Category Strategist

Bread Financial•Plano, TX

23h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Category Strategist develops, champions, implements, and communicates strategies aligned with business requirements, while maximizing optimized value from the overall spend. This Strategist oversees many categories including, but not limited to IT, Facilities, HR, Travel, etc. and will report directly to a Senior Manager or Director in the organization.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED.
2+ years experience in budget cycles, lowest cost of ownership, lease/buy analyses, analytics tools such as OBIEE, Tableau, Expert level Excel user (pivot tables, Macros, etc.).

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Business Administration, Business Analytics, Procurement, Project Management.
3+ years experience in a banking, insurance or other regulatory environment.

Responsibilities

Plans and analyzes multiple categories using spend data and market trends.
Develops multi-year strategies aligned with enterprise objectives.
Adapts strategies based on trends and collaborates with decision-makers.
Manages category pipelines through data analysis.
Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to foster long-term partnerships.
Shares best practices, influences higher management, and presents category reviews.
Achieves economies of scale and drive operational efficiency.
Monitors and ensures continuous improvement for key suppliers.
Tracks and monitors progress of initiatives to ensure savings.
Develops methodologies to calculate and track savings.
Shares best practices and translate findings into actionable strategies.
Reports spend analysis opportunities and develops new initiatives.
Manages commercial issues in contracts, including SOW and SLA development.
Supports business with contract knowledge.
Leads or coaches on the sourcing process, including strategy development, supplier selection, negotiation, and contract execution.
Drives project closure from a procurement perspective.
Builds relationships with project teams and assists with other projects.
Identifies, prioritizes, and executes analytical work to deliver insights across spend categories.
Presents findings to leadership.
Supports the procurement process, including RFX development, supplier selection, and evaluation methodologies.
Acts as the primary contact for suppliers during the selection process.
Uses procurement tools and templates for competitive bidding and spend analytics.

Benefits

medical
prescription drug
dental
vision
other voluntary benefits (including basic and optional life insurance, supplemental medical plans, and short and long-term disability)
Six weeks of 100% paid parental leave
401(k) plan
11 paid holidays
Flexible Time Off (FTO) program
80 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time (“PSST”)
40 hours of Illinois PSST
40 hours of Illinois Paid Leave
purchase company stock
annual incentive bonus