Senior Hardware Buyer

At Proton, we believe that privacy is a fundamental human right and the cornerstone of democracy. Since our inception in 2014, founded by a team of scientists from CERN, we have dedicated ourselves to providing free and open-source technology to millions worldwide, ensuring access to privacy, security, and freedom online.

Our journey began with Proton Mail, the largest secure email service globally, and has since expanded to include Proton VPN, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, and Proton Pass. These tools empower individuals and organizations to take control of their personal data, break away from Big Tech’s invasive practices, and defeat censorship. Our work impacts hundreds of millions of lives, from activists on the front lines defending freedom to leaders in governments protecting sensitive information. In some cases, Proton’s services have even been instrumental in saving lives by enabling secure and private communications in high-risk situations.

Proton is a profitable company that does not rely upon VC funding, supporting over 100 million user accounts with a growing team of over 500 people from over 50 different countries, from the world's top companies and universities. We value intelligence, learning potential, and ambition in our hiring process. Adaptability is key as we navigate uncharted territories and redefine how business is conducted online.

Hiring at Proton is highly selective, with less than 1% of candidates hired. We believe smaller teams of exceptional talent will always prevail over larger teams with lower talent density. You will have the opportunity work with many of the world's top minds in their fields, ranging from former international math and science olympiad winners to chess champions.

We have a global mindset and big ambitions but remain a start-up at heart. We value empowerment and flexibility and keep our structure flat to keep moving fast and avoid unnecessary politics. Tired of blending into the crowd? Join us and do work you can truly be proud of. Check our open-source projects here!

We are looking for a Senior Hardware buyer to lead the hardware sourcing strategy for Proton’s infrastructure, with a focus on compute, storage and network equipment. You will build and scale a procurement function that enables low lead time, high agility, and low CAPEX cost, while ensuring Proton stays ahead of market shifts in component availability, vendor strategy, and technology evolution.

This role is both strategic and hands-on. You will own key supplier relationships, drive critical negotiations, and establish new procurement and support model that supports rapid growth without adding unnecessary complexity.

• Strategic sourcing & negotiation: Lead end-to-end negotiations with ODMs, OEMs, white-box suppliers, Tier-1 semiconductor and hardware vendors. You will secure volume discounts, favorable terms and conditions, and priority capacity allocation during market shortages.
• Supply chain resilience: Build a robust, diversified supplier network to mitigate geopolitical and logistical risks. In partnership with the Infrastructure team, you will develop contingency plans for critical components to ensure uninterrupted operations.
• Vendor relationship management: Move beyond transactional interactions to build deep, strategic partnerships at senior vendor level. You will act as the primary liaison between Proton’s engineering needs and vendor roadmaps.
• Process optimization: Audit and overhaul existing procurement workflows. Implement data-driven models on cost, availability and quality to optimize purchasing efficiency and velocity.
• Cross-functional leadership: Collaborate closely with Engineering, Finance, and Legal teams to define hardware specifications, validate technical requirements, and ensure compliance with Proton’s processes and strict security and privacy standards.

• Direct sourcing expertise: Proven track record of direct negotiation and contracting not only from ODMs, OEMs, and white-box infrastructure suppliers but also with memory, CPU, RAM and drive manufacturers (not just distributors). You understand the nuances of wafer capacity, yield rates, and lead times.
• Scale-up experience: Demonstrated success in scaling hardware procurement process and team for high-growth technology companies, managing orders ranging from $1M to $100M+.
• Negotiation mastery: A reputation for closing complex deals under pressure. You are comfortable challenging vendors on pricing and terms to achieve the best possible outcome for Proton.
• Data-driven decision making: Ability to analyze market trends, pricing indices, and inventory levels to make strategic proactive purchasing decisions.
• Strong ownership mindset: You treat every dollar spent as your own. You take full responsibility for procurement outcomes and do not accept "that’s how it’s always been done" as an excuse.
• Communication skills: Exceptional ability to translate technical hardware and market constraints into business value for executive stakeholders.

• OCP (Open Compute Project) knowledge: Deep familiarity with OCP specifications, ecosystem partners, and the ability to leverage OCP standards for custom hardware solutions.
• Security-centric procurement: Familiarity with supply-chain security for procurement of privacy-focused, security-sensitive distributed infrastructure environments.
• Data Center infrastructure background: Experience with large-to-hyperscale data center deployments or colocation provider negotiations (e.g., Equinix, Digital Realty).
• Global logistics experience: Familiarity with international trade compliance, customs, and logistics for hardware shipments across EU, US, and APAC regions.

At Proton, we believe diversity drives innovation and strengthens our mission to provide privacy as a default for all. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical ability, or socio-economic background, feel valued and empowered. We strive to create equal opportunities, promote open dialogue, and support continuous learning to ensure every voice is heard and respected.

If you need any extra support or reasonable adjustments during the hiring process, please let your talent partner know.

When you apply for a position, refer a candidate, or are considered for a role at Proton Technologies AG (Proton, we, us, or our), your information is stored in Greenhouse, in accordance with their Service Privacy Policy. This information is used to evaluate your suitability for the posted position. We also retain this information for consideration for future roles that you may apply for or that we believe may align with your background and skills.

If we no longer have a legitimate business need to process your information, we will either delete or anonymize it. Should you have any inquiries about how we use or manage your information, or if you wish to access, correct, or delete your data, please contact our privacy team at careers@proton.ch.

Proton does not accept unsolicited resumes from any sources other than directly from candidates. We will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from an unsolicited offer, even if the candidate is subsequently hired by Proton.

To learn more about our privacy policy, please visit our privacy policy page.

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