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Parasail builds inference infrastructure for open-weight AI models, bringing together distributed GPU capacity and optimizing workload distribution across it. You will own the supplier relationships, purchasing, and supply planning that support Parasail's GPU infrastructure—from identifying hardware needs and securing supply through delivery, replacements, and lifecycle management.
This is an early-stage role combining strategy and execution. You will negotiate with vendors, manage purchasing and delivery commitments, resolve supply shortages, and build visibility into equipment availability and cost. Working closely with engineering, finance, and the Data Center Deployment & Operations TPM, you'll ensure purchasing decisions support real deployment needs.
Key responsibilities include:
- Own and evaluate supplier relationships with hardware manufacturers, distributors, integrators, and logistics partners, establishing clear expectations for pricing, availability, quality, delivery, and support.
- Lead sourcing and purchasing: run vendor evaluations and RFQs, negotiate commercial terms, and manage purchases for GPUs, servers, networking equipment, racks, spares, and supporting hardware.
- Build supply plans that translate capacity requirements and deployment schedules into purchasing plans, accounting for existing equipment, supplier lead times, configuration changes, and budget constraints.
- Drive delivery commitments by tracking orders from placement through manufacturing, shipment, and receipt; resolve delays and develop alternatives when supply risks deployments.
- Partner with engineering on technical decisions, confirming specifications, evaluating substitutions, and understanding how hardware choices affect cost, availability, compatibility, and timing.
- Manage inventory and lifecycle: maintain visibility into ordered, in-transit, stored, deployed, and repair-pending equipment; coordinate spares, warranties, returns, replacements, and end-of-life disposition.
- Balance cost and availability by evaluating total acquisition costs, payment terms, inventory exposure, and delayed-capacity costs; present clear recommendations to finance and leadership.
- Build procurement systems and controls: establish workflows for purchase approvals, order tracking, inventory reconciliation, and invoice discrepancies; automate repetitive work.
- Keep supply and deployment aligned by providing dependable equipment milestones and surfacing shortages, supplier risks, and decisions early with recovery options.
- Build the function by defining supplier performance measures, improving practices, and helping hire and develop the team as demand grows.
Initially, you'll work directly with suppliers and partners to execute. As Parasail grows, you'll build the processes, systems, and team needed to support a larger infrastructure footprint.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Experience owning hardware procurement, supply chain, or materials planning in cloud infrastructure, data centers, electronics, or another complex hardware environment.
- Direct responsibility for supplier relationships, commercial negotiations, purchasing decisions, and delivery commitments.
- Experience managing supply against changing demand, including shortages, long lead times, configuration changes, and excess inventory.
- Understanding of server and infrastructure hardware sufficient to work effectively with engineering on specifications and purchasing tradeoffs.
- Strong analytical skills and experience building planning tools, procurement workflows, or inventory reporting.
- Track record of resolving problems across suppliers, logistics providers, finance, and technical teams.
- Comfort handling detailed execution while building a more scalable operating process.
- Clear communication about costs, commitments, risks, and decisions.
HELPFUL EXPERIENCE:
- Sourcing GPUs, servers, networking equipment, or integrated rack systems.
- Working with OEMs, ODMs, contract manufacturers, and hardware distributors.
- Supporting GPU infrastructure deployments or introducing new hardware platforms.
- Coordinating international shipments with logistics and trade-compliance specialists.
- Managing hardware warranties, returns, spare-parts planning, and lifecycle transitions.
- Building or leading a procurement, supply planning, or hardware operations team.
