Procurement Category Manager (Remote)
About the Role
The Procurement Category Manager is responsible for negotiating contracts for various categories including, but not limited to, technology, facilities, HR, consulting, accounting, and services engagements across the entire company globally. The position also involves support of overall Procurement Program, developing negotiation strategies, advising requestors on contract terms, monitoring costs of assigned contracts, and validate/improve pricing. The Procurement Category Manager may recommend cost saving proposals including alternative sourcing and will exercise independent judgment within defined practices and procedures to determine appropriate action.
Remote U.S. role within a reasonable commuting distance to one of the following offices: Arlington,VA; Austin, TX, Columbia, MD; El Segundo, CA; Irvine, CA; Kirkland, WA; Minneapolis, MA; Seattle, WA; St. Louis, MO; Sunnyvale, CA
Additional Responsibilities
Strategic Sourcing
Develop global sourcing strategies for various categories
Work with various business stakeholder groups to identify and qualify new or existing capable suppliers, initiate requests for proposals/quotations (RFPs/RFQs), advise requestors with respect to contract terms and conditions
Conduct RFP and lead cross functional teams through the selection process of preferred suppliers with effective scoring criteria to critically evaluate supplier proposals in accordance with company policies
Lead negotiations on General Procurement agreements, including, but not limited to, Master Agreements, Statements of Work, Change Orders balancing business deliverables, legal interests and pricing
Conduct analysis on proposals for services in support of various business functions
Analyze total costs, assist business functions with ROI analysis, price and rate benchmarking and negotiate favorable business terms to leverage company purchasing power
Provide global contract expertise for sourcing of products and services for various business units
Evaluate single sourcing requests and ensure competitiveness
Category Management
Develop, refine and implement category strategies and tactics that enable the procurement of products and services at the highest value benefit to the company
Add value by becoming the subject matter expert on various categories and consulting internal clients on industry trends, benchmarking, and best practices
Lead cross-functional meetings with various business functions and develop a communication strategy to keep internal clients informed about procurement processes, supplier strategy, and procurement policies
Supplier Management
Manage supplier relationships with focus on supply risk management, contract risk management and cost management
Mediate supplier issues and resolve customer / supplier contract disputes if necessary
Lead and participate in supplier performance reviews with vendors to review performance and support mutually agreed upon improvement programs as required
Support ad-hoc reporting needs including supplier scorecards and other reporting
Contract Management
Evaluate processes and recommend improvements to standardize lifecycle contract processes and systems
Ensure pricing & deliverables as negotiated are included in the contract; coordinate comparison of proposals and final contract terms
Procurement Program Management
Assist the department in developing and monitoring target category strategies
Support Procurement project delivery against KPIs and other major initiatives
Develop reports to measure overall performance and monitor value add
What You’ll Need
Bachelor’s degree required with 5+ years of experience in category management and/or strategic sourcing
MBA degree a plus
Subject matter expertise in sourcing & contracting tools (SAP and/or Oracle)
Certified Purchasing Manager - desirable
Contract Negotiation / Vendor Mgmt. / Influencing Skills
Demonstrated skills in negotiating and formulating contracts, understanding cost models and various price structures, management of contractual, IP and labor law risks
Demonstrated skills in project management required
Ability to work well in a high-pace dynamic environment, handle multiple projects simultaneously, and ensure task completion and deadlines are met as required
Proficient with Microsoft Office applications: Excel, Word, PowerPoint
Communication Skills
Communicate well in English both in verbal and written form
Strong project management, organizational, and analytical skills required
Excellent team facilitation and presentation skills required
Ability to present to C-level executives / stakeholders and articulate strategies and performance metrics
Bonus Points
Experience developing strategies for multiple categories of spend
High-tech, start-up, rapid growth and/or publicly traded company experience.
You must love our business. CrowdStrike is a leader in cybersecurity. We don’t have a mission statement. We are on a mission to protect our customers from breaches. You must be genuinely committed to our mission and eager to learn the details of our business
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