Lead Category Manager

Job Family

Procurement

Job Description Summary

Our Procurement Team has an exciting opening for a Lead Category Manager role. In this role, you will identify and engage with the best suppliers to negotiate optimal contracts that balance speed to market, access to needed capabilities, organizational risk tolerance, cost containment, supplier-driven innovation, etc. Act as a trusted advisor to business stakeholders to deliver value through a comprehensive and ethical sourcing approach that supports business priorities and improves long-term partnerships with stakeholders and suppliers.

Job Description

Responsibilities:

• Provide valued insight of the external marketplace dynamics, trends, spend analysis, and benchmarks to inform decision-makers and create category strategies for acquisition of performance and outcome-based technology contracts.

• Optimize category value through strategies such as supplier stratification, supply base rationalization, supply chain business continuity, technology roadmap/supplier alignment, supplier-driven innovation/value creation, directed buys, and competitive bidding.

• Lead and coordinate procurement of needed technology contracts, managing the entire lifecycle from strategy through execution, including RFx solicitation, bid evaluation, and supplier negotiations for software, services, systems integration, IT outsourcing, and similar engagements.

• Communicate professionally with internal stakeholders and external suppliers at all levels from operational through executive as the "face of procurement."

• Act as a trusted advisor to business stakeholders for all procurement decisions related to the category.

• Maintain current knowledge of the supplier marketplace, emerging technologies, diverse suppliers, regulatory changes, pricing trends, and other relevant market dynamics.

• Assure year-over-year supplier productivity improvements via contractual process improvement, automation, and innovation investments.

• Deploy successful engagement model with suppliers, partnering with VMO, Legal, and business stakeholders.

• Negotiate contracts, and contract change orders and act as a mentor to other team members on complex negotiations.

• Assure continuous improvement of category process, strategies, data sources, tools, and metrics.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, supply chain management, information systems, information technology, or a related field, or equivalent experience

• Ten years of experience in category management, procurement, strategic sourcing, supplier management, and contract management

• Strong supplier identification, evaluation, and selection skills

• Excellent negotiation skills with the ability to build good rapport with suppliers, while keeping the company’s interests in mind

• Skilled in supplier management, procurement, and category management best practices and industry trends for relevant technology space

• Strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills requiring a balance of assertiveness, tact and diplomacy

• Strong business acumen and ability to put strategic plans into operations, influence others, and drive change

• Ability to influence and lead conversations, collaborate, facilitate, and achieve consensus among key stakeholders 

• Ability to work effectively and cultivate relationships across all levels of the organization and external parties

• Ability to work effectively with teams across geographic locations and time zones

• Ability to manage ambiguous situations and drive towards clarification

• Analytical and problem-solving skills, and attention to detail

• Ability to work under pressure, set priorities, and meet deadlines in a rapid-paced environment

• Self-motivated and the ability to manage multiple projects and support activities within a single job function

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certified Sourcing Professional (CSP), Certified Outsourcing Professional (COP), or similar industry certification

• Participation in Sourcing, Procurement, and or Outsourcing Industry Associations such as Sourcing Industry Group (SIG), International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), Procurement Foundry, institute for Supply Management (ISM), or National Contract Management Association (NCMA)

• Global perspective and experience working with diverse customer and suppliers

• Experience managing technology suppliers with global product/service provisioning models

• Experience in the diversified financial services or similar highly regulated industry

• Understanding of technology architecture, suppliers, products, and services including hardware, software, systems integration, network, telecommunications, applications, software, SaaS, PaaS/IaaS, etc.

• Experience working in a Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system

Working Conditions:

• Commuting Remote employees will need to report to a Company office location at times, but will perform their work primarily remotely.

• Occasional travel for business meetings

Worried about not having every single qualification listed? It’s okay. If it’s a role you’re interested in, we encourage you to apply. Employees who enjoy their jobs are one of our favorite things. 

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