Procurement Senior Category Lead for IT Software- Office of Procurement

The Pennsylvania State University • University Park, FL

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Penn State Office of Procurement is searching for a Senior Category Lead who will have University-wide responsibility for creating and driving strategic sourcing and vendor management for IT Software. This category generally has an annual spend up to $80M+ and/or have 5,000 annual purchasing transactions. The Senior Category Lead acts as a strategic business partner providing leadership in the IT Software category, providing strategic planning and sourcing and other procurement processes such as supplier relationship management, spend performance management, category contract management, internal spend and external market analysis, and category governance for all units/colleges that are active in the IT Software category. The Senior Category Lead collaborates with stakeholders on the development and implementation of annual and multi-year category strategies in order to achieve category goals, achieve business strategies and deliver sustainable category value. The successful candidate for this position will serve as a subject matter expert within a high performance category buying team, including assigning workload, monitoring cycle time, identifying efficiencies and providing status updates to procurement leadership and customers. The Senior Category Lead will also coach and mentor buying team members and provide a support structure for the team to excel. This position offers a flexible work arrangement that combines remote and on-campus work. Questions related to flexible work should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process. The successful candidate for this position must demonstrate knowledge of broad concepts, industry policies and procedures related to the development, management, and implementation of a strategic category management plan with University-wide impact.

Requirements

• Extensive knowledge of category, market, and suppliers to drive value and savings for IT Software category.
• High level of analytical skill to develop and maintain detailed reporting and analysis of proposals and vendor capabilities, negotiations, and supplier selection as well as ability to analyze purchasing data, trends and habits within the category.
• High level of communication skills to create and maintain sustainable partnerships and networks both within and outside of the University to ensure comprehensive strategy planning and implementation.
• Ability to communicate at all levels of the University and with external vendors and other stakeholders, often involving significant and complex situations, and relay this information in a way that is objective and adaptive to the audience.
• Bachelor's Degree
• 8+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted

Nice To Haves

• A degree in business administration, supply chain, finance, or related field is preferred.
• Professional certifications such as the CPSM (Certificate in Supply Chain Management) or the CPM (Certified Purchasing Manager) from the Institute for Supply Management Inc. are preferred.
• Recent experience with purchasing, data analysis, RFXs, negotiation, contracts, legal terms and conditions, and e-procurement, as well as proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Creating and driving strategic sourcing and vendor management for IT Software.
• Acting as a strategic business partner providing leadership in the IT Software category.
• Providing strategic planning and sourcing and other procurement processes such as supplier relationship management, spend performance management, category contract management, internal spend and external market analysis, and category governance for all units/colleges that are active in the IT Software category.
• Collaborating with stakeholders on the development and implementation of annual and multi-year category strategies in order to achieve category goals, achieve business strategies and deliver sustainable category value.
• Serving as a subject matter expert within a high performance category buying team, including assigning workload, monitoring cycle time, identifying efficiencies and providing status updates to procurement leadership and customers.
• Coaching and mentoring buying team members and providing a support structure for the team to excel.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Robust retirement plans
• Substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time
• 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children

What This Job Offers

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