mass production.

The End-to-End Value Chain you will lead:

• Customer Strategy & Roadmap
• Specs / Demand / Responsibility Matrix
• Internal Business Case & Strategy
• Cross-functional Design & Quoting
• Price / Investment / Contract Negotiation
• NPI / Certification / Mass Production
• Revenue / Profit / ROI Management

II. Duties/Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Relationship & Market Intelligence

• Serve as the primary point of contact for Tier-1 chipmakers, Hyperscalers, and ODMs, building trusted relationships across engineering, procurement, and executive levels.
• Analyze customer technical roadmaps, product architectures, and demand trends to anticipate future needs and secure early positioning in design-in cycles.
• Monitor the competitive landscape, emerging technologies (e.g., higher-speed interconnects, co-packaged optics), and pricing dynamics to inform product and account strategy.

2. Technical Translation & Requirement Management

• Review RFQs, demand forecasts, BOMs, CAD drawings, and connectivity diagrams to identify gaps, inconsistencies, and boundaries of responsibility.
• Translate high-level customer requirements into concrete product specifications, volume targets, cost structures, quality standards, and capacity requirements.
• Own the responsibility matrix and change management process, ensuring that changes to specifications, scope, or schedule are documented, assessed, and reflected in pricing and commitments.

3. Cross-Functional Orchestration (Matrix Leadership)

• Lead a global matrix organization (Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Procurement, SCM, Finance) to drive quotations, development, and mass production planning.
• Manage the transition from NPI (New Product Introduction) through customer qualification and certification to stable ramp-up, proactively escalating and resolving risks to schedule, quality, and yield.
• Establish program governance, including milestones, KPIs, and regular reviews, to give internal leadership and customers clear visibility into status and risk.

4. Commercial Negotiation & Risk Management

• Lead negotiations on NRE (Non-Recurring Engineering), CAPEX underwriting, Minimum Purchase Guarantees, Long-Term Agreements (LTA), and inventory liability.
• Manage the balance between customer forecasts, supply scenarios, and investment risks to ensure ROI.
• Own account-level revenue, margin, and growth targets, and report performance to executive leadership.

III. Marginal Functions

• Support occasional matters as directed

IV. Required Skills/Abilities

• Strategic Account Management: Proven track record in B2B sales/management for semiconductor manufacturers, Hyperscalers, Cloud providers, ODM/EMS, or network equipment vendors. Experience negotiating with both procurement and C-level executives is essential.
• Technical-Commercial Bridge: Strong knowledge of connectors, optical cables, transceivers, data center equipment, or server/switch architecture. You must be able to interpret drawings and BOMs to translate them into technical challenges for internal teams.
• Full Lifecycle Ownership: Experience leading the entire process from RFQ/RFI and costing to NPI, capacity planning, and mass production.
• Matrix Leadership: Demonstrated ability to drive results and hold stakeholders accountable across different geographies (e.g., Japan, US, SE Asia, Mexico) without having direct hierarchical authority over them.
• Executive Communication: Ability to present complex technical and commercial issues clearly and persuasively to both customer executives and internal leadership.
• Financial Acumen: Proficiency in calculating ROI, NPV, and managing P&L for specific product lines or accounts.
• Supply Chain Knowledge: Understanding of lead-time management, safety stock, and capacity planning in a global manufacturing environment.
• Contractual Literacy: Experience with complex commercial contracts (LTA, Master Service Agreements) and the ability to collaborate with legal teams to mitigate risk.
• Language: Native or professional fluency in English. Proficiency in Japanese is a significant advantage given the global matrix structure involving Japanese headquarters.
• Industry Ecosystem: Familiarity with AI server and rack-scale architectures, relevant industry standards (e.g., OCP, IEEE 802.3, MSAs), and Hyperscaler qualification processes.

V. Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or related field. MBA is a plus.
• Experience: 10+ years in B2B sales, account management, business development or product management, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing a team.

VI. Position in Organization

• Reports to: SVP, Data Center Business Division

VII. Physical Requirements

• Work is performed in an office environment and requires the physical and motor skills typical of an officeenvironment, including, but not limited to: prolonged sitting, working on a computer, using telephones, handheld technology and other office equipment, standing, walking and stooping.
• May be occasionally required to lift objects such as files, boxes of paper, office supplies, and computer /office equipment weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to routinely concentrate, focus and read for general understanding and analytical purposes and abilityto communicate effectively.

VIII. Other Duties

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job description. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

IX. Travel Required

Yes 20-30% No

About Sumitomo Electric U.S.A., Inc.

Sumitomo Electric U.S.A., Inc. (SEUSA) serves North American customers in various industries, including electric power, data communications, automotive, electronics manufacturing, medical devices, and more. An overview of our diverse portfolio of products is provided on this site for reference.

SEUSA was established in 1971 as the first North American subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Industries. Our early activities contributed to the development of other subsidiaries, and today we are a part of a regional network of more than 40 companies affiliated with the Sumitomo Electric Group. SEUSA’s main offices are located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and Silicon Valley. Please visit for more info: https://global-sei.com/usa/seusa/ .

SEUSA is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, genetics, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

About Sumitomo Electric Group

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. is a recognized global technology leader with over 280,000 employees working at around 400 group companies in 40 countries. Building on more than 120 years of innovation, today Sumitomo Electric is engaged in diversified business activities that support people’s daily lives and industries in five business segments: automotive, infocommunications, electronics, environment & energy, and industrial materials. To learn more about Sumitomo Electric, please visit https://sumitomoelectric.com. You can watch videos from our past interns and corporate profile from our YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/SumitomoElectric/. Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/sumitomo-electric.