--- title: 'Senior Category Manager, Metals & Raw Materials at Crusoe' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-category-manager-metals-raw-materials-crusoe-arvada-emyfdj4vdt9s' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-11-06' --- # Senior Category Manager, Metals & Raw Materials at Crusoe - **Company:** [Crusoe](https://feeny.ai/companies/crusoe) - **Location:** Arvada, CO / United States - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-11-02 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-06 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/crusoe/23bc5fab-c469-4dbf-8c1c-a0bbf09d2f0e ## Job description Crusoe is on a mission to accelerate the abundance of energy and intelligence. As the only vertically integrated AI infrastructure company built from the ground up, we own and operate each layer of the stack — from electrons to tokens — to power the world's most ambitious AI workloads. When you join Crusoe, you join a team that is building the future, faster. We're in the midst of the greatest industrial revolution of our time. The demand for AI compute is boundless, and power is a bottleneck. We're solving that — with an energy-first approach that makes AI infrastructure better for the world and faster for the people innovating with AI. We're looking for problem-solving, opportunity-finding teammates with a sense of urgency, who believe in the scale of our ambition and thrive on a path not fully paved — people who want to grow their careers alongside a team of experts across energy, manufacturing, data center construction, and cloud services. If you want to do the most meaningful work of your career, help our customers and partners advance their AI strategies, and be part of a high-performing team that believes in each other, come build with us at Crusoe. About This Role: The Senior Category Manager, Metals & Raw Materials owns Crusoe’s foundational spend categories end-to-end at the strategic layer. In this role, your primary focal point is establishing upstream control over raw material inputs and metal fabrication—including structural carbon and stainless steel, sheet metal, aluminum extrusion, copper busbars, and specialized modular enclosures—while integrating critical electrical balance-of-plant components (switchgear, Power Distribution Centers [PDCs], transformers, and cable/wire). Operating across Crusoe’s key manufacturing and deployment hubs (including Arvada, Brighton, Tulsa, and Ponchatoula), you will bridge the gap between global commodity markets and finished sub-assemblies. Because these categories sit at the intersection of volatile commodity cycles, strategic custom fabrications, and bottleneck electrical components, you will combine financial hedging acumen and technical vetting (welding standards, metal forming, metallurgical certs, tolerances, and NEC/UL compliance) with commercial rigor. This role will be onsite at our Arvada, Colorado location. What You’ll Be Working On: - Raw Material & Commodity Intelligence: Track global indices and cost drivers across base and refined metals (Hot-Rolled Coil/HRC, cold-rolled sheet, structural shapes, aluminum, and copper). Implement should-cost models, scrap-clawback clauses, and index-based pricing mechanisms to optimize mill and metal service center spend. - Upstream Supply Chain & AVL Vetting: Own the Approved Vendor List (AVL) across raw material distributors, metal service centers, and custom contract fabricators. Conduct rigorous shop-floor capability audits—evaluating laser cutting, CNC forming, robotic welding (AWS compliance), stamping, powder coating, and dimensional tolerances against engineering specifications. - Integrated Category Strategy (Metals & Balance of Plant): Apply framework methodologies (e.g., Kraljic Matrix) to govern a 12–24 month category roadmap that links structural enclosures and frames directly to long-lead electrical equipment (switchgear, breakers, busway, and industrial cable). Balance strategic supply resilience with aggressive commercial leverage. - Make vs. Buy & Tolling Strategies: Formulate forward-looking make/buy/toll strategies. Evaluate the commercial feasibility of purchasing mill-direct steel and copper for consigned "toll" processing by external fabricators vs. buying turnkey assemblies, maximizing margin capture and schedule predictability. - Commercial Negotiations & Buyer-Favorable Contracting: Draft, structure, and negotiate Master Supply Agreements (MSAs), Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and long-term reservation agreements. Redline buyer-adverse clauses around raw material surcharges, delivery milestones, liquidated damages, liability caps, and force majeure. - Proactive Risk Mitigation & Multi-Sourcing: Maintain an active Category Risk Register mapping single-source exposures, geopolitical/tariff risks, mill outage liabilities, and extended lead-time bottlenecks (particularly on high-grade electrical steels and long-lead switchgear). Execute qualifying dual-sourcing roadmaps across domestic and nearshore suppliers. - Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) & Value Engineering: Partner closely with Mechanical, Electrical, and Systems Engineering & Production to evaluate material substitutions (e.g., aluminum vs. copper, structural tube vs. open channel, alternative sheet gauges) to reduce unit cost and scrap rates without