Senior Manager, Category Product Requirements

Sodexo Careers•Gaithersburg, MD

18h

About The Position

Entegra Procurement Services, a subsidiary of Sodexo, is a global procurement network managing over $36 billion in spend and serving over 120,000 purchasing sites in the United States. Entegra provides procurement management for multi-unit clients in industries such as seniors, leisure, hotels, and restaurants, focusing on driving operational effectiveness and innovative products and services. Entegra is seeking a Non-F&B Category/Product Requirements Specialist to join their team. This role is critical and highly strategic, contributing to a transformational experience and laying the foundation for future growth. The successful candidate will be responsible for implementing Entegra’s non-Food and Beverage product catalog for each client segment, including developing templates and materials to solicit and document product-level requirements. Experience in Category Management with a strong understanding of GPOs and Supplier engagement, particularly in the hospitality industry, is desired.

Requirements

10+ years experience in Category Management or relevant business.
Deep expertise in non-F&B categories/products including operating suppliers and equipment (OS&E), furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E), and other non-food related categories.
Deep understanding and experience in GPOs, Distribution and Supply Chain.
Experience with Corporate Social Responsibility programs and sustainable sourcing initiatives.
Expertise in eliciting and documenting product-level requirements and maintaining product catalogs.
Proven expertise in negotiating and influencing stakeholders at all levels.
Must be process-driven and analytical with a continuous improvement mindset.
Strong focus on pricing and business/financial impacts of pricing changes.
Excellent people skills and the ability to translate customer requirements into results.
Ability to create excellent relationships and quickly gain credibility with internal and external stakeholders.
Possess strong planning, organizational and time management skills, as well as strong analytical problem-solving skills.
Multi-task with the ability to change direction quickly and often.
Microsoft Office proficiency.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in the GPO or food-related industry.
Minimum Management Experience: 10+ years in the GPO or food-related industry.
Minimum Functional Experience: 10+ years in GPO or food-related industry in category management.

Nice To Haves

Strong understanding of GPOs and Supplier engagement, specifically in the hospitality industry (restaurants, hotels, leisure, and/or entertainment).

Responsibilities

Development and implementation of Entegra’s non-Food and Beverage product catalog for each client segment, including developing templates and materials to solicit and document F&B product-level requirements.
Coordination with Supply Management to source products and engagement with the Supplier Activation team to support product/program rollout.
Coordination with the Supplier Engagement team to resolve non-F&B-related supplier pricing or operational issues.
Support the Supplier Data Insights team in product-matching/mapping activities.
Support Sodexo and Entegra’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs by understanding the breadth and depth of sustainably sourced products currently under contract and packaging/promoting these to Entegra’s segment leaders to review and discuss our offering with clients.