Director, Senior Category Manager - Financial Services Operations

Prudential Financial • Newark, NJ

10d • $147,100 - $220,700

About The Position

Prudential’s Global Sourcing and Procurement (GSP) organization drives enterprise‑wide value by cultivating strategic supplier partnerships and elevating commercial decision‑making across the business. GSP provides global stakeholders with streamlined access to best‑in-class products and services, informed by robust business intelligence, deep supply‑market knowledge, and a clear grasp of micro‑ and macroeconomic dynamics. Through efficient, disciplined processes and proactive commercial coaching, GSP empowers stakeholders to make informed, value‑driven decisions that strengthen Prudential’s competitive advantage. Your Team & Role The Director, Senior Category Manager role plays a pivotal role in advancing this mission by leading category initiative teams, shaping value pipelines, coaching business partners, and converting market intelligence into actionable sourcing and negotiation strategies. Operating across a global stakeholder and supplier landscape, this role ensures consistent execution of the Category Management framework, adoption of preferred buying channels, and delivery of measurable, Finance-validated value. Categories of spend in scope include but are not limited to Asset Management Operations (e.g., Custody, Transfer Agencies), Investment Fees, Banking Services, Insurances, Data (e.g., Market and Alternative Data), Trading Platforms.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, finance, operations, economics, or a related field.
• 7-10 years of experience in procurement, category management, sourcing, or supplier management.
• Demonstrated experience influencing stakeholders, guiding sourcing decisions, and delivering measurable value.
• Experience synthesizing benchmarks, supplier data, and market intelligence into sourcing strategies.
• Exposure to or familiarity with procurement technologies (e.g., sourcing platforms, CLM systems) and AI‑enabled sourcing tools.
• Stakeholder Partnership: Builds trust with business partners and guides them toward value‑focused, compliant sourcing decisions.
• Clear Communication: Translates procurement, market, and financial insights into straightforward, actionable guidance.
• Analytical Rigor: Interprets benchmarks, spend data, and category metrics to inform sound commercial decisions.
• Relationship-Building : Forges strong internal and supplier partnerships.
• Cross‑Regional Collaboration: Works effectively with teams across multiple geographies to ensure consistent category execution.
• Commercial & Market Awareness: Applies understanding of supplier markets, cost drivers, and negotiation levers to strengthen outcomes.
• Change Agility: Adapts quickly to evolving tools, processes, and priorities, encouraging others to adopt improved ways of working.

Nice To Haves

• Professional certifications preferred (e.g. MCIPS, CPSM, CPM).

Responsibilities

• Lead a category initiative teams to deliver year‑over-year value and set savings targets (cost reductions, cost avoidance, and/or revenue opportunities) in alignment with Finance‑validated baselines and auditable governance.
• Curate and maintain Category Cards, preferred supplier routes, and Buying Channel rules by partnering with Systems & Analytics teams for updates, guided‑buying configurations, dashboards, and global adoption mechanisms.
• Prioritize initiatives within the category pipeline, ensuring accuracy of baselines, milestone tracking, and variance commentary, ensuring clarity for dashboards and reviews.
• Guide team members through opportunity assessment, RFx preparation, negotiation support, and supplier evaluation.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to business partners, providing guidance on channel selection, specification choices, negotiation preparation, and savings definitions.
• Translate complex market dynamics, internal requirements, and supplier insights into clear, value‑focused recommendations.
• Conceive new and pursue supplier‑led innovation opportunities (e.g., process redesign and automation, alternative specifications, sustainability solutions) to improve cost, quality, resilience, and speed.
• Synthesize market data and benchmarks (e.g. indices, should-cost models, vendor peer comparisons, external insights, total cost of ownership (TCO) insights) to support robust business cases and sourcing strategies.
• Leverage AI tools to enhance category execution, and promote the adoption of AI‑enabled workflows within the category squad and cross‑functional partners.
• Coordinate sourcing, negotiation, contracting, and initiative execution activities with regional teams in the US, Japan, Ireland, India, and other markets.
• Align category initiatives with organizational priorities, stakeholder needs, procurement policy, and risk/compliance requirements.

Benefits

• Market competitive base salaries, with a yearly bonus potential at every level
• Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability insurance, Paid Time Off (PTO), and leave of absences, such as parental and military leave
• 401(k) plan with company match (up to 4%).
• Company-funded pension plan.
• Wellness Programs including up to $1,600 a year for reimbursement of items purchased to support personal wellbeing needs.
• Work/Life Resources to help support topics such as parenting, housing, senior care, finances, pets, legal matters, education, emotional and mental health, and career development.
• Education Benefit to help finance traditional college enrollment toward obtaining an approved degree and many accredited certificate programs.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan: Shares can be purchased at 85% of the lower of two prices (Beginning or End of the purchase period), after one year of service.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director