Principal Category Manager

Alliant Credit Union•Chicago, IL

3d•$95,100 - $163,100•Hybrid

About The Position

Support the procurement strategy by actively leading the end-to-end strategic sourcing, category management, and contract management processes. Strategic sourcing duties include spend and market analysis, business requirements identification, sourcing event execution, contract negotiations, contract execution support, renewals, terminations, spend analysis, reporting, and end-user support focusing primarily on SaaS, cloud, cybersecurity, AI, telecommunications, and managed services.

Requirements

Minimum- 4 Year Bachelors Degree in Finance or related
Minimum- 7 Years Strategic sourcing, vendor management, contracting and category management, IT products and services or related
10 Years Strategic sourcing, vendor management, contracting and category management, IT products and services or related (In Lieu of Education)

Responsibilities

Develop and execute category management and strategic sourcing strategies for assigned technology spend categories, aligning decisions with business objectives, risk appetite, and financial goals
Create and maintain multi-year category plans that drive supplier innovation, value creation, cost optimization, and operational effectiveness
Serve as a strategic advisor to departments such as technology and executive leadership regarding supplier markets, emerging technologies, software licensing models, workforce trends, and sourcing strategies
Partner with business leaders to shape demand, challenge requirements, evaluate alternatives, and influence purchasing decisions to maximize business value
Analyze spend, supplier markets, and total cost of ownership to identify savings, cost avoidance, efficiency improvements, and supplier optimization opportunities
Develop and present sourcing strategies, business cases, supplier recommendations, and executive-level decision materials
Lead complex sourcing initiatives, including RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, supplier evaluations, and competitive bid events for technology products and services
Negotiate enterprise software, SaaS, cloud, cybersecurity, AI, consulting, and managed services agreements to achieve favorable commercial, contractual, and risk outcomes
Own category performance and value delivery objectives, including savings, cost avoidance and supplier optimization targets
Assess and mitigate commercial, operational, security, privacy, regulatory, and third-party risks in collaboration with legal, information security, compliance, and risk management teams
Ensure compliance with procurement policies, contract management standards, regulatory requirements, and contract lifecycle management processes while maintaining data integrity
Lead cross-functional sourcing efforts, represent procurement on enterprise initiatives, and mentor procurement professionals on category management, supplier strategy, and negotiation best practices