HPC Category Manager

Viridien•Houston, TX

11h

About The Position

Viridien ( www.viridiengroup.com ) is an advanced technology, digital and Earth data company that pushes the boundaries of science for a more prosperous and sustainable future. With our ingenuity, drive and deep curiosity we discover new insights, innovations, and solutions that efficiently and responsibly resolve complex natural resource, digital, energy transition and infrastructure challenges. Job Details: The Category Manager – IT Infrastructure & Software is responsible for leading strategic sourcing and category management activities across IT infrastructure and enterprise software spend. This role will manage the commercial strategy for High performing compute hardware (servers, compute, storage, networking, accelerators, and data center technologies) as well as enterprise software, SaaS, and licensing agreements. The position partners closely with IT, Engineering, Finance, Legal, and Operations to ensure cost efficiency, supplier performance, and risk mitigation across both CAPEX and OPEX categories. This is a hands-on role requiring strong analytical capability, negotiation skills, and stakeholder collaboration.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, Business, Engineering, IT, or related field (or equivalent experience).
5+ years of experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, or category management.
Knowledge of IT infrastructure components (servers, storage, networking) and/or enterprise software sourcing.
Experience supporting contract negotiations and supplier management.
Strong analytical skills with experience in cost modeling and spend analysis.
Effective communication and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting HPC or data center type environments.
Familiarity with software licensing models and SaaS agreements.
Professional certification (CPSM, CSCP, etc.) is a plus.

Responsibilities

Support development and execution of category strategies for IT infrastructure and software.
Lead RFx processes, supplier evaluations, benchmarking, and cost analysis.
Conduct total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis to support sourcing decisions.
Identify cost savings and process improvement opportunities.
Manage sourcing initiatives for servers, GPUs, CPUs, storage, networking, and related data center technologies.
Negotiate pricing, delivery schedules, service-level agreements (SLAs), and commercial terms.
Support CAPEX planning and procurement execution.
Create and manage purchase orders for infrastructure investments.
Lead sourcing and negotiation for enterprise software, SaaS, and subscription renewals.
Assist in managing licensing models and ensuring alignment with business usage.
Partner with IT and Finance to improve visibility into software spend and compliance.
Support contract renewals and venor performance management.
Build productive relationships with key hardware and software vendors.
Collaborate cross-functionally with IT, Engineering, Finance, and Legal.
Track supplier performance and support business reviews.
Ensure contracts align with risk management and compliance standards.