This position is responsible for strategic sourcing of IT Infrastructure categories for the IT sector, which is Coupang's core business across the enterprise. This is an important role in Coupang's procurement transformation and must work closely with key business partners to take ongoing challenges to drive and implement category management, strategic and operational sourcing, and supplier management activities.
The Director / Sr. Principal, Procurement will lead the strategic sourcing, category management, supplier management, and procurement transformation initiatives across Coupang's global IT Infrastructure organization.
This leader will own the end-to-end procurement strategy for critical technology categories including:
- Data Centers & Co-location
- AI Infrastructure (GPU, Compute, Storage)
- Network Infrastructure
- Cyber security
- IT Hardware & Software
- Physical Security
- IT Maintenance Services
- Data Center Construction & Facilities
The role partners closely with Engineering, Infrastructure Operations, Data Center, Finance, Legal, Security, Architecture, and Executive Leadership teams to drive cost optimization, supply continuity, operational scalability, and long-term business growth.
In their role, successful candidates leverage traditional strategic sourcing models, including cost analysis of Coupang's IT Infrastructure projects, short-term/long-term category planning, integration, vendor score cards, and vendor management. Coupang's sourcing process includes several steps from building a category strategy to identifying specific sourcing opportunities, bidding, contract negotiations, issuing purchase orders, and implementing them. This process includes steps such as preparing for global market research, price/cost analysis, model "costs", TCO, industry trends, product best practices, and industry benchmarking.
Responsibilities:
Strategic Procurement Leadership
- Define and execute global sourcing strategies across all assigned IT Infrastructure categories.
- Build category roadmaps aligned with business growth, capacity demand forecasts, and technology evolution.
- Lead procurement transformation initiatives to establish best-in-class sourcing practices, governance, and supplier management frameworks.
- Develop long-term procurement strategies balancing cost, quality, supply assurance, scalability, innovation, and risk mitigation.
Category Management
Own sourcing strategy and supplier portfolio for:
- AI Infrastructure (GPU, accelerated computing, storage)
- Data Center Co-location and Cloud Services
- Enterprise Network Infrastructure
- Cybersecurity Products and Services
- IT Hardware and Software
- Data Center Facilities and Critical Infrastructure
- IT Professional Services and Maintenance
Supplier Relationship Management
- Build and manage executive-level relationships with global strategic suppliers.
- Establish supplier performance management programs including scorecards, QBRs, KPI tracking, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Evaluate supplier capability, financial health, capacity commitments, and supply chain risks.
- Develop global supplier diversification and resiliency strategies.
Commercial & Contract Leadership
- Lead complex commercial negotiations involving multi-year strategic agreements.
- Deliver measurable TCO improvements through pricing optimization, demand management, standardization, and supplier consolidation.
- Negotiate industry-leading commercial terms, SLA structures, service credits, and risk allocation provisions.
- Support capacity reservation and long-term supply agreements for critical infrastructure categories.
Risk & Supply Assurance
- Anticipate supply chain disruptions and develop mitigation strategies.
- Manage supplier risk related to geopolitical events, semiconductor shortages, logistics constraints, and capacity limitations.
- Ensure continuity of supply for business-critical infrastructure programs.
Stakeholder Management
- Serve as a trusted advisor to Infrastructure, Engineering, Operations, Finance, and Executive Leadership.
- Drive alignment across cross-functional teams to support sourcing decisions and strategic initiatives.
- Present business cases, sourcing recommendations, and procurement outcomes to senior leadership.
Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing procurement team.
- Foster an ownership culture focused on delivering business impact.
- Set clear objectives, performance expectations, and succession plans.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in business, Supply Chain, Engineering, Finance, Accounting, or related field.
- 12+ years of procurement, strategic sourcing, or supply chain experience.
- 5+ years of leadership experience managing procurement professionals and cross-functional teams.
- Proven experience sourcing IT Infrastructure categories including:
- Data Center
- Network
- Cloud
- AI Infrastructure
- Software
- Security
- Strong experience leading complex negotiations and strategic supplier relationships.
- Deep understanding of TCO modeling, should-cost analysis, benchmarking, supplier evaluation, and category strategy development.
- Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Degree from a top tier university with a major in finance, accounting, supply chain, business management; MBA preferred
- Experience in hyper-scale cloud, e-commerce, technology, telecommunications, or data center industries.
- Experience purchasing AI infrastructure including GPUs, high-performance compute, storage, and networking.
- Global sourcing experience across APAC, North America, and EMEA.
- Experience with Procurement Transformation and Source-to-Pay implementation programs.
- Knowledge of co-location contracts, data center economics, and hyperscale infrastructure procurement.
- Ability to establish a strategic sourcing plan considering the internal and external environment, such as market conditions, supplier conditions, etc
- Negotiate vendor contracts with best in class terms and conditions that reflect specific business needs and SLAs
- Manage pipeline of multiple sourcing projects and report on costs savings
- Solid team player; can work cooperatively and effectively in a team environment
- Strong consultative / analytical / problem solving skills
- Excellent interpersonal / communication / negotiation skills
- Multiple category experience is a plus
Recruitment Process and Others
Recruitment Process
- Application Review - Phone Interview - Onsite (or Virtual Onsite) Interview – Offer
- The exact nature of the recruitment process may vary according to the specific job and may be changed due to scheduling or other circumstances.
- Interview schedules and the results will be informed to the applicant via the e-mail address submitted at the application stage.
Details to Consider
- This job posting may be closed prior to the stated end date for application if all openings are filled.
- Coupang has the right to rescind an offer of employment if a candidate is found to have submitted false information as part of the application process.
- Those eligible for employment protection (recipients of veteran’s benefits, the disabled, etc.) may receive preferential treatment for employment in accordance with applicable laws.
- Job titles and responsibilities may be subject to change depending on the candidate’s overall experience, etc. This will be communicated to the candidate at the appropriate time before the offer.
- Hiring may be restricted in case the legal qualifications required for hiring and work performance is not met.
- This is a full-time regular position and includes 12 weeks of probation period; provided, however, the probationary period may be either skipped, shortened or extended if necessary for business purposes.
Privacy Notice
Document Return Policy
- This notification is given pursuant to Article 11 (6) of the Fair Hiring Procedure Act.
- A job applicant, who has applied but not been finally selected for a position at Coupang (the “Company”), may request the Company to return his/her hiring documents submitted pursuant to the Fair Hiring Procedure Act. However, this will not apply where the hiring documents were submitted via the website of the Company or e-mail, or where the job applicant submitted those documents voluntarily without a request from the Company. In addition, if the hiring documents were destroyed due to a natural disaster or any other reasons not attributable to the Company, such documents will be deemed to have been returned to the job applicant.
- A job applicant who wishes to request the return of his/her hiring documents pursuant to the main sentence of paragraph 2 above should fill out a “Request for Return of Hiring Documents” [Annex Form No. 3 in the Enforcement Rule of the Fair Hiring Procedure Act] and submit It by email ([email protected]). In such case, within fourteen (14) days from the date of identifying the receipt of the request, the Company will send the hiring documents to the job applicant’s designated address via registered mail. Please be informed that the job applicant is required to pay the postage on the registered mail.
- In preparation for a job applicant’s request for the return of hiring documents pursuant to the main sentence of paragraph 2 above, the Company shall retain the original hiring documents submitted by the job applicant for 180 days from the completion of the recruiting process. If no request is made until the end of this period, all his/her hiring documents will be destroyed immediately in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act.
- The above paragraphs 1 - 4 shall only apply when the labor-related laws of Korea govern the application. They are otherwise not applicable.