Senior Procurement Specialist, US

Verda; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Cash + Equity

Healthcare

Lunch

Wellbeing

Job summary

Verda is seeking a Senior Procurement Specialist to own US operations, sourcing components and servers, negotiating with vendors, and coordinating logistics for our US data center. This role requires on-site presence in Santa Clara, with frequent travel and collaboration with the Finland team.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in procurement for hardware, strong negotiation skills, and expertise in GPU/AI hardware supply chains, plus fluency in English and Chinese/Mandarin.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in procurement, supply chain, or vendor management for hardware or data center infra.
• Hands-on experience procuring GPU servers and AI hardware components.
• Proven end-to-end procurement ownership from request to delivery and invoicing.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end procurement for US operations including RFQs, supplier pricing, orders, and invoice reconciliation.
• Define sourcing strategies, build relationships with vendors, and ensure competitive pricing.
• Coordinate inbound/outbound logistics, customs, and delivery with cross-functional teams.
• Support CAPEX planning and collaborate with Finland-based procurement and Finance.
• Review contracts and SLAs, manage procurement documentation, and maintain records.

Skills

Procurement

Supply chain

Vendor management

GPU servers

Negotiation

Logistics coordination

International shipping

Incoterms

Tools

RFQ management

Contract management

Supplier relationship mgmt

Job description

At Verda, we're building a full-stack AI cloud, covering everything from data centers and hardware to our own cloud platform that the world's leading AI teams use to do serious AI work.

We strive to make a positive mark on the world through the infrastructure we build and give leading teams a service they can truly depend on. Headquartered in Helsinki, we operate globally with offices in London and San Francisco.

Join Verda while it’s still being built - not once it’s finished.

Why Verda

• Cash and equity compensation along with various fringe benefits (healthcare, lunch, wellbeing, and more).

• Profitable operations with rapid, sustained growth.

• 40+ nationalities, with 6 different ones on the management team.

• A real chance to make an impact and work alongside world class engineers, researchers, and partners across the global AI ecosystem.

Practicalities

• Work mode: On-site, full-time office presence 5 days a week in Santa Clara, California. Given the operational nature of the role (on-site coordination, logistics, and hands-on procurement work), this isn't a remote or hybrid position

• Travel: Frequent domestic and international travel

• Employment type: Full-time and permanent

• Compensation: USD 120,000 to USD 160,000 base salary, depending on experience and skills, plus equity. The final offer will reflect your experience, capabilities, and location within the range.

About the role

Verda has a data center in the US and a hardware supply chain that spans Taiwan, Japan, the US, and Europe. The US is one of our top-priority markets and the Senior Procurement Specialist here will own it independently, sourcing hardware, managing suppliers, coordinating logistics, and handling the commercial agreements that keep everything moving.

This is a role for someone who thrives with ownership. You'll be Verda's procurement presence in the US, working closely with the central team in Finland while running US operations with a high degree of independence. The expectation is that you bring the judgment and drive to make things happen locally and reach out when you need to, not because you have to.

Your responsibilities

• Own end-to-end procurement for US operations: sourcing components and servers, issuing RFQs, evaluating quotations, negotiating pricing, placing orders, and tracking delivery through to invoice reconciliation

• Define and execute sourcing strategies for key hardware categories, identifying the right vendors, developing new supplier relationships, and building the supply options that give Verda flexibility and competitive pricing

• Manage supplier relationships day-to-day: performance tracking, lead time management, issue escalation, and RMA coordination

• Coordinate inbound and outbound logistics for the US data center, customs clearance, shipment tracking, and resolving delivery issues before they become operational problems

• Support CAPEX planning and procurement forecasting in close coordination with the Finland-based procurement team and Finance

• Review and manage procurement contracts and supply agreements, covering delivery terms, SLAs, liability, and price escalation, coordinating with Legal when escalation is needed

• Maintain accurate procurement documentation: purchase orders, invoices, contracts, and supplier records

• Develop new vendors and maintain a market view on hardware pricing, availability, and supply trends relevant to Verda's hardware categories

Your key competencies

• 5+ years in procurement, supply chain, or vendor management in a hardware, technology infrastructure, or data center environment

• Hands-on experience procuring GPU servers, AI accelerators, or related data center infrastructure hardware, with familiarity with server ODMs/OEMs and the supply dynamics of this market

• Proven ability to run end-to-end procurement independently, from receiving a purchase request through to delivery confirmation and invoice reconciliation. You don't need a process to be handed to you

• Strong negotiation skills: you've negotiated hardware supply agreements, volume pricing, and delivery terms and can evidence the outcomes

• Comfortable with logistics coordination and international shipping, customs clearance, Incoterms, freight forwarding, and the practical reality of moving hardware across borders

• Able to review and manage commercial contracts without routing everything through Legal first: you understand what you're signing and what exposure it creates

• Comfortable with full-time office presence five days a week, given the operational nature of the role (on-site coordination, logistics, and hands-on procurement work). This isn't a remote or hybrid position

• Professional proficiency in Chinese/Mandarin and English

Nice to have

• Understanding of Asian supply chains, ODM and OEM procurement from Taiwan, Japan, or mainland China, including lead time and allocation dynamics

• Experience in a scaling startup or high-growth environment where structure was still being built while work was being executed

• Additional languages relevant to our supply chain: Japanese, or a major European language