compromising structural integrity or thermal/electrical performance. - Cross-Functional Execution Frameworks: Develop clean standing commercial pricing schedules, rebate tiers, and lead-time matrices that empower Material Planners and Tactical Buyers to execute release orders smoothly in the ERP. What You’ll Bring to the Team: - Experience: 5–8+ years of dedicated strategic sourcing, supply chain, or category management experience with a primary emphasis on raw metals, structural steel, sheet metal fabrication, or heavy mechanical equipment, accompanied by exposure to industrial electrical systems. - Education: Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Business, or equivalent practical experience. - Commodity & Metallurgical Knowledge: Working understanding of metal alloy specifications, mill test reports (MTRs), metal forming processes, welding/finishing standards, and the cost breakdown of raw material vs. conversion cost vs. logistics. - Technical Breadth: Ability to interpret engineering drawings, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), structural weld symbols, and electrical balance-of-plant schematics (including baseline familiarity with NEC and UL standards). - Contract Structuring & Redlining: Proven hands-on experience structuring comprehensive MSAs, raw material indexation agreements (e.g., CRU, LME, Fastmarkets), and redlining complex commercial terms. - Strategic Methodologies: Advanced proficiency in total cost of ownership (TCO) modeling, make/buy trade studies, supplier scorecarding, and formal RFP/RFQ execution. Bonus Points: - Direct experience managing raw metal service center agreements, mill-direct reservation programs, or toll-processing arrangements. - Background auditing metal fabrication shops, CNC machining cells, or switchgear manufacturing plants. - Hands-on ERP/MRP experience (Acumatica, NetSuite, SAP) and expertise structuring complex multi-level Bills of Materials (BOMs). - Direct domain background in data center infrastructure, modular enclosures, energy generation, or high-power industrial assets. Benefits: - Competitive compensation and equity packages - Restricted Stock Units - Paid time off, paid holidays & leave of absence programs - Comprehensive health, dental & vision insurance - Employer contributions to HSA account - Paid parental leave - Paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability - Professional development & tuition reimbursement - Mental health & wellness support - Commuter benefits (parking & transit) - Cell phone stipend - 401(k) Retirement plan with company match up to 4% of salary - Volunteer time off - Global travel insurance & emergency assistance - Daily meals allowance - Additional perks & programs specific to location Compensation: Compensation will be paid in the range of $120,000 - $145,000 + Bonus + Restricted Stock Units included in all offers. Compensation to be determined by the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data. Crusoe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, citizenship, marital status, sex/gender, sexual preference/ orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, national origin, or any other status protected by law or regulation. ## About Crusoe ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Crusoe is an energy-first AI infrastructure company that designs, builds, and operates hyperscale data centers and a cloud platform purpose-built for artificial intelligence workloads. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series E) - **Headquarters**: Denver, Colorado, USA - **Founded**: 2018 - **Founders**: Chase Lochmiller and Cully Cavness ## Core Business - Primary industry/industries: AI Infrastructure, Cloud Computing, Data Centers, Clean Energy - Target customers: Enterprise AI companies, AI-native startups, research institutions, government agencies (B2B) - **Mission**: "Accelerate the abundance of energy and intelligence." ## Products & Services - **Crusoe Cloud**: An AI-optimized cloud platform purpose-built for AI workloads, featuring high-performance NVIDIA and AMD compute, accelerated storage, and optimized RDMA networking. Claims to deploy models up to 20x faster and cut costs by up to 81%. - **Crusoe Managed Inference**: A managed AI inference service built with Crusoe's proprietary MemoryAlloy technology, offering best-in-class speed, throughput, and reliability. Features the Crusoe Intelligence Foundry for model selection and API key management. - **AI Data Center Infrastructure**: Vertically integrated design, build, and operation of hyperscale AI factories (e.g., the 1.2 GW Stargate campus in Abilene, TX). Modular, scalable construction for power-hungry AI workloads. - **Crusoe Managed Kubernetes & Slurm**: Managed orchestration services that eliminate operational overhead for customers. - **Crusoe AutoClusters**: Fault-tolerant, managed cluster services for large-scale AI training. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (private company). - **Key Metric**: Raised over $1.8B+ in total funding (Series E in 2024 was $1B+; Series D in 2024 was $600M; Series C in 2021 was $350M). