Sourcing Manager - ODM/OEM Systems

Lambda, The Superintelligence Cloud, is a leader in AI cloud infrastructure serving tens of thousands of customers. Our customers range from AI researchers to enterprises and hyperscalers. Lambda's mission is to make compute as ubiquitous as electricity and give everyone the power of superintelligence. One person, one GPU.

If you'd like to build the world's best AI cloud, join us.

*Note: This position requires presence in our San Jose or San Francisco office location 4 days per week; Lambda’s designated work from home day is currently Tuesday.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Sourcing Manager to manage the ODM/OEM landscape for Lambda's data center hardware, as part of the team focused on managing our system level ODM/OEM Finished Good Racks & Networking that power our rapidly growing AI cloud footprint.

You will own the end-to-end commercial and sourcing relationship with our ODM and OEM partners: selecting the right partner for each platform, running competitive RFQ/RFP events, negotiating build agreements and finished-goods pricing, driving cost transparency down through the bill of materials, and securing manufacturing capacity and ramp commitments that keep pace with our deployment schedule.

The ideal candidate knows how this hardware actually gets built. You are comfortable evaluating an ODM's integration and test capability, debating a BOM cost roll-up line by line, negotiating NRE and tooling for a new platform, and holding a partner accountable to a ramp schedule — while operating fluidly across global manufacturing footprints.

You will work closely with Engineering, Finance, Legal, and Supply Chain Planning, Global Commodity Managers and Operations to bring new platforms from concept through mass production and scaled deployment.

What You’ll Do

ODM/OEM Sourcing Strategy

• Own and execute the ODM/OEM sourcing strategy for your assigned finished-goods portfolio, including full-system integration, rack integration, and factory test.

• Map and continuously assess the ODM/OEM landscape — capability, capacity, technology readiness, quality track record, financial health, and manufacturing footprint — and recommend the right partner for each platform and program.

• Build multi-partner strategies that create competitive leverage and protect supply: dual-sourcing at the platform level, qualified alternates, and regional footprint diversification.

• Develop platform sourcing strategies aligned to the hardware and network architecture roadmaps, deployment forecast, and long-term data center growth plans.

• Evaluate build-versus-buy and disaggregation trade-offs — branded OEM versus white-box/ODM, turnkey versus consigned, and vendor-integrated versus Lambda-integrated racks.

• Maintain deep market intelligence on the ODM/OEM ecosystem, finished-goods build economics, integration capacity, and how peers and hyperscalers are structuring their build relationships.

Commercial Negotiation & Contracting

• Lead system-level commercial negotiations with ODM and OEM partners, including:

  • Master manufacturing, build, and supply agreements

  • System and rack-level pricing, conversion/integration cost, and margin structures

  • Bill of materials cost transparency, should-cost models, and cost-down roadmaps

  • Capacity reservations, build slot commitments, and ramp/flex terms

  • Non-recurring engineering (NRE), tooling, and new platform development agreements

  • Software, firmware, licensing, and support/subscription entitlements bundled with hardware

  • Buffer, liability, cancellation, and inventory ownership terms

  • Quality, warranty, RMA, sparing, service, and on-site support terms

  • Logistics terms, Incoterms, and delivery/lead-time commitments

• Build negotiation strategies that balance total landed cost, supply security, and configuration flexibility.

• Drive competitive RFQ/RFP events end to end — requirements definition, bid packages, cost analysis, partner selection, and award.

• Partner with Legal and Finance to structure and finalize contracts, commercial terms, and pricing mechanisms.

Partner Management

• Manage day-to-day and executive-level relationships with strategic ODM and OEM partners.

• Lead quarterly business reviews, scorecards, escalation management, and performance improvement plans across cost, quality, delivery, and responsiveness.

• Partner with ODMs/OEMs on manufacturing capacity planning, build slot allocation, roadmap alignment, and production readiness.

• Serve as the primary commercial point of contact and escalation owner for assigned platforms and partners.

• Manage the commercial interface for key components sourced or procured through the ODM/OEM, including pass-through pricing, buy/sell decisions, and consigned versus turnkey structures.

• Coordinate with adjacent sourcing owners so cost, capacity, and schedule commitments stay aligned where compute, storage, and networking platforms are deployed together as integrated clusters.

New Product Introduction & Ramp

• Support new platform and technology introductions from EVT through PVT to mass production, owning the commercial workstream at each gate.

• Align build schedules, qualification timelines, and capacity ramps with deployment commitments.

