Lead Category Manager – IT

Motiva Enterprises LLC•Houston, TX

About The Position

The Lead Category Manager - IT is a key member of Motiva’s Supply Chain team, responsible for developing and executing category and sourcing strategies across assigned IT procurement categories. The role applies commercial expertise, market intelligence, supplier management, and contract negotiations to optimize total value, mitigate risk, drive innovation, and support business objectives. The position partners with stakeholders across Information Technology, Cyber Security, Finance, Legal, and Supply Chain to turn business needs into actionable sourcing strategies and commercial outcomes. It supports Supply Chain as a strategic business partner by creating value, strengthening supplier partnerships, mitigating risk, championing compliance, and delivering outcomes aligned with company policies, procedures, and ethical standards.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, business, engineering, management information systems, finance, computer science, or a related technical or commercial field.
At least 8 years of progressively responsible experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, category management, supplier management, contract management, or related commercial disciplines, including at least 4 years supporting technology initiatives or categories; alternatively, at least 8 years in IT or related technical disciplines with experience supporting supplier management, commercial evaluations, sourcing decisions, contract negotiations, or technology vendor governance.
Ability to partner with IT, procurement, legal, finance, cybersecurity, and business stakeholders on supplier, technology, sourcing, contracting, renewal, or commercial decisions.
Experience supporting, managing, sourcing, contracting, implementing, or operating IT-related products or services, such as software, SaaS, cloud, infrastructure, cybersecurity, enterprise applications, managed services, or professional services.
Experience with supplier management, vendor negotiations, technology evaluations, service levels, statements of work, order forms, contract renewals, budgeting, or total cost of ownership analysis.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, support complex initiatives, and work effectively in a cross-functional business environment.
Strong leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills, including the ability to influence senior leaders and cross-functional teams.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or equivalent advanced education in supply chain, business, finance, engineering, information technology, computer science, or a related field.
Experience spanning technology procurement or commercial disciplines and technical IT environments, including strategic sourcing, category management, supplier management, contract negotiation, vendor governance, IT/OT, cybersecurity, infrastructure, telecommunications, enterprise applications, managed services, or digital transformation.
Oil and gas industry experience and familiarity with supply chain risk, supplier qualification, and governance practices.
Experience supporting refining, chemicals, manufacturing, or other industrial operations.
Experience supporting indirect procurement categories such as IT, professional services, corporate services, contractor services, operational support services, or other enterprise services.
Working knowledge of software licensing, SaaS, cloud services, infrastructure, cybersecurity, networking, telecom, data management, enterprise applications, and managed services.
Familiarity with IT functions including infrastructure, enterprise applications, cybersecurity, networking, telecom, cloud services, data management, service desk, end-user computing, IT operations, and project delivery.
Familiarity with on-premise, hosted, cloud, hybrid cloud, subscription-based, consumption-based, support, maintenance, implementation, and managed service delivery models.
Familiarity with incident management, change management, disaster recovery, business continuity, identity and access management, endpoint management, and IT service management.
Ability to understand technical requirements, translate them into commercial and sourcing considerations, and partner effectively with IT, cybersecurity, legal, finance, operations, and suppliers.
Understanding of perpetual, subscription, SaaS, user-based, consumption-based, and enterprise software licensing models.
Experience negotiating software maintenance, support, cloud consumption, and subscription-based agreements.
Ability to provide informal leadership, coaching, and knowledge sharing across sourcing teams and stakeholders.
Strong knowledge of SCM, ERP, MRP, sourcing, contract management, and procurement tools such as SAP, Ariba, or similar platforms.
Experience leading complex sourcing initiatives across broad operational or category areas.
Expertise in supplier relationship management, contract negotiation, spend analysis, market analysis, and commercial decision-making.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and tactical sourcing support across assigned operational areas and categories, aligning sourcing activity with business priorities.
Advise stakeholders and translate business requirements into sourcing strategies, commercial recommendations, and supplier solutions.
Develop and lead sourcing and category strategies aligned with business needs, approved methodologies, and overall objectives.
Lead end-to-end strategic sourcing initiatives, from identifying opportunities through contract execution, to deliver measurable value, commercial optimization, and risk mitigation.
Conduct spend and market analysis, supplier capability assessments, and benchmarking to improve value, service levels, and supply base optimization.
Develop negotiation strategies using market intelligence, supplier analysis, business requirements, commercial leverage, and total cost of ownership considerations.
Track category performance measures, sourcing metrics, and operational KPIs, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.
Monitor supplier markets, industry trends, pricing models, commercial structures, and emerging risks in assigned categories.
Identify and execute value chain initiatives that improve cost competitiveness, service performance, and overall value.
Partner with stakeholders to evaluate demand, challenge requirements where appropriate, and identify opportunities for standardization, consolidation, and scope refinement.
Conduct economic analysis, cost modeling, and total cost of ownership analysis for bid evaluations, sourcing decisions, and business cases.
Develop business cases and return on investment models supported by market data and relevant commercial, business, and technical factors.
Identify opportunities for savings, cost avoidance, risk reduction, and enhanced value across the supply base.
Track and report value delivery, including savings, cost avoidance, risk reduction, supplier performance, working capital, and service-level improvements.
Build relationships with key suppliers to support reliability, quality, innovation, and cost effectiveness.
Lead supplier performance management, including KPI reviews, issue resolution, and continuous improvement in safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
Apply supplier performance management strategies for strategic, critical, and high-risk suppliers in accordance with Motiva Supply Chain policy.
Negotiate and renegotiate commercial and contractual terms, working with Legal and Risk Management as needed to secure acceptable terms and minimize risk.
Drive supplier collaboration and strategic partnerships to improve operational and commercial performance.
Manage the commercial lifecycle of assigned agreements, including renewals, amendments, statements of work, change orders, extensions, expirations, true-ups, and termination planning.
Assess supply market and supply chain risks, develop mitigation strategies, and support contingency planning for business continuity.
Ensure sourcing strategies, supplier decisions, and procurement activities comply with company policies, governance standards, regulations, and ethical practices.
Prepare sourcing recommendations, award justifications, business cases, and governance materials for stakeholder and leadership approvals.
Manage escalations, align stakeholders through strategy approvals, and resolve complex commercial issues.
Maintain strong documentation, transparency, and commercial discipline throughout sourcing and contracting.
Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to gather requirements, shape sourcing strategies, and align business functions.
Promote Supply Chain as a strategic, value-adding partner through proactive stakeholder engagement and communication of priorities, plans, and results.
Influence stakeholders without direct authority through credibility, fact-based analysis, commercial insight, and clear recommendations.
Support continuous improvement in procurement discipline, supplier relationship management, procurement governance, and commercial outcomes.