Category Leader – Marketing and Advertising

This is Hybrid role (4 days in office /1 day remote)

About your Team:

The ‘Category Leader – Marketing and Advertising’ will support IBKR’s Marketing and Advertising group and serve as a procurement partner to Head of Marketing. This person will develop and implement category strategies and oversee the execution of the end-to-end procurement process for category spend, across media agencies and paid media channels. The Category Leader will focus on drive improved financial, operational, and marketing performance in support of department objectives.

 What will be your responsibilities within IBKR: 

• Develop category Strategy in partnership with Marketing and Advertising leadership.
• Implement category strategy through strategic digital media partnerships and channels for IBKR.
• Establish positive stakeholder relationships with Media houses and agencies/digital agencies.
• Demonstrate category and procurement expertise through strategic, fact-based negotiation strategies and execution, and effective vendor relationship management.
• Deliver annual savings targets and participate in short and long-term strategic planning sessions.
• Share supplier capabilities and performance, industry trends, and market dynamics with Marketing leadership while conducting MBR and QBRs.
• Lead sourcing events (RFI/RFQ/RFP ) to identify potential suppliers and execute on category strategy.
• Partner with Legal and other cross-functional teams to negotiate and execute contracts.
• Operate with high ethical standards, in compliance with the law and IBKR policies and procedures.
• Governance and Compliance Management: Serve as the bridge between internal stakeholders and vendors, ensuring adherence to S2P guidelines and compliance with internal policies and regulations.
• Executive Reporting: Prepare and present sourcing recommendations and progress updates to senior leadership.
• Team Development: Mentor junior team members and oversee the performance and professional growth of direct reports, if any.
• Process Improvement: Contribute to policy development, workflow optimization, and procurement system enhancements.

 What required skill’s you need:

• Education: Bachelor's degree required, preferably in Marketing, Advertising, Business Administration, Supply Chain or related field.
• Experience: Minimum 7 years of professional experience in Marketing and Advertising procurement and vendor management. Solid knowledge of Digital Media landscape and expertise in the various cost structures.
• Project Management: Demonstrated ability to manage large-scale, complex strategic initiatives with multi-million-dollar values, tight deadlines, and significant risk factors.
• Methodical Approach: Proven track record applying structured strategic sourcing methodologies successfully.
• Negotiation Skills: Exceptional negotiation abilities with demonstrated capacity to influence executive stakeholders both internally and externally.
• Business Acumen: Strong organizational awareness with sound judgment in planning and decision-making processes.
• Communication: Superior written and verbal communication skills for developing RFx documents, contracts, and executive presentations to both internal and external audiences
• Stakeholder Management: Proactive and collaborative mindset with a focus on delivering exceptional internal client engagement.
• Analytical Thinking: Advanced analytical and problem-solving capabilities, particularly in translating spend data into effective sourcing strategies.

 To be successful in this position, you will have the following:

• Self-motivated and able to handle tasks with minimal supervision.
• Superb analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent collaboration and communication (Verbal and written) skills.
• Outstanding organizational and time management skills.

Company Benefits & Perks

• Competitive salary, annual performance-based bonus and stock grant
• Retirement plan 401(k) with competitive company match
• Excellent health and wellness benefits, including medical, dental, and vision benefits. Company paid medical healthcare premium.
• Wellness screenings and assessments, health coaches and counseling services through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Daily company lunch allowance provided and a fully stocked kitchen with healthy options for breakfast and snack
• Corporate events including team outings, dinners, volunteer activities and company sports teams
• Education reimbursement and learning opportunities