Senior Category Strategist

Bread Financial•Plano, IA

21h•Hybrid

About The Position

Every career journey is personal. That's why we empower you with the tools and support to create your own success story. Be challenged. Be heard. Be valued. Be you ... be here. The Senior Category Strategist works with minimal supervision to develop, champion, implement, and communicate strategies aligned with business requirements, while maximizing optimized value from the overall spend. This position oversees many categories including, but not limited to IT, Facilities, HR, and Travel. At Bread Financial, you’ll have the opportunity to grow your career, give back to your community, and be part of our award-winning culture. We’ve been consistently recognized as a best place to work nationally and in many markets and we’re proud to promote an environment where you feel appreciated, accepted, valued, and fulfilled—both personally and professionally. Bread Financial supports the overall wellness of our associates with a diverse suite of benefits and offers boundless opportunities for career development and non-traditional career progression. Bread Financial® (NYSE: BFH) is a tech-forward financial services company that provides simple, personalized payment, lending and saving solutions to millions of U.S. consumers. Our payment solutions deliver growth for some of the most recognized brands in travel & entertainment, health & beauty, technology, electronics, jewelry, home and specialty apparel through our co-brand and private label credit cards and pay-over-time products providing choice and value to our shared customers. Additionally, we offer Bread Financial general purpose credit cards and saving products that empower our customers and their passions for a better life. Bread Financial proudly marks 30 years of success in 2026. To learn more about our global associates, our performance and our sustainability progress, visit breadfinancial.com or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn. As a tech-forward financial services company, we strive to create value for both our customers and our associates. At Bread Financial, you are empowered to thrive. Our company is bold, tenacious and innovative, challenges you to be your best, respects your voice, recognizes your contributions, cares for your total well-being, and has a collaborative, kind and inclusive culture that fosters growth and success. Bread Financial is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, and committed to sustainable business practices powered by its approximately 7,000 global associates. We’ve been consistently recognized as a best place to work nationally and in many markets and we’re proud to promote an environment where you feel appreciated, accepted, valued, and fulfilled—both personally and professionally.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED.
5+ years of experience in budget cycles, lowest cost of ownership, lease/buy analyses, analytics tools such as OBIEE, Tableau, Expert level Excel user (pivot tables, Macros, etc.)
Category Strategy
Contract Management
Financial Analysis
Financial Budgeting
Lease Analysis
Microsoft Excel Macros
Pivot Tables
Project Management Essentials
Risk Management
Sourcing and Procurement
Spend Analysis
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Business Administration, Business Analytics, Procurement, Project Management.
7+ years of experience in a banking, insurance, or other regulatory environment.

Responsibilities

Plans and analyzes for multiple categories, using internal and external category spend data, market trends, and insights.
Collaborates with both internal and external procurement stakeholders, fostering long-term partnerships.
Develops and implements strategies to track and monitor the progress of initiatives across categories.
Manages the commercial issues relating to contracts, payments, and non-performance.
Drives project closure from a procurement perspective, escalating issues to ensure resolution.
Supports the procurement process for the development of RFX’s, supplier selection, and communication.

Benefits

medical
prescription drug
dental
vision
other voluntary benefits (including basic and optional life insurance, supplemental medical plans, and short and long-term disability)
Six weeks of 100% paid parental leave for eligible parents
401(k) plan
11 paid holidays
Flexible Time Off (FTO) program
80 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time (“PSST”) upon hire and at the beginning of each subsequent calendar year (except those located in Illinois)
40 hours of Illinois PSST upon hire and at the beginning of each subsequent calendar year (Illinois associates)
40 hours of Illinois Paid Leave upon hire and at the beginning of each subsequent calendar year (Illinois associates)
elect the purchase company stock during offering periods in June and December
annual incentive bonus based on individual and company performance
competitive pay
comprehensive selection of benefit options