Procurement Category Manager Technology

Job Overview

The Procurement Category Manager Technology is responsible for the strategic sourcing, negotiation, and management of Information Technology expenditures across the enterprise, including software, hardware, Technology services, cloud infrastructure, and telecommunications. This role is a strategic partner to the Technology organization, and by extension CONA.  Focusing on maximizing cost savings, mitigating contractual risk, and ensuring compliance. The the role requires hands-on Technology experience and will be a dotted-line reporting relationship with Technology leadership. The manager will collaborate  with technical leaders and participate in periodic reviews to ensure ongoing alignment with Technology strategies and goals.

Duties & Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing & Cost Management
•    Develop and Execute Category Strategies: Create, collaborate on, and implement comprehensive sourcing strategies for key Technology categories (e.g., Cloud Computing/SaaS, End-User Computing, Network Services, IT Professional Services).
•    Demand Management: Collaborate with Technology stakeholders to forecast demand and consolidate requirements to maximize purchasing leverage and economies of scale.
•    RFP/RFI Management: Lead the entire sourcing process, including drafting requests for proposal (RFPs), managing vendor communications, and analyzing complex vendor submissions.
•    Negotiation: Conduct high-stakes commercial and legal negotiations for enterprise licensing agreements, major software contracts, and long-term service agreements.

Contract and Vendor Risk Management
•    Contract Lifecycle Management: Manage the Technology contract portfolio, including renewals, amendments, terminations, and ensuring timely execution.
•    Risk Mitigation: Ensure all contracts adhere to CCCI standards for data privacy, security, disaster recovery, and intellectual property protection, working closely with Legal and IT Security teams.
•    Vendor Performance: Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level agreements (SLAs) for critical Technology suppliers and drive regular business reviews to ensure performance and innovation.

Stakeholder Collaboration & Process Improvement
•    Business Partnering: Act as the primary interface between the Procurement function and the Technology leadership team, ensuring alignment on technology strategy and budget goals. This includes maintaining a dotted-line reporting relationship to Technology leadership to ensure strong collaboration.
•    Compliance and Governance: Enforce corporate procurement procedures, ensuring compliance with audit requirements and internal controls for all Technology purchases.
•    Process Optimization: Drive continuous improvement in the 'procure-to-pay' process for Technology, leveraging tools like Ariba or ServiceNow, to improve efficiency and data integrity.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

•    Exceptional negotiation and communication skills.
•    Strong analytical and quantitative skills.
•    Ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.
•    High level of integrity and professional accountability
•    Ability to effectively collaborate with Technology leaders 
•    Strong Technology experience and knowledge.
•    Inherent ability to understand and address technical requirements and collaborate effectively with technical teams.

Minimum Qualifications

•    Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Information Technology, or a related field.
•    Experience: 5+ years of experience in Procurement, with a minimum of 3 years focused specifically on Technology categories to ensure a deep technical understanding of operations and needs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep understanding of complex software licensing models (e.g., perpetual, subscription, consumption-based).
• Proven track record of managing and negotiating large, multi-year IT contracts.
• Familiarity with financial analysis, spend reporting, and total cost of ownership (TCO) modeling.
• CSP certification (or equivalent) preferred

Work Environment

Office environment

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