Senior Manager, Category Management – IT

JOB SUMMARY 

The Senior Manager, Category Management – IT Category Management and Sourcing- Information Technology is a key member of the Procurement team, responsible for driving best-in-class category management and strategic sourcing specifically within the IT category.  The Senior Manager is responsible for leading global IT category management and strategic sourcing initiatives within Marriott’s Global Procurement Department. This role focuses on developing and executing best-in-class category management and strategic sourcing across multiple IT verticals, including enterprise hardware, software, cloud services (SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS), cybersecurity, network infrastructure, telecom, digital platforms, Artificial Intelligence, property technology support and IT professional and managed services.  This leader will drive adherence to Marriott’s global procurement policies, technology procurement governance, and risk-management frameworks. The Sr. Manager will serve as a key escalation point for IT sourcing issues, deliver effective communication at all organizational levels (including executive leadership and CIO stakeholders), and lead cross-functional teams on complex IT procurement initiatives.  As a core member of the Global Procurement team, this leader will partner closely with Corporate IT, Continent IT , Digital, Data, Cybersecurity, Finance, Legal, and other business disciplines to enable Marriott’s technology roadmap.  Specifically, this leader will enhance supplier governance, optimize technology spend, and ensure responsible and secure IT sourcing. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in IT category management, spend analysis, IT sourcing, vendor risk management, contract negotiation, and technology-specific compliance requirements (e.g., data privacy, cybersecurity standards, software licensing, AI ).  This role offers the opportunity to shape global IT procurement strategies and contribute directly to the performance and resilience of Marriott’s technology ecosystem across 30+ brands and 10,000+ hotels in 138+ countries, impacting the guest experience across the world. 

The global team has a presence in 9 offices worldwide (Eschborn, London, Dubai, Cape Town, Shanghai, Singapore, Mumbai, Bethesda MD, Plantation FL) and over 60 clusters representing 200 associates. This role will maximize Marriott’s global IT purchasing power within the company’s $20B+ spend portfolio while supporting critical strategic supplier relationships across the IT landscape. 

CANDIDATE PROFILE  

Education and Experience  

Required 

• BA/BS 

• 7+ years of procurement, IT sourcing, IT vendor management, or related business/legal experience. Deep technical knowledge of IT category management and strategic sourcing at large, complex Fortune 500 companies. 

• Demonstrated ability to create strategy and implement change in a geographically dispersed, highly matrixed, IT-centric environment. 

Preferred 

• MBA or JD 

• IT procurement certifications (e.g., CPIM, CPSM, ITIL, or equivalent) a plus 

• Hospitality or adjacent sector experience 

• Experience with implementing and utilizing Coupa Source to Pay or other cloud based procurement software to efficiently run sourcing events, contract with, and pay selected providers 

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES  

• Act as a strategic procurement partner for IT and Digital disciplines, advising on IT category management, sourcing strategy, technology risk, and compliance requirements. 

• Develop and refine multi-year, data driven category strategies, and annual category plans for key IT categories (software, cloud services, hardware, telecom, network services, cybersecurity, AI, IT consulting), ensuring alignment with IT leadership, technology roadmaps, and enterprise objectives. 

• Conduct spend analytics, and monitor IT demand patterns, technology cost benchmarks, industry trends, and vendor landscapes to identify opportunities, competitive dynamics, and cost-optimization strategies. 

• Identify and implement strategies to mitigate IT supply-chain risks—including cybersecurity exposure, data privacy compliance, vendor concentration risk, hardware supply chain issues, EOL/EOS challenges, and service-level performance risks. 

• Manage and optimize IT supplier relationships, ensuring quality, security, operational continuity, and optimal cost-effectiveness. 

• Recommend new IT sourcing strategies, supplier partnerships, demand-management approaches, and process improvements to enhance technology procurement efficiency and drive savings. 

• Lead high volume of end-to-end sourcing events for IT initiatives, including requirements gathering, RFP/RFQ/RFI development, negotiations, and contracting. 

• Develop timelines and structure cross-functional IT and procurement teams to implement sourcing strategies and large-scale technology initiatives. 

• Use internal tracking tools and KPIs to monitor sourcing progress, competitive bidding, supplier performance, software license utilization, and contract compliance. 

• Apply strong analytical and communication skills to evaluate complex IT proposals, score vendor responses, build detailed business cases (including TCO and ROI models), and present recommendations to IT and executive leadership. 

• Drive compliance with global IT procurement policies, cybersecurity and privacy standards, and supplier governance frameworks. 

• Maintain consistent governance for IT supplier onboarding 

• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders across IT, non-IT business owners, cybersecurity, finance, legal, and global operations to ensure procurement initiatives support enterprise goals and objectives.   

• Support corporate sustainability, ethical sourcing, and supplier diversity goals within IT supply chains, particularly in hardware lifecycle management and responsible technology sourcing.