Category Manager, Infrastructure Cooling Equipment

Do you want to work with high-caliber professionals in a dynamic and growing company? Are you entrepreneurial, hard-working, and collegial? Join us at SB Energy, a leading infrastructure company backed by SoftBank Group and Ares Infrastructure, pairing cutting-edge innovation with best-in-class execution. Our mission is to deliver reliable and secure data center and power infrastructure to strengthen America's future.

Founded in 2019, SB Energy is a SoftBank Group company headquartered in Redwood City, California. In 2026, SoftBank Group and OpenAI announced a $1 billion investment to support SB Energy as their leading development and execution partner for data center campuses, while Ares Infrastructure continues its long-standing support of the company's growth. SB Energy develops, builds, owns, and operates some of the largest and most technically advanced energy and data center infrastructure projects in the United States. Since its founding, the company has rapidly grown into a top-tier integrated platform with more than 3 gigawatts (GW) in operation and a multi-GW pipeline of energy and data center infrastructure nationwide.

SB Energy also leverages a strong culture of innovation to identify and integrate new technologies into its projects, including its AI-based digital platform, delivering energy infrastructure that is local, reliable, and matched to load. We are building the energy and infrastructure future—today.

Come join us in accelerating the energy and infrastructure transition!

Basic Function

SB Energy is seeking a strategic and technically capable Category Manager, Infrastructure Cooling Equipment (HVAC/Thermal) to lead sourcing, supplier management, manufacturing coordination, and category execution activities for mission-critical electrical infrastructure supporting next-generation AI factory and advanced data center deployment programs.

Reporting to the Director, the Category Manager will be responsible for managing supplier relationships, sourcing strategies, commercial negotiations, manufacturing coordination, and supply continuity planning across critical electrical infrastructure equipment categories.

The Category Manager will work closely with engineering, construction, commissioning, logistics, procurement engineering, and project stakeholders to support deployment readiness, Basis of Design alignment, manufacturing scalability, and long-range infrastructure growth across a rapidly expanding portfolio.

This role will play a key part in securing supply continuity, improving supplier performance, managing commercial and operational risk, and supporting deployment velocity for critical electrical infrastructure systems supporting hyperscale AI infrastructure.

The ideal candidate combines strong strategic sourcing and supplier management capabilities with technical understanding of mission-critical electrical systems, manufacturing operations, and infrastructure deployment environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead sourcing and category management activities for mechanical, HVAC infrastructure equipment supporting AI factory and advanced data center deployment programs
• Develop and execute sourcing strategies across categories including:

• Liquid cooling systems
• Chillers
• CRAH/CRAC systems
• Cooling towers
• Heat exchangers
• Pumping systems
• Hydronic systems
• Thermal skids and modular cooling infrastructure

• Support supplier selection, bid evaluations, commercial negotiations, and contract execution activities
• Develop long-term supplier relationships and strategic sourcing plans supporting infrastructure growth and deployment scalability
• Identify opportunities to improve supply continuity, supplier competitiveness, deployment velocity, and commercial performance
• Manage supplier relationships and ongoing commercial coordination activities across thermal infrastructure suppliers
• Monitor supplier manufacturing schedules, production readiness, lead times, and delivery commitments
• Coordinate with suppliers regarding:

• Manufacturing status
• Capacity planning
• Forecast alignment
• Delivery schedules
• Operational risks
• Escalation management

• Support supplier operational reviews, performance management, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Assist with supplier onboarding, qualification, and manufacturing readiness evaluations
• Collaborate with engineering and design teams to align sourcing activities with standard OFCI Basis of Design requirements
• Support technical review and procurement coordination for equipment specifications, supplier submittals, and performance requirements
• Participate in supplier technical review meetings and equipment evaluation activities
• Coordinate with procurement engineering and commissioning teams supporting FAT, SAT, and equipment validation activities
• Support standardization initiatives and technology evaluation efforts across thermal infrastructure systems
• Supply Planning, Logistics & Deployment Coordination
• Support long-range supply planning and integrated business planning (IBP) activities related to thermal infrastructure deployment forecasts
• Coordinate closely with Supply Chain Operations & Control Tower teams regarding:

• Delivery schedules
• Logistics coordination
• Inventory visibility
• Deployment readiness
• Site sequencing requirements

• Monitor market conditions, manufacturing constraints, commodity exposure, and supply chain risks impacting thermal equipment availability
• Support risk mitigation planning and contingency strategies related to critical thermal equipment deployment
• Support management of purchase commitments, commercial obligations, and supplier performance metrics
• Develop reporting and analytics related to:
• Support management of purchase commitments, commercial obligations, and supplier performance metrics
• Develop reporting and analytics related to:

• Supplier performance
• Manufacturing readiness
• Delivery reliability
• Lead time trends
• Capacity constraints
• Commercial exposure

• Coordinate with finance, sourcing, operations, and project controls teams to support forecasting and deployment planning activities
• Maintain accurate supplier documentation, procurement records, and operational reporting data

Qualifications/Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related field required
• 5+ years of expe