Category Manager, Global Business Services

DRiV•Southfield, MI

49d

About The Position

The Category Manager, Global Business Services develops and executes global sourcing and category strategies for assigned indirect goods and services, including advertising and marketing, fleet, office supplies and equipment, and professional services. The role partners with stakeholders to translate business requirements into commercially sound sourcing plans, leads competitive sourcing events and negotiations, manages supplier and contract performance, and delivers measurable value through savings, cost avoidance, working-capital improvement, service, quality, timing, and supply continuity. As a first-level manager, this position provides tactical leadership to a team or functional area while retaining hands-on accountability for category and project work. It directs day-to-day sourcing, prioritization, supplier-management, and project decisions within established policies, procedures, budgets, and delegated authority. The manager recommends sourcing awards, contract strategies, supplier changes, and resource priorities, and refers major commitments or significant-risk matters for higher-level review.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, purchasing, business administration, finance, operations, engineering, or a related field.
Five or more years of progressive experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, category management, purchasing, or supplier management.
Experience managing indirect spend categories through multi-step strategic sourcing processes.
Demonstrated experience leading RFx processes, supplier evaluations, commercial negotiations, spend analysis, contract support, and cross-functional implementation.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to translate data and market information into sourcing recommendations.
Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, project management, and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively across functions, regions, and organizational levels.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
Familiarity with procurement, ERP, or eSourcing systems.

Nice To Haves

MBA or other relevant advanced degree.
Professional certification such as CPSM, CPM, CSCP, or a comparable supply management credential.
Experience sourcing professional services, marketing and advertising, fleet, office supplies or equipment, or similar Global Business Services categories.
Experience in a complex global manufacturing, automotive, industrial, or similarly matrixed organization.
Experience using eSourcing tools, spend analytics, supplier scorecards, and total-cost-of-ownership methods.
Prior experience leading employees, project teams, or shared resources.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement global sourcing strategies for assigned indirect categories.
Use spend analytics, stakeholder input, market intelligence, demand forecasts, and total-cost considerations to create category plans and sourcing pipelines.
Identify value opportunities through demand management, specification optimization, supplier consolidation, insource-versus-outsource analysis, and process improvement.
Research markets, identify capable suppliers, evaluate market trends, and assess emerging products, technologies, and service models.
Plan and lead RFx events from requirements through supplier evaluation, recommendation, negotiation, and award, using eSourcing tools as appropriate.
Define sourcing project goals, roles, responsibilities, timelines, decision criteria, and stakeholder alignment.
Lead negotiations on price, service levels, scope, payment terms, risk allocation, and other commercial terms within delegated authority.
Partner with Legal, Finance, Risk, and business stakeholders to develop and maintain global or regional agreements.
Manage contract renewal schedules, sourcing workload, and implementation plans to support continuity and timely value capture.
Document sourcing recommendations, business cases, approvals, contracts, savings, and project outcomes in accordance with company controls.
Identify, evaluate, select, and manage suppliers based on total value, quality, delivery, service, innovation, compliance, and risk.
Establish supplier performance measures and lead periodic business reviews for strategic suppliers.
Use KPIs and stakeholder feedback to anticipate performance concerns, identify root causes, and coordinate corrective actions.
Assess and mitigate supplier-performance, market-volatility, service-continuity, confidentiality, and contractual risks.
Build relationships with global and regional stakeholders to understand needs, prioritize initiatives, and align category strategies with operational and financial objectives.
Coordinate cross-functional teams through sourcing decisions, supplier transitions, contract implementation, and issue resolution.
Communicate project progress, risks, trade-offs, negotiation outcomes, and recommendations to stakeholders and leadership.
Support adoption of sourcing strategies and contracted solutions across business units and regions.
Track and report spend addressed, validated savings, cost avoidance, working-capital impact, supplier performance, contract coverage, and project status.
Improve sourcing processes, supplier management, analytics, tools, and stakeholder experience.
Ensure procurement activity complies with company policies, approval requirements, ethical standards, confidentiality expectations, and relevant regulatory requirements.
Provide day-to-day direction, coaching, prioritization, and performance support for assigned team members or resources.
Allocate work to meet category objectives and deadlines while adhering to budgets and procedures.
Develop team capability in strategic sourcing, negotiation, analytics, contract management, stakeholder partnership, and supplier management.
Escalate major decisions or commitments carrying significant cost, risk, or precedent for higher-level review.