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: NVIDIA, NYDIG, GE Vernova, Redwood Materials, Tallgrass, AMD. The company has also partnered with leading energy and technology firms to power its data centers. - **Growth Signals**: Divested bitcoin mining business to NYDIG in 2023 to focus exclusively on AI infrastructure; broke ground on the 1.2 GW Stargate campus in Abilene, TX; expanded into Europe with a geothermal/hydro-powered deployment in Iceland; announced 1.8 GW Wyoming data center with Tallgrass; acquired GPU memory optimization startup Atero and established a Tel Aviv office. ## Competitive Advantages - **Energy-First Approach**: The company’s core differentiator is its vertical integration starting from energy sourcing. It uses "environmentally aligned power sources" (wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, natural gas with carbon capture) to power its AI factories, including pioneering technology to convert wasted natural gas into energy. - **Vertical Integration**: Controls the entire stack—from finding innovative energy sources to building and managing hyperscale data centers and operating the cloud platform. - **NVIDIA Partnership**: Close partnership with NVIDIA, providing access to the latest and highest-performance GPU hardware for its cloud and infrastructure. - **Proven Performance**: Claims 99.98% uptime, 100% customer satisfaction score, and significant cost/performance advantages (up to 81% cost reduction). ## Strategic Focus - **Massive Infrastructure Expansion**: Aggressively scaling its data center footprint, with major projects in Abilene, Texas (Stargate) and Wyoming (Tallgrass), and expansion into Europe. - **Deepening AI Cloud**: Continuing to build out its Crusoe Cloud platform with managed services (Kubernetes, Slurm, AutoClusters) to make it easier for AI companies to use their infrastructure. - **Responsible AI**: Emphasizing sustainability and responsible AI governance, as evidenced by achieving ISO 42001 certification and publishing an ESG report. - **Acquisition-led Growth**: Acquired Atero (GPU memory optimization) to enhance its core technology stack. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-Driven**: The company is united by a tangible mission: "Accelerate the abundance of energy and intelligence." Employees report high levels of engagement (92% proud to work there per internal survey). - **Massive Growth Trajectory**: Crusoe is at the center of the AI infrastructure boom, building some of the world's most powerful AI factories. For job seekers, this means exposure to cutting-edge technology and the opportunity to scale a company from a startup to an industry leader. - **Culture**: The company values "moving fast and making things," continuous learning, and collective genius. It describes itself as an "AI factory company" that values velocity and impact. - **Work Policy**: Hybrid/Office presence required in most roles. Office locations include: Denver (HQ), San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Bellevue, Tulsa, Dublin (Ireland), and Tel Aviv (Israel). - **Benefits**: Competitive compensation & equity, comprehensive health & wellness, mental health resources, retirement plans, paid time off, leave of absence programs, learning & development, volunteer time off, daily meals allowance, and other location-specific perks. - **Engineering Culture**: Strong emphasis on technical excellence, working with large-scale systems, and pioneering new approaches to energy and infrastructure. The company values candidates' "AI fluency" in its hiring process. ## Sources 1. [crusoe.ai](https://www.crusoe.ai/) 2. [crusoe.ai/careers](https://www.crusoe.ai/about/careers) 3. [crusoe.ai/about/culture](https://www.crusoe.ai/about/careers/culture) 4. [crusoe.ai/about/company](https://www.crusoe.ai/about/company) ## Other roles at Crusoe - [Staff Software Engineer, AI Model Lifecycle](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-software-engineer-ai-model-lifecycle-crusoe-san-francisco-3918za8e9e1h) — San Francisco, CA / United States - [Chief of Staff (Internal)](https://feeny.ai/job/chief-of-staff-internal-crusoe-san-francisco-bwkm4fm3s4sa) — San Francisco, CA / United States - [Chief of Staff](https://feeny.ai/job/chief-of-staff-crusoe-san-francisco-qrfygkwp3rwj) — San Francisco, CA / United States - [Senior Technical Sourcing Manager, Fiber](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-technical-sourcing-manager-fiber-crusoe-bellevue-wyvbb6jrpc2m) — Bellevue, WA / United States - [Senior Asset Analyst, Supply Chain](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-asset-analyst-supply-chain-crusoe-denver-vc7357r6rbt7) — Denver, CO / United States - [Senior Asset Analyst, Supply Chain](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-asset-analyst-supply-chain-crusoe-san-francisco-hakbnyhhqfsv) — San Francisco, CA / United States - [Associate, Capital Markets](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-capital-markets-crusoe-san-francisco-fxjyaaymqs4r) — San Francisco, CA / United States - [Senior QA Engineer, Client Interfaces](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-qa-engineer-client-interfaces-crusoe-san-francisco-m5nzrby0g8r9) — San Francisco, CA / United States - [Senior Financial Analyst, Headcount & OpEx Planning](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-financial-analyst-headcount-opex-planning-crusoe-bellevue-bm7y7n3p3kej) — Bellevue, WA / United States - [Staff Quality Control (QC) Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-quality-control-qc-engineer-crusoe-childress-88wv4gkyhqw4) — Childress, TX / United States