Senior Technical Sourcing Manager, Optics and Switches

IREN is building the infrastructure behind the next era of AI. We design, build, and operate massive-scale data centers, and we're racing to deploy some of the largest fleets of GPU and CPU compute on the planet. This isn't incremental growth — it's a full-throttle sprint to power the frontier of AI and high-performance computing. Our Network Sourcing team sits at the center of that mission, securing the switches, optics, fiber, and backbone infrastructure that let IREN 's data centers come online and stay connected as fast as anyone in the industry.

The Role
IREN is looking for a Technical Sourcing Manager, Optics & Switches to take full ownership of our data center switching and optics category. This is not a support role — you'll be the commercial and technical owner of the switch, transceiver, and cabling relationships that let IREN 's network keep pace with an explosive data center build schedule. If you love the adrenaline of a supply-constrained market, know your way around a leaf-spine architecture, and want to see your negotiations show up as switches racked and lit within weeks of your decisions — this is the seat for you. You'll operate with real autonomy, direct visibility to the Director, Network Sourcing, and the mandate to shape how IREN sources switching and optics at scale. Responsibilities

- Own switch and optics sourcing relationships end-to-end: commercial negotiations, pricing, quoting, contracting, and account governance.

- Drive sourcing and procurement of top-of-rack, leaf, and spine switching, optical transceivers, and DAC/AOC cabling for general data center networking.

- Stay ahead of a tightening supply market: track switch silicon, optics, and component allocation, and get out in front of shortages before they become blockers.

- Partner directly with Network Engineering, Data Center Operations, and Program Management to keep sourcing timelines locked in step with build and go-live milestones.

- Lead RFQ/RFP processes, cost modeling, and total-cost-of-ownership analysis for switching and optics programs.

- Negotiate master purchase agreements, pricing schedules, SLAs, and support/maintenance contracts that protect IREN 's speed and margins.

- Track switch and optics vendor and ODM/whitebox roadmaps closely and shape sourcing strategy around the next generation of platforms before the market catches up.

- Own supplier performance — delivery, quality, escalations, and quarterly business reviews — and hold vendors to a standard worthy of IREN 's growth.

- Build and maintain demand forecasts with capacity planning to drive purchase order timing and volume commitments.

- Hunt for cost-savings and risk-mitigation opportunities: dual-sourcing, strategic buys, contract restructuring — anything that gives IREN an edge.

Requirements

- 7+ years of experience in technical sourcing, procurement, or category management, with direct experience sourcing networking hardware from a major switch OEM and/or ODM.

- Proven track record sourcing switching/optics hardware in a data center, hyperscale, cloud, or AI/HPC environment.

- Deep understanding of switch architectures (ToR/leaf/spine), optical transceivers (SFP/QSFP), and DAC/AOC cabling, including relevant standards and interoperability.

- Demonstrated success negotiating complex commercial agreements and managing high-value vendor relationships.

- Battle-tested experience navigating supply-constrained/allocation-based markets and building mitigation strategies that actually work.

- Sharp analytical instincts — comfortable building cost models, TCO analyses, and forecasts under pressure.

- Excellent cross-functional collaboration skills; equally at home with network engineering, operations, finance, and legal.

- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).

Preferred

- Existing relationships with major switch/optics vendors and ODM/whitebox suppliers.

- Experience sourcing for AI/HP