What are the responsibilities and job description for the Thermal Program Lead - Hyperscale position at Vertiv?
POSITION SUMMARY
Vertiv's Americas Thermal Product Strategy organization is seeking a highly motivated Thermal Program Leader, Hyperscale to drive the strategy, adoption, profitability, and execution of advanced thermal management solutions supporting hyperscale data center customers across the Americas. Reporting to the Sr. Director, Product Management – Thermal, this role serves as the primary business and program leader for hyperscale thermal initiatives, combining product management, strategic planning, customer engagement, and complex program execution.
The Thermal Program Leader will own the Americas hyperscale thermal portfolio strategy, including Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs/XDUs), direct-to-chip cooling solutions, fluid distribution systems, and emerging high-density cooling technologies. This role will work directly with hyperscale customers and internal stakeholders to align product roadmaps, deployment strategies, and execution plans to support the rapid growth of AI, HPC, and next-generation compute environments.
Success in this role requires strong technical expertise, commercial acumen, and program leadership capabilities to drive market adoption, execute strategic customer initiatives, improve profitability, and ensure seamless delivery from concept through deployment.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Serve as the primary program leader for hyperscale thermal initiatives across the Americas.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with hyperscale customers, acting as the voice of the customer within Vertiv.
- Define and execute the Americas strategy for liquid cooling and thermal solutions supporting hyperscale customers, including CDUs/XDUs, direct-to-chip cooling, fluid distribution systems, and emerging high-density cooling technologies.
- Own the full product lifecycle, including new product introductions, customer-specific variants, engineered-to-order (ETO) solutions, product enhancements, lifecycle management, and end-of-life transitions.
- Identify market opportunities and drive adoption of liquid cooling solutions across hyperscale customer deployments supporting AI, HPC, and next-generation compute environments.
- Lead strategic customer engagements, technical discussions, roadmap reviews, and executive-level business reviews.
- Translate customer requirements, market insights, and competitive intelligence into product roadmaps, business cases, and investment priorities.
- Lead complex programs and projects from pre-sales engagement through deployment, commissioning, and operational readiness.
- Establish and implement repeatable processes that improve execution, customer experience, and business outcomes.
- Coordinate cross-functional teams including Sales, Engineering, Product Development, Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Logistics, Services, Marketing, and Finance.
- Define program scope, schedules, resource plans, and execution strategies while proactively identifying and mitigating risks.
- Monitor and communicate program performance against schedule, quality, financial, and customer satisfaction objectives.
- Drive accountability and resolution of issues that could impact customer commitments, product performance, quality, cost, or delivery.
- Develop and maintain business cases, demand forecasts, revenue projections, and long-range strategic plans.
- Track and report key business metrics including revenue growth, adoption rates, profitability, pipeline health, and forecast accuracy.
- Support New Product Development (NPD) Stage Gate processes and commercialization activities.
- Lead resolution of customer escalations and product issues related to quality, delivery, field performance, and supply chain challenges.
- Provide regular updates and recommendations to senior leadership regarding business performance, customer opportunities, risks, and strategic priorities.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Business, Project Management, or a related technical field.
- 8-12 years of experience in product management, program management, thermal systems, critical infrastructure, or data center technologies.
- Demonstrated success leading complex customer programs and strategic business initiatives.
- Strong understanding of thermal management technologies and data center infrastructure.
- Experience working directly with large strategic customers and executive stakeholders.
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive execution without direct authority.
- Strong analytical, financial, business planning, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Smartsheet, and related business tools.
PREFFERED QUALIFICATIONS
- Direct experience with liquid cooling technologies, including:
- CDUs/XDUs
- Direct-to-chip cooling
- Immersion cooling
- Fluid distribution systems
- Experience supporting hyperscale, AI, cloud, or HPC infrastructure deployments.
- Knowledge of engineering, manufacturing, commissioning, and deployment processes.
- Understanding of electrical and mechanical systems within critical infrastructure environments.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
- Experience with New Product Development (NPD) and Stage Gate processes.
PHYSICAL & ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS
- No specific demands.
TIME TRAVEL REQUIRED
- Up to 25% based on customer engagement, strategic account support, project execution, industry events, and business needs across the Americas.
The successful candidate will embrace Vertiv’s Core Principals & Behaviors to help execute our Strategic Priorities.
OUR CORE PRINCIPLES: Safety. Integrity. Respect. Teamwork. Inclusion.
OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
- Customer Focus
- Operational Excellence
- High-Performance Culture
- Innovation
- Financial Strength
OUR BEHAVIORS
- Own It
- Act With Urgency
- Foster a Customer-First Mindset
- Think Big and Execute
- Lead by Example
- Drive Continuous Improvement
- Learn and Seek Out Development
About Vertiv
Vertiv (NYSE: VRT) brings together hardware, software, analytics and ongoing services to enable its customers’ vital applications to run continuously, perform optimally and grow with their business needs. Vertiv solves the most important challenges facing today’s data centers, communication networks and commercial and industrial facilities with a portfolio of Thermal, cooling and IT infrastructure solutions and services that extend from the cloud to the edge of the network. Headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, USA, Vertiv employs around 34,000 people and does business in more than 130 countries. Visit Vertiv.com to learn more.
Work Authorization
No calls or agencies please. Vertiv will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States. This is not a position for which sponsorship will be provided. Individuals with temporary visas such as E, F-1, H-1, H-2, L, B, J, or TN or who need sponsorship for work authorization now or in the future, are not eligible for hire.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Vertiv is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. We promote equal opportunities for all with respect to hiring, terms of employment, mobility, training, compensation, and occupational health, without discrimination as to age, race, color, religion, creed, sex, pregnancy status (including childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity / expression (including transgender status or sexual stereotypes), genetic information, citizenship status, national origin, protected veteran status, political affiliation, or disability. If you have a disability and are having difficulty accessing or using this website to apply for a position, you can request help by sending an email to help.join@vertiv.com.