VP Power & Systems - Global Sourcing & Procurement

Role Summary

The Vice President, Power and Systems leads Fluence's global direct materials strategy and execution across the power conversion, electrical systems, systems integration, and balance of plant portfolios. The role carries approximately $1.2B in annual spend today and is expected to exceed $5B in annual spend within three years as Fluence converts contracted backlog and pipeline into deployed capacity.

Scaling the function to carry that volume is the central mandate of this role. The leader builds that capability while continuing to run the portfolio, without compromising cost performance, supply continuity, or quality. Growing volume is leverage, and this role is accountable for converting it into significant year over year cost reduction and measurable gross margin improvement.

This is a builder role rather than a caretaker role. The role reports directly to the Chief Procurement Officer and is a proving ground for the next level of executive leadership at Fluence.

Scope and Organization

This role consolidates the full non battery direct materials portfolio under a single leader, organized into two category towers led by Directors.

• Director, Power Conversion & Electrical Systems: Power conversion systems, inverters, transformers, UPS, and electrical and electronic controls. Also owns the Advanced Procurement function.
• Director, Systems Integration & Balance of Plant: Enclosures, contract manufacturing, thermal management, fire detection and suppression, and system monitoring, software, and controls hardware. Also owns the Claims and Contracts function.

The Vice President sets portfolio strategy, cost targets, and supplier architecture, leads the largest and most strategic negotiations, and is the escalation point on commercial disputes, capacity constraints, and cross tower tradeoffs.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and build the direct materials organization required to reach more than $5B in annual spend, including org design, job architecture, and headcount planning.
• Establish the operating rhythm, governance cadences, KPIs, and a single reporting standard across both towers.
• Own and evolve the multiyear category strategy, supplier architecture, and regional supply balance, including resilience to geopolitical and single source risk.
• Shape contract manufacturing footprint strategy, domestic content qualification, and total landed cost.
• Own the cost structure for the portfolio and deliver aggressive year over year cost reduction with direct accountability for COGS and gross margin improvement.
• Structure Tier 1 agreements with tiered pricing, volume based price down curves, rebates, and capacity commitments.
• Lead or co-lead negotiations on master supply agreements, long term agreements, and contract manufacturing agreements.
• Review and stress test cost models, and establish PPV, forecast accuracy, and budget governance.
• Sponsor the Advanced Procurement function and embed procurement engineering in new product introduction programs.
• Ensure continuity of supply through new product introduction, ramp, and sustaining phases, including dual sourcing and buffer strategies.
• Own the enterprise risk playbook for direct materials, including geopolitical exposure, trade and regulatory compliance, and business continuity.
• Recruit, develop, and retain a high performing Director and Category Manager bench, and build succession depth.
• Serve as the senior supply chain voice into Product Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Finance, and Legal, and as executive sponsor for Tier 1 strategic suppliers.

Performance Expectations

• Year one: Portfolio strategy set and funded, organization designed, multiyear cost reduction roadmap built and first year target delivered, governance rhythm running.
• Year two: Cost commitments delivered on a larger spend base, volume leverage embedded in major Tier 1 agreements, capacity contracted ahead of demand, dual source coverage on the highest risk commodities.
• Year three: Direct materials organization absorbing more than $5B in annual spend with supply continuity and quality intact, unit costs materially below today's levels, and a successor prepared.

Qualifications

• 15-20+ years in direct materials, category management, strategic sourcing, or supply chain leadership, including 10+ years leading multiple layers of an organization within technology hardware, energy storage, renewable energy, automotive or EV, or complex industrial manufacturing.
• Ownership of at least $500M in annual direct materials spend, with direct accountability for COGS and gross margin outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience scaling a portfolio and organization through rapid growth. Experience taking spend through a step change of 2x or more is strongly preferred.
• A verifiable record of sustained year over year cost reduction on a growing spend base, traceable to gross margin.
• Technical depth in power electronics, high voltage equipment, enclosures and balance of plant, contract manufacturing, and complex electromechanical supply chains.
• Direct experience negotiating and closing complex multiyear Tier 1 agreements.
• Strong financial acumen across TCO, should cost, PPV, and index and FX mechanisms, with budget ownership at scale.
• Experience partnering with CFO, CPO, and executive leadership. Board level reporting exposure preferred.
• Working knowledge of regulatory, tax, and government manufacturing incentive compliance and domestic content rules relevant to energy storage supply chains.
• Bachelor degree required in engineering, supply chain, or business. MBA or advanced technical degree preferred.

Leadership Profile

• A builder and an operator, equally credible presenting a business case to the executive team and standing on a supplier shop floor.
• Treats scale as leverage and sees every increase in volume as an opening to reset commercial terms.
• Comfortable being measured on hard numbers, including COGS impact, PPV, OTIF, and supply continuity.
• Executive presence that holds upward with the Board, customers, and suppliers, and downward with Directors, Category Managers, and Engineers.

Location and Travel

• Based in Houston, Texas, with an expectation of 3 to 4 days per week in the office.
• Travel of 25 to 35 percent, domestic and international.

Work Authorization

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship. Fluence does not sponsor work visas for this position.