Description
The Senior Category Manager – Enterprise Technology to define and execute global category strategies across a broad portfolio of enterprise technology spend, including enterprise and specialty software, IT security, hardware, and IT professional services. This role provides end-to-end category leadership for large, complex, enterprise-wide spend portfolios and serves as a strategic business partner to various IT and Engineering teams across multiple entities. It is critical for architecting and building out a strategic category around Enterprise Technology that will be able to scale alongside company and procurement organization growth.
A core focus of this role is to continuously assess category maturity, identify spend areas that warrant elevation to strategic category status, and proactively design forward-looking category strategies aligned to evolving business and technology requirements. The role also plays a key part in driving procurement automation and guided buying solutions to improve efficiency, compliance, and end-user experience across high-volume, low dollar purchasing.
Key Responsibilities
Category Strategy & Portfolio Leadership
- Own and lead global category management strategies for enterprise software, IT security, specialty software, enterprise hardware, and IT professional services
- Develop and execute multi-year category roadmaps aligned to business objectives, technology strategy, and future-state operating models
- Lead the end-to-end source-to-contract lifecycle, including spend analysis, market intelligence, sourcing strategy, RFx execution, negotiations, and contract award
- Responsible for making critical decisions regarding entering contracts, negotiating pricing/terms, signing agreements and committing capital.
- Drive measurable value through cost optimization, risk mitigation, service quality, innovation, and supplier performance
- Apply advanced sourcing techniques (e.g., competitive RFx, eAuctions, clean-sheeting, demand management, license optimization) to deliver industry-leading results
- Identify opportunities to standardize, consolidate, or elevate spend into strategic categories based on value and risk profiles
- Lead multiple, complex sourcing initiatives concurrently in a global, matrixed environment
Procurement Automation, Guided Buying & Enablement
- Define and execute strategies to automate high-volume, low dollar purchasing, reducing manual effort and increasing compliance
- Lead the design, implementation, and expansion of guided buying experiences, including:
- Supplier punch-out integrations
- Hosted and supplier-managed catalogs
- Preferred supplier purchasing channels
- Partner with Procurement Operations, IT, and Finance to improve P2P adoption, policy compliance, and user experience
- Drive standardization and reduction of maverick spend across indirect technology categories
Stakeholder & Supplier Management
- Act as a trusted strategic partner to enterprise stakeholders for technology sourcing decisions
- Responsible for making critical decisions on supplier selection and partnerships
- Build strong, collaborative relationships with senior business leaders, IT leadership, and cross-functional partners
- Lead supplier selection, negotiations, contracting, and ongoing supplier relationship management
- Manage complex supplier ecosystems, including enterprise software publishers, specialty and research software providers, hardware vendors, resellers, and IT service providers
- Drive vendor rationalization, license optimization, and demand management initiatives
- Establish accountability for supplier performance through SLAs, KPIs, and governance frameworks
- Assess and mitigate commercial, operational, and legal risks in existing and new contracts
- Negotiate contracts and statements of work in partnership with Legal
- Optimize commercial terms, including pricing models and payment terms, to support working capital objectives
Required Experience
- 10+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, category management, or procurement leadership, with a strong focus on enterprise technology categories
- Demonstrated experience managing large, complex, enterprise-wide software and IT services-spend portfolios
- Experience leading procurement transformation, digital procurement, or P2P optimization initiatives
- Experience working in global, multi-entity, or matrixed organizations
- Proven success in spend analytics, category segmentation, and strategic portfolio management
- Experience designing and executing procurement automation and guided buying solutions (e.g., punch-outs, catalogs, P2P optimization)
- Ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, ambiguous, and highly matrixed environments
- Strong commercial acumen, analytical capabilities, and executive-level communication skills
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required, preference for Supply Chain Management, Business, Information Systems, Operations, or a related field
- Strong knowledge of software licensing models, hardware sourcing, IT services contracting, and technology supplier ecosystems