Category Manager, Professional Services/ Consulting

AbbVie•North Chicago, IL

2d•$109,500 - $208,500

About The Position

Leads the development and execution of enterprise category strategies for Professional Services and Consulting across AbbVie business functions and geographies. The role manages sourcing initiatives, supplier portfolios, demand and spend visibility, contracting approaches, and ongoing supplier performance for categories that may include advisory and management consulting, technology and digital consulting, engineering and technical services, legal and financial services, marketing and creative agencies, human resources and learning services, and other specialized external services. This position partners with business leaders, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Information Security, and other Procurement teams to balance access to critical capabilities with cost, quality, speed, innovation, and risk. The incumbent establishes category plans, gains stakeholder alignment, leads competitive sourcing and negotiations, supports implementation and adoption, and ensures that engagements use the appropriate commercial model, contract structure, supplier channel, and governance. Success requires a proactive, relationship-oriented, customer-focused, analytical, and continuous-improvement mindset.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Supply Chain, Engineering, or a related field required; advanced degree or relevant procurement certification preferred.
Minimum of 6 years of combined experience in strategic sourcing, category management, procurement, consulting, professional services, supplier management, or a related discipline.
Demonstrated experience developing and implementing category strategies for Professional Services, Consulting, statement-of-work services, or managed service programs.
Strong knowledge of services-commercial models, including hourly and daily rates, rate cards, retainers, fixed-fee and milestone-based pricing, time-and-materials, outcome-based fees, expenses, rebates, and volume discounts.
Experience structuring and negotiating master service agreements, statements of work, service-level agreements, change orders, and related commercial terms in partnership with Legal and business stakeholders.
Working knowledge of risks associated with external services, including confidentiality, intellectual property, data privacy, information security, conflicts of interest, third-party access, and regulatory or policy compliance.
Advanced analytical and financial skills, with the ability to normalize complex supplier proposals, benchmark rates, model total cost, establish baselines, validate benefits, and present clear recommendations from imperfect data.
Proven ability to lead cross-functional and geographically dispersed teams through a structured sourcing process and drive fact-based decisions without defaulting to compromise.
Strong project-management skills, including the ability to define scope, convert complex objectives into actionable workplans, manage dependencies and milestones, address implementation barriers, and sustain adoption.
Executive-level communication, influencing, negotiation, conflict-resolution, and relationship-management skills, with the ability to tailor messages for business leaders, functional experts, suppliers, and operational teams.
Proficiency with sourcing, contracting, spend-analytics, and supplier-management technologies; ability to use data and digital tools to improve category visibility and decision-making.

Nice To Haves

advanced degree or relevant procurement certification preferred

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain multi-year category strategies for Professional Services and Consulting representing a minimum of $250 million in annual expenditures, using spend analysis, demand forecasts, supplier-market intelligence, internal capability assessments, and stakeholder priorities.
Define category scope and subcategory plans across advisory and management consulting, technology and digital consulting, engineering and technical services, legal and financial services, human resources and learning services, and other specialized external services.
Lead cross-functional sourcing initiatives from opportunity identification and business requirements through request for proposal, supplier evaluation, negotiation, contracting, implementation, and benefits tracking. Deliver measurable value through savings, cost avoidance, demand management, improved service, innovation, process simplification, supplier consolidation, and risk reduction.
Establish clear buying channels and engagement models. Guide stakeholders in selecting the appropriate solution, including preferred-supplier use, competitive sourcing, deliverable-based statements of work, project consulting, outcome-based arrangements, or managed services.
For Consulting, challenge and clarify business needs, expected outcomes, work plans, deliverables, team structures, timelines, and knowledge-transfer requirements. Evaluate proposals using fact-based comparisons of scope, team composition, experience, methodology, rate cards, effort, expenses, intellectual property, and total cost.
For Professional Services, build fit-for-purpose supply strategies for specialized and project-based services, including supplier qualification, competitive bidding, service-level expectations, milestone and acceptance criteria, deliverable quality, capacity, geographic coverage, and continuity of critical expertise.
Plan and execute complex negotiations covering rates, discounts, volume tiers, fixed fees, milestones, payment terms, expenses, credits, service levels, deliverable acceptance, change control, ownership and use of work product, data protection, audit rights, termination, and other commercial protections. Translate negotiated outcomes into clear, enforceable agreements in partnership with Legal.
Develop supplier-segmentation and governance models. Conduct business reviews with strategic suppliers; use scorecards to monitor cost, quality, delivery, responsiveness, innovation, diversity, compliance, and stakeholder satisfaction; and lead corrective action or supplier-development plans when performance falls below expectations.
Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and translate category strategies into clear decisions, executive summaries, project plans, implementation roadmaps, and communications tailored to the audience. Secure sponsorship, resources, and adoption across business functions and geographies.
Use analytics to establish spend baselines, identify leakage and fragmented demand, benchmark professional-services rates and consulting economics, evaluate make-versus-buy opportunities, model scenarios, validate savings, and support fact-based award recommendations.
Maintain awareness of consulting and professional-services market trends, supplier capabilities, regulatory developments, emerging delivery models, and technology-enabled services. Convert market insights into sourcing actions and business recommendations.
Ensure purchases and engagements comply with applicable AbbVie policies and procedures, Procurement requirements, delegated authority, third-party risk management, privacy, information security, records management, and applicable legal and regulatory obligations.