Our client is one of the world’s leading social network providers. As the Director, Network Hardware Sourcing, you will manage a global talent footprint of network hardware sourcing professionals, and will serve as the primary partner for the company’s Network Engineering team to deliver best in class network equipment pricing, optimal flexibility, and unmatched delivery and availability performance. As the leader of this multi-hundred million dollar business, you will be responsible for the end-to-end ecosystem of sourcing, procurement and supply chain activities in network infrastructure, and for economically moving multiple terabits of information around the globe in a high-performance manner.

This will be achieved through world-class sourcing activities to include, but not be limited to, identification of product and service availability options, development and setting of a sourcing and negotiation strategy for network equipment and services, and partnering with Network Engineering to develop a business and technology roadmap for the Production and Corporate Networks. Our client has world-class in-house capability to design its own equipment as well; so all vendor options and terms must be evaluated within this context.

Responsibilities

Partnership with Network Engineering: Identify required network hardware and leading edge design solutions to effectively and economically deliver the company’s services around the globe.

Contract Strategy and Execution: Formulate comprehensive negotiation strategies to secure required network performance with best in class pricing and industry leading contractual terms and conditions. Lead the business negotiation process with internal partners and suppliers. Develop negotiation approaches, must/want and concession positions, and acceptable terms and conditions through to closure.

RF-x Services: Own and lead the supplier interface for all RFI, RFP and RFQ activities. Partner with appropriate internal stakeholders to ensure RF-x document is inclusive. Drive bid leveling process and oversee presentation of RF-x results to evaluation team and drive the closure of a sourcing decision

SLA Performance: Manage the measurement of and improve supplier actual performance against negotiated SLA.

Competitive Benchmarking: Identify key benchmark suppliers in RFx efforts. Partner to identify evaluation criterion and provide relevant data back to appropriate internal teams.

Cost Modeling: Own and provide industry and actual unit and service cost data which feeds into least total landed cost models and the RF-x process. Develop and implement should-cost models for products and services. Drive continual improvement of productivity and develop/implement transformational cost containment and expense reduction strategies to deliver ground-breaking network cost efficiencies.

Supplier survey, audit and qualification: Oversee efforts to survey, audit, assess and qualify new suppliers.

Technology Roadmap: Partner with Network Engineering to coordinate suppliers and review network supplier technologies and services roadmaps and develop a business and technology roadmap for the Production and Corporate Networks.

Preferred Supplier Management: Identify, qualify and formalize a preferred supplier list. Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure alignment.

Ongoing Cost Productivity: Measure, report and action cost improvement as a function of market pricing and supplier productivity gains.

Scorecard Management: Lead measuring supplier performance, root causing issues, and driving improved performance. Own all aspects of supplier performance.

Procurement Operations: Ensure the timely placement and on-going management of POs in support of demand requirements and manage procurement operation functions like supplier management and the measurement, analysis and improvement of sub-processes, business metrics and systems.

Actively engage and collaborate with the operations team to facilitate the development of network hardware and software that provides choice between traditional closed and proprietary network switches and a fully open network technology stack.

Occasional travel, approximately 20%.

Qualifications

This position requires a thorough understanding of networking technologies, network architectures, and market pricing and innovation trends. A working knowledge of foundational Network Hardware technologies (optical transport, routing, switching, and load-balancing) is strongly preferred. In addition, the ideal candidate will have a strong track record of successfully working with OEM, JDM and ODM suppliers.

10 years of experience in network hardware product life cycle (product development and NPI through EOL), negotiating network equipment costs, developing and implementing cost models, and supplier management, in the capacity of both commercial relationships and operational performance management.

7 years of progressively increasing management experience including demonstrated leadership in managing a team, leading supplier performance improvement, creating a vision and following through with strategy and execution in the networking technologies space.

BA/BS or equivalent in technical or business related field, MBA preferred.