Category Manager Operations & Maintenance

Boardwalk Pipelines, LP Human Resources•Houston, TX

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Category Manager for Operations and Maintenance is responsible for end-to-end commercial ownership of the recurring services and materials categories that sustain Boardwalk’s pipeline system. The role develops and executes category strategies across a broad O&M portfolio, including field maintenance, pipeline integrity, cathodic protection, right-of-way maintenance, environmental services, equipment rental, and MRO materials. It is accountable for cost efficiency, contractor performance, and service reliability across Boardwalk’s multi-state operating footprint. The position is based in Boardwalk’s Houston, Texas office. The Category Manager owns category spend and supplier strategies; leads sourcing, contracting, and contract administration; and manages contractor performance and risk. The role partners with Operations, Integrity Engineering, Environmental Health and Safety, and Field Operations to translate operational needs into sourcing strategies and reliable service arrangements. It also tracks and reports category performance, supports compliance, and leads continuous improvement in contract coverage, cost, and contractor safety.

Requirements

At least 8 to 12 years of progressive experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, or category management, focused on O&M services, field services, or MRO categories in the oil and gas, pipeline, or utilities sector.
Demonstrated experience managing service contractor portfolios across multiple geographic regions, including MSA development, performance management, and safety qualification programs.
Working familiarity with PHMSA pipeline integrity management regulations and their implications for O&M contracting, scheduling, and service-provider selection.
Ability to develop and execute multi-category sourcing strategies for a geographically dispersed operating company.
Strong commercial acumen in services contracting, including unit-rate structures, time-and-materials arrangements, performance bonding, and service-level agreement design.
Ability to engage field-level operations stakeholders and translate operational requirements into structured commercial strategies.
Strong analytical capabilities in spend analysis, cost benchmarking, contractor performance metrics, and savings reporting.
Strong collaboration and interpersonal skills, including the ability to manage competing stakeholder priorities across multiple operating regions.
Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, engineering, or a related field.
Must complete pre-employment drug and substance abuse testing.

Nice To Haves

Experience with pipeline integrity services, cathodic protection, or right-of-way maintenance contracting.
Professional supply chain or procurement certification such as CPSM, CSCP, or equivalent.
Experience with Oracle EBS, SAP, or comparable ERP platforms in an O&M or services procurement workflow.
Experience with ISNetworld, Veriforce, or a comparable contractor safety management platform.

Responsibilities

Own O&M spend categories as a commercial portfolio, with accountability for cost performance, supplier strategy, contract coverage, and service reliability.
Develop and execute multi-year strategies across O&M subcategories, including pipeline integrity services, cathodic protection, right-of-way maintenance, field services, environmental services, and equipment rental.
Maintain spend analytics and demand visibility across operating regions and translate operational demand into sourcing strategies and supplier engagement plans.
Identify opportunities for contractor consolidation, national alliances, volume leverage, and process standardization.
Execute the sourcing lifecycle, including supplier prequalification, RFP and RFQ development, bid evaluation, commercial negotiation, and award documentation in accordance with sourcing policy and delegated authority.
Draft, evaluate, and negotiate contract structures with Legal, Insurance, Treasury, and Risk Management, addressing risk allocation and commercial terms.
Maintain contract records, bid documents, and correspondence in contract management and ERP systems in accordance with records retention requirements.
Manage post-award contract administration, including handover, supplier performance monitoring, commercial assurance, and contract modifications or extensions.
Develop and manage commercial strategies for field maintenance services, including pipeline repair, valve maintenance, corrosion control, cathodic protection, facility maintenance, and environmental remediation.
Negotiate and deploy Master Service Agreements with regional and national contractors, including rate structures, safety requirements, indemnification, and insurance provisions.
Manage contractor performance using KPIs for safety, mobilization, work quality, invoicing accuracy, and regulatory compliance.
Develop contractor qualification and tiering standards based on work risk, scope complexity, and geographic coverage.
Develop and maintain preferred suppliers for O&M subcategories, including qualification criteria, performance expectations, and safety prequalification standards.
Negotiate MSAs and service agreements covering unit rates, mobilization fees, escalation mechanisms, performance standards, and insurance minimums.
Monitor contractor market conditions, including labor availability, specialty equipment capacity, and regional service dynamics.
Identify and manage supply risks, including contractor capacity constraints, specialty-service availability, single-source dependencies, and regulatory compliance risk.
Ensure O&M procurement complies with company sourcing policy, competitive bid requirements, safety prequalification standards, and applicable PHMSA and DOT requirements.
Support internal compliance reviews and corrective actions related to O&M contracting and invoice management.
Serve as the primary Supply Chain commercial partner for Operations, Integrity Engineering, Environmental Health and Safety, and Field Operations across operating regions.
Engage field operations leaders to understand operational requirements, service performance gaps, and emerging procurement needs.
Present category strategies, contract recommendations, and supplier performance outcomes to the VP Supply Chain and senior Operations leadership.
Define and track O&M category KPIs, including savings, cost avoidance, competitive bid compliance, contract coverage, contractor safety, on-time service delivery, and invoice accuracy.
Provide regular category performance reporting to supply chain leadership and regional operations teams.
Lead continuous improvement to increase contract coverage, reduce maverick spend, and improve contractor safety outcomes.