IT Category Manager – Strategic Sourcing & Vendor Management

ERCOT•Taylor, TX

4d•$103,000 - $141,000

About The Position

The IT Category Manager – Strategic Sourcing & Vendor Management develops and executes category, sourcing, contracting, and vendor management strategies across assigned Information Technology spend categories. The role serves as a strategic commercial partner to IT leadership, Procurement, the Vendor Management Office (VMO), Cybersecurity, Legal, Finance, Enterprise Architecture, Third-Party Risk Management, and other business stakeholders. It provides continuity across the supplier lifecycle, from category strategy, market analysis, competitive sourcing, and negotiation through contract execution, supplier governance, performance management, commercial optimization, risk management, renewal, and value realization. The position manages categories such as software and SaaS, cloud, infrastructure, hardware, cybersecurity, telecommunications, professional services, and emerging technology. It develops sourcing strategies, leads competitive sourcing and negotiations, supports supplier governance and renewals, addresses supplier and critical-infrastructure risks, and tracks measurable value. It also prepares executive-level reporting on IT spend, sourcing pipelines, supplier performance, renewals, and commercial risk.

Requirements

At least 5 years of job-related work experience in excess of degree requirements.
Experience in IT strategic sourcing, procurement, category management, vendor management, or technology commercial management.
Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain Management, or a related field; equivalent knowledge through a combination of education and experience is also accepted.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated experience negotiating complex enterprise technology agreements and managing strategic suppliers.
Working knowledge of software licensing, SaaS, cloud consumption, IT infrastructure, hardware, professional services, cybersecurity, and emerging technology commercial models.
Experience with supplier performance management, scorecards, KPIs, SLAs, governance, and executive business reviews.
Strong negotiation, stakeholder management, written communication, and executive presentation skills.
Experience in a regulated, critical-infrastructure, utility, ISO/RTO, or similarly complex operating environment.
Master's degree or MBA.
CPSM Certified Professional in Supply Management certification.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain multi-year sourcing and category strategies for assigned IT spend categories, informed by spend analysis, supplier concentration, demand forecasts, market conditions, and sourcing opportunities.
Identify opportunities for supplier consolidation, competition, standardization, cost optimization, demand management, and reduced vendor lock-in.
Lead competitive sourcing activities, including RFPs, RFQs, supplier evaluations, and commercial evaluations, and develop negotiation strategies for significant technology purchases, renewals, expansions, and enterprise agreements.
Analyze proposals and commercial structures at the SKU, product, service, rate-card, and total-cost levels.
Perform market benchmarking and comparative commercial analysis to establish negotiation targets and leverage, partnering with relevant internal stakeholders throughout sourcing and contracting.
Support governance of strategic and critical IT suppliers throughout the contract lifecycle, including scorecards, KPIs, SLAs, service performance measures, and contractual commitments.
Facilitate or support supplier business reviews, QBRs, and executive governance meetings; monitor supplier commitments, performance issues, corrective actions, and relationship health.
Maintain visibility into strategic supplier relationships across contracts, business units, platforms, and services; identify supplier dependencies, concentration risks, and potential vendor lock-in.
Maintain a forward-looking pipeline of significant IT contract renewals, expirations, and sourcing events, and begin strategic renewal planning early enough to preserve competition and negotiating leverage.
Evaluate utilization, consumption, licensing, capacity, demand forecasts, and historical spend ahead of renewal negotiations; challenge unnecessary demand, unused licensing, and unfavorable pricing structures.
Evaluate supplier proposals against contractual protections, market benchmarks, and total cost of ownership, coordinating competitive sourcing or market validation when appropriate.
Partner with Cybersecurity, TPRM, Legal, Compliance, Architecture, IT, and business owners to identify and address supplier risks throughout the lifecycle.
Incorporate critical-infrastructure considerations into technology sourcing, including supply-chain resilience, continuity of supply or service, supplier incident response, due diligence, and contractual controls for critical operations.
Escalate material supplier performance, resilience, or risk concerns to appropriate leadership.
Track and report negotiated savings, validated cost avoidance, and other measurable value; develop executive-level reporting on IT spend, sourcing pipeline, supplier performance, renewals, and commercial risk.
Use market intelligence and supplier performance data to support fact-based sourcing, renewal, and negotiation decisions, and promote accountability for supplier commitments through closure.