Procurement Category Specialist

CFA Institute•Charlottesville, VA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Procurement Category Specialist Are you someone who enjoys turning data into meaningful insights? Do you thrive when partnering with stakeholders to influence smarter business decisions? Are you curious about how vendor strategy, sourcing, and contracts come together to drive real impact? If so, this could be the opportunity to take your procurement career to the next level. At CFA Institute, we’re looking for a Procurement Category Analyst/Specialist who brings analytical thinking together with strong stakeholder engagement. This is a role where you’ll not only work with data—you’ll help shape category strategies, support sourcing decisions, and play a key part in how we manage and optimise our vendor partnerships.

Requirements

Experience in procurement, category management, sourcing, data analytics, or a related field
Strong stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to collaborate and influence across functions
Confidence working with data, including interpreting trends and translating findings into business insights
Advanced Excel skills (e.g. pivot tables, XLOOKUP/INDEX-MATCH, data transformation, basic modelling)
Experience creating dashboards or reports using tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or advanced Excel
Strong attention to detail and a structured, organised approach to managing tasks and data
Exposure to procurement systems, contract lifecycle management (CLM), or ERP platforms (e.g. SAP, Coupa, Ariba) is beneficial
Understanding of procurement concepts such as total cost of ownership (TCO), vendor performance, and contract structures
Project coordination or organisational experience, with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively

Responsibilities

Analyse vendor spend data to identify trends, cost drivers, and opportunities for optimisation
Partner with Category Managers and business stakeholders to support category planning and sourcing strategies
Contribute to the development of preferred supplier lists (PSLs) and vendor strategies across key categories (e.g. IT, Marketing, Education)
Support end-to-end procurement and contract lifecycle activities, from vendor onboarding through to contract execution and renewal tracking
Build dashboards and reports that translate complex data into clear, actionable insights for stakeholders and leadership
Provide analytical support for sourcing events, RFP processes, and contract negotiations
Monitor vendor performance, contract utilisation, and compliance against agreed terms
Identify process improvements across the Source-to-Pay (S2P) lifecycle and support continuous improvement initiatives
Respond to stakeholder queries and act as a trusted point of contact for procurement-related insights and data