Director of Category Management

Zayo Group

2d•$107,300 - $165,000

About The Position

Zayo provides mission-critical bandwidth to the world’s most impactful companies, fueling the innovations that are transforming our society. Zayo’s 141,000-mile network in North America and Europe includes extensive metro connectivity to thousands of buildings and data centers. Zayo’s communications infrastructure solutions include dark fiber, private data networks, wavelengths, Ethernet, and dedicated Internet access. Zayo serves wireless and wireline carriers, media, tech, content, finance, healthcare and other large enterprises. Zayo is seeking a Director of Category Management.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Engineering, or related field.
Eight to twelve (8–12) years of category management, strategic sourcing, procurement, supply chain, or related experience.
Demonstrated success developing and executing category strategies for significant spend portfolios.
Experience leading complex negotiations and managing strategic supplier relationships.
Strong financial analysis and business case development skills.
Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders in a matrixed organization.
Excellent communication, presentation, and executive engagement skills.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute multi-year category strategies aligned with business priorities.
Conduct market, supplier, and spend analyses to identify opportunities for cost optimization, innovation, risk reduction, and operational improvement.
Establish category roadmaps, savings targets, and performance metrics.
Monitor industry trends, market dynamics, and emerging technologies impacting assigned categories.
Lead complex sourcing events, including RFPs, RFQs, negotiations, and supplier selection processes.
Develop negotiation strategies that maximize commercial value and business outcomes.
Partner with Legal, Finance, Operations, and business stakeholders to structure and execute contracts.
Drive total cost of ownership (TCO) evaluations and business case development.
Build and maintain executive-level supplier relationships.
Develop supplier performance scorecards and governance processes.
Identify and drive supplier innovation, continuous improvement, and risk mitigation initiatives.
Manage supplier escalations and resolve commercial issues.
Act as a trusted advisor to business leaders and functional stakeholders.
Facilitate alignment between category strategies and organizational objectives.
Influence decision-making across multiple business functions without formal authority.
Present recommendations, business cases, and category performance updates to senior leadership.
Deliver measurable cost savings, cost avoidance, and value creation initiatives.
Support budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning processes.
Identify supply chain, commercial, regulatory, and operational risks within assigned categories.
Develop and implement mitigation plans to ensure business continuity.
Ensure compliance with procurement policies, contracting standards, and regulatory requirements.
Maintain category documentation, sourcing records, and supplier agreements.
Promote ethical sourcing and supplier diversity initiatives where applicable.