EV charging procurement and operations roles in the US now sit at the heart of the transition to electric vehicles, with new senior and mid-level positions opening in off-grid charging and fast-charging networks. This is Aym Recruitment’s read of its own desk, set in the wider EV market as of November 2026.
How strong is demand for EV charging procurement and operations skills in 2026?
Demand is strong and rising because EV adoption keeps climbing and charging infrastructure has to catch up. Global electric car sales topped 20 million in 2025, and one in four new cars sold worldwide was electric as of May 2026, which keeps pressure on charging capacity and network reliability Trends in electric cars - Global EV Outlook 2026.
For candidates with procurement, inventory, and field-operations experience, this is turning into a structural opportunity. Charge point operators, hardware manufacturers, and off-grid charging providers need people who can turn funding and demand into functioning assets in the ground, with spare parts, suppliers, and deployment processes that work at scale.
What kinds of EV charging operations roles are hiring right now?
On our own desk, the live briefs tell a clear story: procurement-led operations roles are moving up the priority list. We are currently working on a VP of Operations role in San Francisco, California, and a Procurement Manager role that supports company-wide growth across the US.
Both roles sit in EV Charging Operations Teams and focus on building processes rather than just managing day-to-day tasks. The VP brief is to design and implement operational infrastructure, policies, and procedures across procurement, inventory, and spare-parts management, and to build a second layer of leadership so the CEO can step back from daily execution.
The Procurement Manager role is a junior-to-mid-level position with a clear mandate to establish procurement infrastructure and operational procedures that will still work as the company scales and moves into international expansion. It asks for hands-on work across spare parts inventory, procurement timelines, delivery tracking, and supply-chain workflows.
If your current job is mostly expediting purchase orders or reacting to site issues, these kinds of roles are a step up in scope: you move from firefighting to designing how procurement, inventory, and operations should work for a growing EV charging business.
How much can EV charging procurement and operations roles pay in the US?
We cannot state a reliable market benchmark yet, but we can share what our live roles are paying. As of November 2026, the VP of Operations mandate on our desk in San Francisco is paying a base salary in the range of USD 200,000 to 225,000, and the Procurement Manager role supporting US-wide growth is paying a base salary of USD 100,000.
These figures come from two real open roles in EV Charging Operations Teams in the United States. The sample is too small to describe a typical market rate, but they do show that companies building off-grid and fast-charging networks are willing to put serious base salary behind the people who can build their procurement and operations foundations.
For candidates, the key takeaway is that as your responsibility shifts from transactional buying to designing procurement infrastructure and spare-parts systems, your earning potential can move decisively into six figures, particularly when you are close to the executive layer and to company-wide deployment decisions.
Which skills put you in the strongest position for these roles?
The patterns across our current mandates point to a specific mix of skills. First, companies want people who can design, document, and implement processes. That includes writing and rolling out procurement policies, standardizing purchasing across multiple projects, and setting up how spare-parts inventory will be tracked and replenished.
Second, they prize candidates who can own supply-chain and procurement operations from end to end: vendor management, purchase timelines, delivery tracking, and inventory control. In practice, this means being comfortable negotiating with suppliers, monitoring performance against contracts, and adjusting orders as deployment ramps up or shifts.
Third, familiarity with request-for-proposal (RFP) follow-through and supplier performance monitoring is becoming more important. Once a company has laid the groundwork for large RFPs, they need operators who can translate those contracts into day-to-day purchasing, so that hardware, spare parts, and services actually arrive on time and in the right quantities.
Finally, leadership and communication are central at both the VP and manager levels. At VP level, you are expected to build that crucial “second layer” of leadership under the CEO, bringing structure to teams and creating clear ownership across procurement, inventory, and field operations. At manager level, you are often the bridge between site teams, finance, and vendors, which rewards people who can explain constraints clearly and hold others accountable without creating friction.
How does the wider EV market affect your long-term career prospects?
The long-term backdrop is favorable for anyone shaping EV charging operations. The electric car market has been hitting new highs, with electric car sales reaching 20 million globally in 2025 and taking a 25 percent share of new car sales worldwide Trends in electric cars - Global EV Outlook 2026. Earlier Global EV Outlook data shows that electric car production grew to 17.3 million units in 2024, driven by increased manufacturing capacity Trends in the electric car industry - Global EV Outlook 2025.
As more EVs hit the roads, governments and companies across North America and beyond are investing in public charging, depot charging, and off-grid or temporary charging to fill gaps. That keeps procurement and operations talent in play for the long term, because networks must manage hardware lifecycles, upgrades, and spare parts to stay reliable.
For you as a candidate, this means that skills in supply-chain design, inventory systems, and cross-border procurement can compound over time. Roles that start in one region, like the US West Coast, can evolve into positions that oversee North American or even global deployment as companies move into international roll-outs.
How can you position yourself for the best EV charging operations opportunities?
Start by making your process-building achievements visible. When you describe your experience, spell out where you have designed or improved procurement processes, implemented inventory or spare-parts tracking systems, or consolidated supplier bases. Hiring managers in EV charging are looking for evidence that you can create repeatable systems, not just manage one-off purchases.
It is also worth learning the language of the EV sector if you are coming from another industry. Understanding basic terms around DC fast-charging, off-grid charging, and EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) will help you interpret briefs and show that you can translate your procurement skills into this domain.
Finally, think about how close you want to be to the field. Some roles skew toward office-based process and supplier management; others interact heavily with project and construction teams. Knowing which environment you prefer will help you target roles where you can perform at your best and grow fastest.
Frequently asked questions
Are my traditional procurement skills relevant for EV charging operations roles?
Yes. If you have experience in vendor management, contract negotiation, inventory control, and process design, you already hold many of the core skills EV charging companies need. The main step is learning the specifics of EV charging hardware, spare parts, and deployment timelines so you can apply your existing strengths in a new context.
Do I need EV sector experience to move into a VP of Operations role in charging?
Not always, but you do need to show that you can design and implement operational infrastructure at scale. The live VP of Operations brief on our desk centers on building processes for procurement, inventory, and spare-parts management, and creating a second layer of leadership. Candidates who have done similar work in adjacent sectors, and who can quickly learn EV-specific constraints, are competitive.
What is the career path from a Procurement Manager role in EV charging?
A Procurement Manager role that focuses on building procurement infrastructure, spare-parts inventory systems, and supply-chain workflows can be a strong platform for future director or VP roles. As companies grow across the US and into international markets, they tend to look for leaders who already understand their procurement systems and can extend them into new regions and product lines.
Who does AYM Recruitment place?
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Commercial, product, infrastructure and leadership people across EV charging and grid infrastructure, in every state.