Head of Procurement

Department: Project Development

Location: San Francisco & New York City & Remote

Employment Type: FullTime

About American Terawatt

American Terawatt is building a new industrial electric grid for the United States. Delivering on our projects means developing an exceptional supply chain.

We design and deploy advanced power transmission systems, serving large industrial loads, gigawatts at a time. Our systems deliver power to everything from frontier AI datacenters to highly automated manufacturing, refineries, mines, and more.

The backbone of American Terawatt’s network is HVDC transmission, anchored by our unique terminal design. American Terawatt’s terminals are standardized, modular, and natively integrate energy storage. Each one is designed to expand to operate as a full node on our future HVDC transmission network.

About the role

We are hiring a Head of Procurement to build our procurement function and secure the critical equipment needed to deliver our HVDC terminals and transmission network at scale.

You will work directly with the CTO, Engineering, Development, and Commercial teams, taking ownership of strategic sourcing, vendor negotiations, and equipment delivery.

This is a hands-on builder role for someone who wants to create the supply chain behind a new industrial electric grid.

This is currently a senior individual contributor role, with the opportunity to build and lead a procurement team as the company scales. You will report directly to the CTO.

What you will own

As Head of Procurement / Procurement Lead at American Terawatt, you will:

• Partner closely with engineering, development, and commercial teams to define and iterate on specifications and requirements to deliver American Terawatt solutions.

• Develop strategic sourcing plans that balance supply chain constraints against customer requirements and timelines.

• Secure high-value hardware supply at scale: transformers, switchgear, batteries, and all other transmission hardware needed for individual sites and the broader HVDC network.

• Negotiate favorable terms with vendors on deposits, payment, and delivery terms.

• Keep delivery timelines on track, finding creative workarounds to issues as they arise.

What success looks like

In your first month

• Develop a clear understanding of our project roadmap, equipment requirements, and critical procurement timelines.

• Review current suppliers, contracts, orders, and delivery schedules and identify the most important gaps and risks.

• Align with the CTO, Engineering, Development, and Commercial teams on immediate sourcing priorities and begin engaging critical vendors.
  

By month six

• Establish a procurement roadmap tied to project schedules and long-term equipment needs.

• Secure supply and commercial terms for priority equipment, with alternative suppliers identified for critical components.

• Put repeatable processes in place for vendor selection, contracts, delivery tracking, and supplier-risk management.
  

What we are looking for

Required Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or other relevant engineering discipline, or equivalent experience.

• Strong working knowledge of power systems or electrical engineering design and development processes.

• 10+ years of hands-on experience procuring major equipment for large capital projects, with a track record of deliveries that kept those projects on schedule.

• Experience developing custom-engineered projects with long-lead equipment.

• Demonstrated experience in successfully sourcing components at commercial scale, including negotiating with industry-leading equipment vendors.
  
  

Preferred Experience

• 15+ years of experience in the power transmission industry.

• Familiarity with HVDC systems or high-voltage transmission hardware.

• Experience with international sourcing and logistics.

• Background in high-growth or startup environments.

• Contract negotiation and vendor management experience, particularly with milestone-based delivery and penalty clauses.
  

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation: Competitive compensation package commensurate with experience, including salary and material equity participation.

• Healthcare: Medical, dental, and vision coverage, including 75% coverage for dependents and spouses.

• Wellness: Up to $300/month reimbursement for gym and wellness expenses, or Bay Club membership for SF-based employees.

• Meals: Lunch provided daily when working from an office.

• Time off: Unlimited PTO with manager approval, plus company-wide office closures for July 4 week and one week in December.

• Additional perks: Laptop of choice provided, convenient SF office location on the Embarcadero and near public transit (pre-tax transit benefit), and employee contribution 401(k) program.