Director, Category - Networking & Security

Ingram Micro•Buffalo, NY

12d•$155,700 - $272,500•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Category for Networking and Security is a strategic leader accountable for the overall performance of a defined category. This role is responsible for shaping and executing business strategies, advancing digital transformation initiatives, and ensuring the successful delivery of products and services to customers via Ingram Micro Xvantage™ platform. The Director will build and lead a high-performing team while fostering strong, collaborative relationships with key partners and vendors. The Director, Category will lead and develop the category team, aligning strategic priorities with the overall portfolio vision. This role is responsible for driving growth and profitability, strengthening vendor partnerships, and executing a clear category and platform engagement strategy. As a strategic leader, the Director will act as an advocate for the category vision, ensuring alignment across internal stakeholders and providing direction to support long-term success. This individual will own the performance of a defined category of products and services, with accountability for revenue growth, margin expansion, and customer satisfaction. The ideal candidate brings a deep understanding of the platform, strong analytical capabilities, and exceptional communication and leadership skills.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business or related field (MBA preferred).
8+ years of leadership experience in vendor management, category management, or market development in technology distribution or IT services.
Proven ability to own P&L performance and deliver measurable vendor outcomes.
Extensive technical aptitude and knowledge of channels, partner ecosystems, and emerging IT trends.
Executive management experience working directly with vendor C-suite and partner decision-makers.
Strong people leadership skills with a track record of attracting, developing, and retaining top talent.
Expertise leveraging digital platforms and data-driven insights to drive scalable growth.
Strong executive presence, negotiation skills, and ability to present to diverse audiences, both internal and external.
Experience navigating multinational, matrixed environments and complex vendor engagement models.
Extensive industry, company, and financial knowledge to develop strategies and tactics on the platform with new offerings and taking into consideration the current and future competitive environments.
Deep knowledge of complex financial data and ability to communicate cause and effect on operating income.
Strong collaboration and inspirational leadership capabilities driving vision and accountability to teams.
Advanced technology acumen with a strong understanding of channel strategy, pre- and post-sales execution, and customer success models.
Strong knowledge of vendor evaluation and partnership strategies.
Successful background implementing strategies that result in positive impact.
Understanding of customer strategic and tactical direction.
High cultural awareness, open-mindedness, and strong collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end category performance, including P&L accountability, driving profitable growth, operational efficiency, and innovation
Develop and execute category strategies leveraging platform capabilities, data insights, and market opportunities
Build and lead high-performing teams to execute vendor strategies aligned with company priorities
Establish and maintain executive-level relationships across partner and vendor organizations
Formulate and execute growth strategies aligned with the category and Ingram Micro’s digital-first priorities.
Leverage data and insights from Ingram Micro Xvantage™ to optimize vendor strategy, inventory management, pricing, and go-to-market execution.
Build and maintain trusted, executive-level relationships with Vendor leadership and channel partners to ensure long-term alignment and measurable business outcomes.
Drive digital transformation by integrating scalable programs that enhance partner engagement and customer experience.
Monitor IT distribution trends, hybrid cloud adoption, and edge computing growth to identify new revenue opportunities and competitive advantages.