Job Description
Senior Manager, Strategic Vendor Partnerships It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing! We're committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business. Does the thought of joining one of the fastest-growing, privately held data center companies sound exciting to you? Do you enjoy collaborating with team members to drive and operate some of the industry's leading and most innovative infrastructure solutions? At Aligned Data Centers, not only do we celebrate success across our platform, we celebrate the very teams that drive and support that success! Our culture is founded in passion, engineered from innovation, and driven by the pursuit of operational excellence. We are a company dedicated to driving positive change in the industry through continuous data center innovation, diversity and inclusion, and corporate sustainability. As part of our exciting growth, we are currently searching for a Senior Manager, Strategic Vendor Partnerships. The Senior Manager, Strategic Vendor Partnerships is a high-impact, relationship-forward role at the intersection of business development and operational strategy. This individual will be the company's primary architect of our external contractor and service provider ecosystem identifying, cultivating, and strategically aligning the right partners to the right projects at the right time. This is not a traditional business development role. While relationship-building is central to the function, equal weight is placed on the strategic organization, evaluation, and deployment of vendor partners across our growing project pipeline. The ideal candidate brings both a people-first mindset and a rigorous, system-oriented approach to managing a complex and evolving vendor landscape. Vendor Relationship Development & Bench Building Proactively identify, engage, and cultivate relationships with General Contractors, Electrical and Mechanical Contractors, Construction Managers and Owner's Representatives, and Data Center Specialty Contractors. Develop and expand the company's bench of vetted, high-quality vendor partners across all relevant trade categories, with particular emphasis on Data Center-specific specialty providers (e.g., Hot Aisle Containment, Raised Access Flooring, Structural Data Hall Ceilings, and similar systems). Conduct regular face-to-face meetings, site visits, and trade engagements to deepen existing relationships and establish new ones representing the company's brand and vision with professionalism and authority. Serve as the ongoing point of contact for vendor partners, maintaining trust and transparency throughout the project development lifecycle. Strategic Vendor Tracking & Project Alignment Maintain a sophisticated, up-to-date vendor management system that captures each partner's core competencies, geographic footprint, available capacity, and project history. Track and evaluate project opportunities across the pipeline, proactively matching vendor capabilities to project requirements based on competency, capacity, geography, and fit. Provide well-reasoned, data-informed recommendations to project leadership on vendor selection and team composition for specific opportunities. Monitor vendor market dynamics, emerging specialty firms, and regional labor trends that may impact vendor availability or strategy. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Reporting Collaborate closely with internal project management, development, and leadership teams to align vendor strategy with overall project execution goals. Develop and maintain clear reporting cadences and dashboards that give leadership real-time visibility into vendor bench strength, coverage gaps, and pipeline alignment. Flag capacity or coverage risks early and propose proactive strategies to close gaps. Qualifications Required 8+ years of experience in construction, real estate development, vendor management, contractor relations, or a closely related field. Demonstrated ability to build and maintain trusted, long-term business relationships with contractors and service providers. Exceptional organizational skills with experience managing complex data sets, partner portfolios, or CRM/vendor tracking platforms. Willingness and ability to travel regularly to meet with vendor partners across the company's active and target geographies. Strong verbal and written communication skills; confident, credible, and personable in both first meetings and long-term partner engagements. Preferred Familiarity with the data center construction and development industry, including knowledge of specialty systems and key trades. Prior experience working with General Contractors, specialty subcontr