Strategic Sourcing Lead, Network Infrastructure

F5; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 164,000 - 246,000; Full time

Job summary

F5 is seeking a Strategic Sourcing Manager to own end-to-end procurement for network hardware supporting our global PoP and data center expansion. You will partner with Capacity Engineering to ensure hardware availability, manage vendor relationships, and negotiate commercial agreements that match an aggressive build schedule.

You’ll lead supplier engagement, contract structuring, and vendor accountability while coordinating with Supply Chain, Network Engineering, Infrastructure Operations,

Qualifications

• 8+ years of strategic sourcing, procurement, or contract management in data center or network infra
• Experience negotiating vendor contracts for large-scale data center or network environments
• Technical fluency in network hardware to evaluate vendor proposals and engage with engineering

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end procurement execution for network hardware (switches, routers, optics, cabling, rack hardware) across global PoP and data centers
• Partner with Capacity Engineering planning to translate demand into sourcing plans with lead times and delivery commitments
• Initiate, negotiate, and manage contracts and MSAs with OEMs, ODMs, and global suppliers
• Identify supply chain risk and secure optionality across hardware portfolio
• Collaborate with engineering, legal, finance, and procurement to align sourcing strategies with capacity and budget
• Develop competitive commercial strategies for material readiness and cost efficiency
• Provide technical and commercial input during vendor evaluation to align with data center design and ops
• Track, report sourcing progress, risks, and milestones to Capacity Engineering leadership
• Maintain sourcing documentation like supplier scorecards, contract trackers, and delivery timelines

Skills

Sourcing strategy

Vendor contracts

Cross-functional

Network infra knowledge

Analytics & modeling

Executive comms

SaaS/hyperscale

Capacity planning

Python

SQL

Excel

Tools

Python

SQL

Excel

Job description

F5 is seeking a Strategic Sourcing Manager to own end-to-end procurement for network hardware supporting our global PoP and data center expansion. You will partner with Capacity Engineering to ensure hardware availability, manage vendor relationships, and negotiate commercial agreements that match an aggressive build schedule.

You’ll lead supplier engagement, contract structuring, and vendor accountability while coordinating with Supply Chain, Network Engineering, Infrastructure Operations,