• Drive early sourcing engagement so manufacturability, cost, and capacity are designed in rather than negotiated after the fact.

• Manage engineering change commercial impact, cost deltas, and transition/inventory exposure across build phases.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with Hardware, Network, and Data Center Engineering to translate platform, fabric, power, thermal, and rack requirements into sourcing and commercial strategies.

• Work with Supply Chain Planning to align partner manufacturing capacity and lead times with demand forecasts.

• Partner with Finance on system and rack cost models, budget planning, capex forecasting, and savings tracking.

• Provide market insight and recommendations to leadership on partner selection, cost trends, and build strategy.

Risk, Cost & Supply Resilience

• Develop and maintain supply continuity plans for the ODM/OEM base that address:

  • Total landed cost and cost optimization

  • Manufacturing capacity availability and build slot risk

  • Lead time, long-lead component exposure, and buffer strategy

  • Geographic, tariff, trade compliance, and geopolitical risk across manufacturing sites

  • Partner financial and operational risk

  • Quality escapes, field failures, and warranty exposure

• Proactively identify and mitigate risk across the ODM/OEM partner base and the systems they build for us.

You

• 8+ years of experience in Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, ODM/OEM Management, or Supply Chain roles, with direct experience sourcing finished goods at the system or rack level — compute, storage, networking, or integrated hardware platforms.

• Demonstrated experience negotiating and managing build and supply agreements with ODMs, OEMs, or contract manufacturers (e.g., Taiwan- and China-based ODMs, tier-one server or networking OEMs, or global CMs).

• Strong command of system-level cost structure: BOM cost roll-up, should-cost analysis, conversion and integration cost, NRE and tooling, and total landed cost.

• Experience owning platform-level partner selection and managing partners through NPI, qualification, and mass production ramp.

• Strong understanding of hardware manufacturing operations — integration, system test, rack build, logistics, and the realities of ramping in a global footprint.

• Proven track record leading complex commercial negotiations and delivering measurable cost, capacity, and supply outcomes.

• Strong analytical, financial, and business acumen.

• Experience operating in constrained, long-lead-time, high-growth supply environments.

• Ability to build effective relationships with senior partner executives and internal cross-functional stakeholders, including across time zones and cultures.

Nice To Have

• Experience supporting hyperscale data center or AI infrastructure build programs.

• Experience managing manufacturing footprint transitions, regional dual-sourcing, or tariff and trade-driven site strategies.

• Familiarity with open hardware ecosystems and standards (OCP, OAM, and similar) and their impact on sourcing leverage.

• Working fluency in the underlying supply base — accelerators, memory, optics, power, and cooling — sufficient to understand the cost drivers and constraints flowing into finished-goods pricing.

• Mandarin language ability and experience working directly with Taiwan- or China-based manufacturing partners.

• Willingness to travel internationally to partner factories as needed.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business, or related field; advanced degree a plus.

We Are Looking for Someone Who Is

• Technically fluent and commercially sharp — able to move fluidly between a factory floor conversation and a high-stakes negotiation

• Data-driven, decisive, and execution-oriented

• A strong relationship builder with partners and internal stakeholders

• Comfortable operating with a high degree of ownership in a fast-growth, ambiguity-rich environment

• Willing to personally drive negotiations, partner escalations, and problem-solving day to day

Salary Range Information

The annual salary range for this position has been set based on market data and other factors. However, a salary higher or lower than this range may be appropriate for a candidate whose qualifications differ meaningfully from those listed in the job description.

About Lambda

• Founded in 2012, with 500+ employees, and growing fast

• Our investors notably include TWG Global, US Innovative Technology Fund (USIT), Andra Capital, SGW, Andrej Karpathy, ARK Invest, Fincadia Advisors, G Squared, In-Q-Tel (IQT), KHK & Partners, NVIDIA, Pegatron, Supermicro, Wistron, Wiwynn, Gradient Ventures, Mercato Partners, SVB, 1517, and Crescent Cove

• We have research papers accepted at top machine learning and graphics conferences, including NeurIPS, ICCV, SIGGRAPH, and TOG

• Our values are publicly available: https://lambda.ai/careers

• We offer generous cash & equity compensation

• Health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents

• Wellness and commuter stipends for select roles

• 401k Plan with 2% company match (USA employees)

• Flexible paid time off plan that we all actually use

Equal Opportunity Employer

Lambda is an Equal Opportunity employer. Applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, sex, gender, marital status, sexual orientation and identity, genetic information, veteran status, citizenship, or any other factors prohibited by local, state, or federal law.