Senior Data Center & Colocation Procurement Specialist (m/w/d)

Akkodis is a global Digital Engineering consulting company that brings technology and talent together to accelerate transformation, drive innovation, and shape a smarter future. With more than 50,000 experts across over 30 countries, we connect industries and technologies, ranging from AI and Data Analytics to Cloud, Edge Computing, Automation, and Cybersecurity.

Description

The Data Center & Colocation Category is part of the Cloud Infrastructure team under IT & Cloud and supports SAP's global data center expansion and capacity roadmap. This temporary assignment requires a highly experienced procurement specialist with deep, hands-on expertise in the colocation market. The contractor will advise infrastructure, engineering, finance, legal, and business stakeholders on sourcing strategy and translate complex requirements for capacity, power, location, connectivity, resilience, sustainability, scalability, and deployment timing into commercially robust procurement outcomes.

The Senior Data Center & Colocation Procurement Specialist will independently lead complex, business-critical sourcing work for colocation services across regions. The assignment covers the full procurement lifecycle-from market intelligence, supplier shortlisting, RFx design, bid normalization, site and capacity evaluation, and commercial modelling through negotiation and execution of master service agreements, statements of work, order forms, and related amendments. The contractor is expected to challenge requirements constructively, identify commercial leverage, and provide credible

recommendations with minimal ramp-up or supervision.

Key deliverables include category and market insights, sourcing strategies, RFx packages, normalized proposal evaluations, should-cost and total-cost-of-ownership models, negotiation plans, contract positions, executive decision materials, risk assessments, and supplier governance outputs. The contractor must be capable of owning assigned workstreams end to end, navigating ambiguity, and securing competitive outcomes while protecting capacity, service continuity, flexibility, and contractual risk. The engagement does not include ongoing people-management responsibility or independent authority to commit SAP.

Key Responsibilities

We are seeking a senior procurement practitioner who has built substantial, recent experience sourcing data center colocation capacity and can contribute immediately. This is not a generalist procurement role. The successful contractor will bring detailed knowledge of the global and regional colocation supplier landscape, commercial structures, capacity constraints, negotiation levers, and contracting risks.

The ideal candidate has personally led high-value, multi-site or multi-region colocation transactions and is comfortable engaging directly with major operators and regional providers. They can interrogate technical demand, normalize non-standard proposals, model long-term commercial exposure, negotiate complex protections, and turn incomplete inputs into clear recommendations for senior stakeholders. Success requires an independent, delivery-focused specialist with strong commercial judgment rather than a coordinator or developing category professional.

What will you do?

* Lead complex global sourcing for colocation capacity, power, connectivity, and related data

center services.

* Develop sourcing strategies using market intelligence, supplier capacity, pricing, and regional risk.

* Translate technical and business requirements into effective RFI, RFQ, and RFP processes.

* Evaluate proposals and build TCO models covering power, fees, indexation, commitments,

ramp schedules, and exit costs.

* Lead commercial negotiations on price, capacity, flexibility, service levels, remedies, renewals and termination rights.

* Support colocation agreements and order documentation with legal, technical, finance, and

business stakeholders.

* Assess supplier, site, delivery, resilience, sustainability, and regulatory risks.

* Present clear recommendations, benchmarks, trade-offs, and risk mitigations to senior

stakeholders.

* Drive savings, supplier governance, procurement documentation, and end-of-assignment

handover.

Profile

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in strategic procurement, category management, or complex sourcing, including at least 5 years in data center colocation procurement.
• Proven experience leading large-scale, international colocation sourcing and contract negotiations.
• Strong knowledge of colocation commercial models, cost structures, and data center requirements.
• Advanced skills in TCO modelling, cost analysis, benchmarking, scenario analysis, and bid evaluation.
• Extensive experience negotiating complex colocation contracts, including SLAs, capacity commitments, pricing, renewals, termination, and liability.
• Strong understanding of the global and regional colocation provider market, including supplier evaluation and risk assessment.
• Excellent stakeholder management and negotiation skills, with the ability to work independently in complex environments.
• Excellent written and spoken English, including executive-level communication and contract negotiations.
• Degree in Business, Economics, Engineering, Supply Chain, IT, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience; procurement certification is a plus.