Sourcing Manager III

Role Type: CONTRACTSourcing Manager III, Data Center EquipmentLocation: Fremont, CA (hybrid, 3+ days onsite per week)6 months, 2.5 year max (end date 12/31/26, possible extension)Pay: $50 - $65 / hourOur Fortune 50 client is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Sourcing Manager to develop and manage strategic vendor partnerships for data center equipment, with a focus on robotics and automation technology. This role requires a strong background in supply chain management, complex negotiations, and a deep understanding of technology trends within the data center and automation space.Responsibilities:- Vendor Strategy & Management:- Develop and nurture strategic vendor relationships through effective relationship management, including implementing performance metrics (e.g., scorecards), conducting regular business reviews, and fostering collaboration to meet Meta’s commercial and technical requirements.- Maintain current knowledge of technology and industry trends for data center equipment, performing relevant market analysis.- Drive supplier proposals (RFI/RFQ) and business awards.- Commercial and Financial Management:- Develop and execute negotiation strategies, acceptable terms and conditions, and lead the negotiation team through to contract closure.- Negotiate complex contracts, including Master Purchase Agreements (MPA), Master Service Agreements (MSA), and Statements of Work (SOW), demonstrating a strong grasp of key terms.- Own market and actual cost data, including developing should-cost models for data center equipment.- Resolve all commercial and technical queries arising from the quote process.- Operational Excellence & Cross-Functional Collaboration:- Ensure business metrics are achieved across the end-to-end process, from manufacturing to data center operation.- Collaborate extensively with cross-functional teams, including Manufacturing Quality, Strategic Engineering and Design, Global Site Sourcing, Data Center Facility Operations, Data Center Construction, and Connectivity.- Manage operations and define and drive core business metrics and risk indicators for continuous improvement.- Provide metrics for quarterly business reviews to assess supply chain health and forward-looking risk.- Drive critical operations related to assurance of supply and capacity through partnership with the Demand/Supply team for accurate forecasting, materials management, qualification, reliability management, and supply allocation.Minimum Qualifications:- BA/BS or equivalent with 3-5 years of supply chain experience.- A minimum of 5 years of Sourcing Management or Supply Chain Management experience in commercial sourcing roles.- Proven analytical experience and demonstrated ability to guide teams to deliver results.- Experience in improving supply chain and supplier performance, including the use of cost models and objective-based performance measures, particularly in the semiconductor/memory commodity.- Extensive experience in contracts and contract negotiations, including contract strategy development and execution, with a focus on agreement closure.- Proficiency in robotics and automation, with a strong understanding of supply chain processes and their integration with robotics technology.Preferred Qualifications:- MS/MBA.- Strong understanding of complex supply chain operations and processes, including forecasting, supplier qualification, allocation management, material management, and quality assurance.- Specific experience in automation/robotics and warehouse/logistics.Specialized Requirements (Robotics/AI Sourcing Focus):Requires a Master's or Bachelor’s degree (or foreign degree equivalent) in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Analytics, Robotics and Automation, or a related field, and 5 years of experience in the job offered or a related occupation, including experience in the following specific skills:- 5 years of Material or production planning experience.- 5 years experience with broad enterprise systems work, including SAP, Oracle, and custom applications.- 5 years of working knowledge of SQL and and/or BI tools (Tableau/Power BI/Looker) to build and maintain supplier scorecards (quality, OTIF, lead time, defect rates, downtime impact, cost).- 2 years experience negotiating software licensing models for robotics/AI (per-robot, per-site, usage-based, support/maintenance terms).- 2 years experience defining contract and supplier requirements for AI systems, specifically addressing:- Model performance metrics, test/validation methodology, update/rollback processes.- Telemetry for model monitoring, and incident response protocols for safety-critical failures.- Data governance requirements (data retention, access controls, auditability).