Procurement & Supply Chain Lead, Hardware

Socrates Systems Inc; United States; Remote; USD 170,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) or equivalent

Flexible time off

Company-wide summer and winter breaks

Job summary

Socrates is seeking a Procurement & Supply Chain Lead to build and own the hardware supply chain behind our AI compute infrastructure. You’ll source GPUs, servers, compute appliances, networking gear, and critical components, establishing manufacturing partnerships that scale.

You’ll negotiate with manufacturers, optimize cost, quality, and delivery, and drive end-to-end supply chain strategy from zero to production, with ownership and speed to market.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in hardware supply chain, strategic sourcing, or manufacturing operations.
• Built and scaled hardware sourcing and manufacturing operations.
• Delivered measurable improvements in costs, availability, capacity, lead times, or supplier performance.
• Experience across hardware lifecycle: sourcing, qualification, negotiations, manufacturing, NPI, ramp.
• Established relationships with component manufacturers, OEMs, ODMs, and contract manufacturers.
• Deep understanding of hardware economics and BOM cost analysis.
• Able to develop sourcing strategy and negotiate agreements.
• Built capabilities from zero and driven rapid, lean scale.

Responsibilities

• Own sourcing for GPUs, servers, compute appliances, networking gear, and critical components.
• Build and maintain direct relationships with semiconductor manufacturers, distributors, OEMs, ODMs, and contract manufacturers.
• Lead supplier selection, qualification, and commercial negotiations including pricing, deposits, terms, and long-term agreements.
• Select and manage manufacturing partners for system assembly, integration, testing, and delivery.
• Own hardware economics across BOMs, manufacturing costs, and total landed cost per system.
• Translate demand into sourcing strategies, forecasts, and schedules; manage inventory and constraints.
• Establish supplier quality standards, acceptance criteria, warranties, returns, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with hardware engineering, infrastructure, finance, and operations to align specifications, capital, and deployment timelines.

Skills

Hardware supply chain

Strategic sourcing

Vendor negotiations

NPI/production ramp

Global supplier relations

Cost optimization

Hardware economics

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

About Us

Socrates is an AI-native platform for a new generation of business software. We bring models, data, agents, and applications together so companies can replace disconnected systems with software built around how they work. The underlying infrastructure is built in, giving businesses one foundation to manage their records, run their workflows, and put AI to work.

Our mission is to give businesses greater control over their technology and make it easier for people to create and use software with AI. We’ve raised a $23 million seed round to help build that future.

The Role

We're looking for a Procurement & Supply Chain Lead to build and own the hardware supply chain behind our AI compute infrastructure.

You’ll own everything from sourcing GPUs and critical components to procuring and manufacturing fully integrated compute appliances. You’ll build direct relationships with manufacturers, negotiate supply and allocation, establish contract manufacturing partnerships, and drive the cost, quality, and delivery of our hardware.

You’ve done this before, and exceptionally well. You’ve personally built and scaled complex hardware supply chains, negotiated directly with manufacturers, secured critical components, and brought systems into production. You know what works, what breaks, where the real leverage exists, and what you’d do differently.

Now you’re excited by the opportunity to build it again from the ground up. Not to recreate the processes of a large organization, but to take everything you’ve learned and build something faster, leaner, more efficient, and better.

This is a hands on leadership role with complete ownership. You’ll define the strategy, build the relationships, negotiate the deals, and execute the plan.

What You’ll Do

• Own sourcing for GPUs, servers, compute appliances, networking equipment, and critical components. Evaluate complete systems, direct component sourcing, and custom manufacturing options to optimize cost, performance, availability, and reliability.

• Build and maintain direct relationships with semiconductor manufacturers, component distributors, OEMs, ODMs, and contract manufacturers to secure competitive pricing, reliable allocation, and manufacturing capacity.

• Lead supplier selection, qualification, and commercial negotiations, including pricing, capacity commitments, minimum order quantities, deposits, payment terms, warranties, and long term supply agreements.

• Select and manage manufacturing partners responsible for system assembly, integration, testing, and delivery. Drive manufacturing readiness, production schedules, supplier performance, and quality.

• Own hardware economics across component pricing, costed bills of materials (BOMs), manufacturing costs, and total landed cost per system. Identify opportunities to improve unit economics without compromising performance or reliability.

• Translate infrastructure demand into sourcing strategies, component forecasts, purchase commitments, and manufacturing schedules. Anticipate supply constraints, manage inventory exposure, and ensure hardware is delivered when needed.

• Establish supplier quality standards, acceptance criteria, warranty processes, and returns management. Hold manufacturing partners accountable for defects, corrective actions, and continuous improvement.

• Work closely with hardware engineering, infrastructure, finance, and operations to align hardware specifications, sourcing decisions, capital requirements, and deployment timelines.

Required Experience

• 8+ years of experience in hardware supply chain, strategic sourcing, or manufacturing operations, with a demonstrated record of exceptional execution.

• You’ve personally built and scaled hardware sourcing and manufacturing operations, rather than simply managed established supplier networks or procurement processes.

• You’ve delivered measurable improvements in hardware costs, component availability, manufacturing capacity, lead times, or supplier performance, and can explain exactly how you achieved them.

• You have direct experience across the hardware lifecycle, including component sourcing, supplier qualification, commercial negotiations, contract manufacturing, new product introduction (NPI), and production ramp.

• You’ve developed meaningful relationships with component manufacturers, OEMs, ODMs, and contract manufacturers, and know how to leverage those relationships to secure supply, negotiate favorable terms, and solve difficult problems.

• You understand hardware economics deeply. You can break down a system BOM, challenge supplier pricing, evaluate manufacturing costs, and make informed decisions about supply availability, cost, and capital efficiency.

• You’re equally comfortable developing a sourcing strategy and personally negotiating the agreements required to execute it.

• You know how to build from zero. You don’t need a large team, established processes, or a mature supplier network handed to you. You’ve built those capabilities yourself and know how to prioritize what matters.

• Most importantly, you’ve done this successfully before and want to do it again, better. You’re motivated by the opportunity to apply your experience, move quickly, and build an exceptional supply chain from the ground up.

What Sets You Apart

• Experience building or scaling global hardware supply chains at leading consumer hardware, semiconductor, hyperscale cloud, or AI infrastructure companies.

• Direct experience sourcing AI accelerators, GPU servers, or high performance computing infrastructure.

• Established relationships with global semiconductor suppliers, server OEMs, ODMs, and contract manufacturers, particularly in major Asian manufacturing markets.

• Experience with rack scale compute systems, custom server platforms, or integrated hardware appliances.

• Experience building supply chain operations within an early stage or high growth company.

• Familiarity with global logistics, ERP/MRP systems, supplier managed inventory, and international manufacturing operations.

Why Join Us

The infrastructure behind AI is one of the most consequential hardware and supply chain challenges in technology.

You’ll have the opportunity to build a hardware supply chain from the ground up, with direct ownership over the sourcing and manufacturing decisions that determine infrastructure cost, hardware availability, quality, and scale.

We’re looking for someone who has already proven they can do this at the highest level and is excited to do it again, even better. Someone who knows the industry, has the relationships, understands the economics, and wants to turn that experience into a lasting competitive advantage.

Benefits & Perks

We’ve got you covered with competitive compensation, equity, medical, dental, and vision benefits, plus flexible time off coordinated with your team. Alongside federal holidays, you’ll enjoy company-wide summer and winter breaks—dedicated time for everyone to unplug, recharge, and make the most of life outside work.