Commodity Manager / NPI Lead

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Commodity Manager / NPI Lead to support strategic sourcing, supplier engagement, new product introduction, and supply continuity for large-scale infrastructure and hardware programs.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in commodity management, supplier negotiations, hardware procurement, and supply chain planning, preferably within compute, storage, networking, semiconductor, or data center infrastructure environments.

This role requires close collaboration with Engineering, Supply Chain, Planning, Operations, Finance, Manufacturing Partners, and Strategic Suppliers to ensure component availability, cost competitiveness, production readiness, and successful execution of hardware lifecycle initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies, supplier engagement plans, and commodity management initiatives for key hardware components and subsystems.
• Monitor industry trends, component availability, technology transitions, and market conditions to support sourcing decisions and business planning.
• Manage strategic supplier relationships and align demand forecasts, production readiness, supply commitments, and supplier performance objectives.
• Lead commercial negotiations, pricing analysis, cost optimization initiatives, and long-term supply strategy development.
• Partner with engineering teams during New Product Introduction (NPI) phases to ensure component readiness, supplier qualification, and manufacturing ramp execution.
• Identify supply chain risks, capacity constraints, component shortages, and material availability issues; develop mitigation plans to maintain uninterrupted product supply.
• Support product lifecycle management activities, including product refreshes, technology migrations, component transitions, and end-of-life planning.
• Drive supplier performance improvements across quality, delivery, responsiveness, cost, and operational excellence.
• Collaborate with Planning, Operations, Finance, and Manufacturing teams to improve demand forecasting, inventory efficiency, and deployment readiness.
• Coordinate with contract manufacturers, OEMs, ODMs, and global supplier networks to support production and supply continuity.
• Analyze component costs, inventory exposure, sourcing alternatives, and supply risks to support informed business decisions.
• Develop executive-level reports and communicate supply availability, cost trends, supplier performance, quality concerns, and business risks to key stakeholders.
• Manage multiple sourcing initiatives and competing priorities in a fast-paced, engineering-driven environment.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in Commodity Management, Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Management, Hardware Procurement, or Infrastructure Supply Chain.
• Proven experience managing suppliers in hardware, semiconductor, storage, compute, networking, or technology manufacturing environments.
• Strong understanding of component sourcing, supply planning, demand forecasting, and supplier performance management.
• Experience supporting hardware development programs, New Product Introduction (NPI), product launches, or engineering-driven sourcing initiatives.
• Demonstrated negotiation skills and experience managing supplier commercial agreements, pricing discussions, and cost optimization opportunities.
• Strong analytical capabilities, including evaluating component costs, inventory levels, supply constraints, and operational risks.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Engineering, Operations, Planning, Finance, Manufacturing, and external suppliers.
• Excellent communication, presentation, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple programs, priorities, and supplier relationships in a dynamic business environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting compute, storage, networking, server, or data center infrastructure programs.
• Knowledge of semiconductor, memory, storage, and server supply chain ecosystems.
• Experience working with contract manufacturers, OEM/ODM partners, and global supplier networks.
• Exposure to ERP, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), sourcing, procurement, and supply chain planning platforms.
• Experience managing component lifecycle transitions, product refreshes, manufacturing ramps, and end-of-life sourcing activities.
• Familiarity with supply continuity planning, supplier capacity management, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Experience preparing executive-level business reviews, cost analyses, supplier scorecards, and supply risk reports.

Key Skills

• Commodity Management
• Strategic Sourcing
• Supplier Relationship Management
• New Product Introduction (NPI)
• Hardware Procurement
• Supply Planning and Demand Forecasting
• Supplier Negotiation and Commercial Management
• Cost Analysis and Cost Optimization
• Supply Chain Risk Mitigation
• Component Availability and Capacity Planning
• Product Lifecycle Management
• Semiconductor, Compute, Storage, and Networking Hardware
• Contract Manufacturer and OEM/ODM Management
• Cross-Functional Leadership
• Executive Reporting and Stakeholder Communication