Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Procurement Category Manager to lead strategic sourcing and category management initiatives across a diverse set of corporate spend areas. This role is responsible for developing category strategies, driving cost optimization, managing supplier relationships, and collaborating with internal stakeholders to ensure procurement outcomes align with business objectives.

The ideal candidate brings strong commercial judgment, experience managing complex supplier ecosystems, and the ability to operate at both a strategic and executional level within a fast-paced, global organization.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Planning

• Develop, execute, and maintain category strategies across multiple indirect and/or direct spend areas, aligned with organizational priorities and growth plans.
• Conduct market analysis, benchmarking, and total cost assessments to identify savings opportunities and sourcing improvements.
• Segment supplier markets and define sourcing approaches to balance cost, risk, performance, and innovation.
• Monitor industry and market trends to inform short- and long-term procurement decisions.

Strategic Sourcing & Procurement Execution

• Lead end-to-end sourcing initiatives including RFIs, RFPs, and RFQs for assigned categories.
• Manage competitive sourcing processes and supplier evaluations using data-driven decision criteria.
• Negotiate commercial terms, including pricing structures, service levels, contract duration, and performance incentives.
• Oversee procurement activities from requirements gathering through contract execution and purchase fulfillment.

Contract & Commercial Management

• Partner with Legal, Finance, and Risk teams to negotiate and finalize contracts that protect the company’s commercial and operational interests.
• Manage contract lifecycles, including renewals, amendments, and renegotiations.
• Ensure contractual terms align with internal policies, compliance requirements, and risk standards.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with strategic and preferred suppliers.
• Establish supplier performance metrics and scorecards; lead regular business reviews and continuous improvement efforts.
• Identify opportunities to consolidate spend, improve supplier performance, and reduce dependency risk.
• Support onboarding of new suppliers as business needs evolve.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Act as a trusted procurement partner for cross-functional teams, translating business requirements into effective sourcing strategies.
• Influence stakeholders by providing clear insights into market conditions, cost drivers, and trade-offs.
• Communicate category performance, savings results, and risk considerations to leadership.

Risk, Compliance & Reporting

• Identify and mitigate supply, contractual, and operational risks within assigned categories.
• Ensure procurement activities comply with company policies, regulatory requirements, and ethical sourcing standards.
• Track and report key category KPIs, including savings, supplier performance, and contract compliance.

Continuous Improvement

• Drive process improvements to enhance procurement efficiency, transparency, and scalability.
• Leverage procurement tools, analytics, and reporting solutions to improve data-driven decision-making.
• Share best practices and contribute to capability-building initiatives within the Procurement team.

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, or category management.
• Proven ability to manage multiple categories or complex spend portfolios.
• Strong negotiation, analytical, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience working with procurement and contract management systems.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience supporting global or multi-functional organizations.
• Exposure to a variety of indirect or direct spend categories.
• Professional procurement certifications (e.g., CPSM, CIPS) a plus.
• Master’s degree or MBA preferred.

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