Sr. Manager or Director, Procurement (BESS)

ABOUT AVANTUS

Avantus is shaping the future by making reliable, low-cost clean energy a global reality. Our legacy of leadership in next generation solar energy includes developing one of the nation’s largest solar clusters and one of the first projects to beat fossil fuel prices back in 2016. Today, we are expanding the boundaries of existing technologies to build one of the largest portfolios of smart power plants with integrated storage, capable of providing millions of people with affordable, zero-emission energy – day and night. Through our relentless pursuit of better, we are decarbonizing our planet at the gigaton level, and bringing the advantages of clean energy to all of us.

ABOUT THE POSITION

We are seeking a highly motivated and organized candidate for a Sr. Manager or Director of Procurement position. The successful candidate will demonstrate sound industry knowledge, superior communications and detail-oriented organizational skills. This role reports to the Sr. Director, Procurement.

Our Procurement team is growing and we’re looking for a Sr. Manager or Director of Procurement to join our team. This person will join an experienced team with the main objective of driving implementation of Avantus’ procurement strategy and standards across solar PV + storage systems and components.  The annual equipment spend will be well over $1 billion as we push to continue to deploy some of the most valuable and highest performing utility scale renewable energy resources across the United States Southwest. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

Strategic Sourcing & Procurement Execution

• Lead best-in-class global sourcing strategies for owner-procured energy storage system (ESS) components—including inverters, AC/DC balance-of-system, transformers, switchgear, BESS, and EPC selection.
• Manage and execute complex RFPs, commercial analysis, and contracting for equipment and services across integration, controls, construction, and O&M.
• Create and follow best practices in processes for large scale procurement.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Engineering, Finance, Legal, etc.) to ensure aligned contract development and negotiation, with appropriate terms and risk allocation.

Supplier Development & Relationship Management

• Work with Design and lead a proactive supplier development program to qualify new competitive sources efficiently and effectively.
• Establish and maintain strategic relationships across key vendor categories.
• Develop and implement supplier relationship management (SRM) processes to ensure long-term alignment with business goals.
• Maintain supplier quality standards to meet the company’s delivery and performance expectations.

Commercial & Contracting Strategy

• Ensure commercial considerations are embedded early in the project lifecycle by coordinating closely with technical teams during specification and design stages.
• Evaluate and implement alternate contracting strategies to enhance project competitiveness and execution.
• Identify and mitigate vendor-related risks by leveraging market insights across the storage and PV value chains.

Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement

• Define and track supplier performance metrics to drive accountability and improvement.
• Establish KPIs for the procurement organization to measure and optimize internal effectiveness.
• Design creative, fit-for-purpose sourcing strategies to support evolving project and market needs.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Detail-oriented, highly organized.
• Ability to multi-task and manage tight timelines.
• Effective in working with multiple stakeholders and within cross functional team.
• BS in STEM, MBA, or demonstrated experience in driving procurement and/or transactions.
• 5-10 years of increasingly progressive procurement and/or transactions experience, with at least two years of direct energy storage experience.
• 5+ years experience with an energy or an “asset heavy” organization with a large CAPEX expenditure is ideal.

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