Sr Category Manager

AFL; Dallas (TX); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

AFL is seeking a Senior Category Manager to develop and execute sourcing strategies for critical data center infrastructure categories, improving cost competitiveness, supplier performance, supply continuity, and alignment with technology roadmaps.

You will lead strategic supplier relationships, drive negotiations, and partner with engineering, finance, and operations to support hyperscale data center growth while delivering measurable savings and risk mitigation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, Operations or related field.
• 7+ years of strategic sourcing, procurement, or category management experience.
• Experience managing global suppliers supporting cloud, networking, data center infrastructure, or related technical environments.
• Demonstrated success leading complex sourcing initiatives and negotiating multimillion-dollar commercial agreements.
• Strong analytical, financial, contract-management, stakeholder-influence, and supplier performance-management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and drive measurable results in a fast-paced, global environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute multi-year category strategies aligned with business objectives and hyperscale data center growth plans.
• Identify opportunities for total cost optimization, supplier innovation, regional diversification, dual sourcing, and long-range supply assurance.
• Build effective relationships with key supplier stakeholders and align supplier roadmaps with future data center requirements.
• Lead supplier business reviews and use scorecards, corrective actions, and joint business plans to improve cost, quality, delivery, service, capacity, and innovation.
• Lead sourcing events and negotiate strategic agreements covering pricing, capacity, lead times, service levels, continuity, IP, quality, inventory, and liability.
• Deliver measurable savings, cost avoidance, TCO improvements, and supplier productivity.
• Validate supplier capacity and scalability against forecasts and deployment ramps, establishing demand-forecasting and allocation frameworks.
• Develop multi-source strategies, continuity plans, and recovery plans for mission-critical materials.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to support new product introductions, deployment readiness, and sourcing decisions.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Negotiation

Analytical skills

Stakeholder influence

Supplier performance management

Global supplier management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, Operations

Job description

The Senior Category Manager develops and executes sourcing strategies for critical data center infrastructure categories to improve cost competitiveness, supplier performance, supply continuity, and alignment with technology roadmaps. This role leads strategic supplier relationships and commercial negotiations in support of global hyperscale data center growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute multi-year category strategies aligned with business objectives and hyperscale data center growth plans, using market intelligence, spend analysis, industry capacity, technology roadmaps, and geopolitical risk to guide decisions.
• Identify opportunities for total cost optimization, supplier innovation, regional diversification, dual sourcing, and long-range supply assurance for critical components and infrastructure materials.

Strategic Supplier Management

• Build effective relationships with key supplier stakeholders, including executive-level contacts, and align supplier technology and capacity roadmaps with future data center requirements.
• Lead supplier business reviews and use scorecards, corrective actions, and joint business plans to improve cost, quality, delivery, service, capacity, and innovation.

Commercial & Contract Management

• Lead sourcing events and negotiate strategic agreements covering pricing, capacity, lead times, service levels, continuity, intellectual property, quality, inventory, and liability to strengthen AFL’s competitive position and protect supply, quality, and delivery commitments.
• Deliver measurable savings, cost avoidance, total-cost-of-ownership improvements, and supplier productivity.

Capacity & Supply Assurance

• Validate supplier capacity and scalability against forecasts and major deployment ramps, establishing capacity reservations, demand-forecasting processes, and allocation frameworks with strategic suppliers.
• Develop multi-source strategies, continuity plans, and recovery plans for mission-critical materials.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with Engineering, Logistics, Manufacturing Operations, Finance, Quality, Program Management, Product Line Management, and regional supply chain teams to support new product introductions, deployment readiness, and sourcing and technology decisions through design reviews.
• Provide sourcing guidance, communicate risks and recommendations, and drive stakeholder alignment across global initiatives.

Key Categories

• Categories may include fiber optic cable assemblies, connectors and components, structured cabling solutions, rack integration and assembly, and contract manufacturing services.
• Establish supplier scorecards and executive reviews focused on delivery, lead-time adherence, quality, cost, capacity, corrective action, and measurable performance improvement.
• Lead supplier innovation and value-engineering initiatives that reduce cost, accelerate deployment, and support next-generation data center architectures.
• Reduce single-source exposure and maintain resiliency plans for geopolitical, operational, and capacity risks.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, Operations, or a related field.
• 7+ years of strategic sourcing, procurement, or category management experience.
• Experience managing global suppliers supporting cloud, networking, telecommunications, data center infrastructure, or a related technical environment.
• Demonstrated success leading complex sourcing initiatives and negotiating multimillion-dollar commercial agreements.
• Strong analytical, financial, contract-management, stakeholder-influence, and supplier performance-management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and drive measurable results in a fast-paced, global environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting hyperscale cloud infrastructure providers or comparable customers.
• Experience with optical connectivity, structured cabling, fiber infrastructure, networking hardware, or data center construction.
• CPSM, CIPS, CSCP, PMP, or MBA.

Working Conditions

• Professional office environment with a hybrid work schedule.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
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