Sr. Manager, IT Category Management and Sourcing

Marriott Hotels Resorts•Bethesda, MD

About The Position

Sr. Manager, IT Category Management and Sourcing is responsible for leading global IT category management and strategic sourcing initiatives within Marriott’s Global Procurement Department. This role focuses on developing and executing best-in-class sourcing strategies across IT hardware, software, cloud services, cybersecurity solutions, network infrastructure, telecom, digital platforms, and professional IT services. This leader will drive adherence to Marriott’s global procurement policies, technology procurement governance, and risk-management frameworks. The Director/Sr.Mgr will serve as a key escalation point for IT sourcing issues, deliver effective communication at all organizational levels (including executive leadership and CIO stakeholders), and lead cross-functional teams on complex IT procurement initiatives. As a core member of the Global Procurement team, this leader will partner closely with Corporate IT, continent IT teams, Digital teams, Cybersecurity, Finance, Legal, and other business disciplines to enhance supplier governance, optimize technology spend, and ensure responsible and secure IT sourcing. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in IT category management, IT sourcing, vendor risk management, contract negotiation, and technology-specific compliance requirements (e.g., data privacy, cybersecurity standards, software licensing). This role offers the opportunity to shape global IT procurement strategies and contribute directly to the performance and resilience of Marriott’s technology ecosystem across 30+ brands and 10,000+ hotels in 138+ countries. The global team has a presence in 9 offices worldwide (Eschborn, London, Dubai, Cape Town, Shanghai, Singapore, Mumbai, Bethesda MD, Plantation FL) and over 60 clusters representing 200 associates. This role will maximize Marriott’s global IT purchasing power within the company’s $20B+ spend portfolio while supporting critical strategic supplier relationships across the IT landscape.

Requirements

BA/BS
7+ years of procurement, IT sourcing, IT vendor management, or related business/legal experience.
Deep technical knowledge of IT category management and strategic sourcing, ideally within the hospitality, lodging, or related global enterprise sector.
Demonstrated ability to create strategy and implement change in a geographically dispersed, highly matrixed, IT-centric environment.

Nice To Haves

MBA or JD
IT procurement certifications (e.g., CPIM, CPSM, ITIL, or equivalent) a plus
Experience managing cloud, SaaS, cybersecurity, telecom, or large enterprise IT complex sourcing programs

Responsibilities

Act as a strategic procurement partner for IT and Digital disciplines, advising on IT category management, sourcing strategy, technology risk, and compliance requirements.
Develop and refine category strategies for key IT categories (software, cloud services, hardware, telecom, network services, cybersecurity, IT consulting), ensuring alignment with IT leadership, technology roadmaps, and enterprise objectives.
Monitor IT demand patterns, spend analytics, technology cost benchmarks, industry trends, and vendor landscapes to identify opportunities, competitive dynamics, and cost-optimization strategies.
Identify and implement strategies to mitigate IT supply-chain risks—including cybersecurity exposure, data privacy compliance, vendor concentration risk, EOL/EOS challenges, and service-level performance risks.
Manage and optimize IT supplier relationships, ensuring quality, security, operational continuity, and optimal cost-effectiveness.
Recommend new IT sourcing strategies, supplier partnerships, demand-management approaches, and process improvements to enhance technology procurement efficiency.
Lead end-to-end sourcing events for IT initiatives, including requirements gathering, RFP/RFI development, negotiations, and contracting.
Develop timelines and structure cross-functional IT and procurement teams to implement sourcing strategies and large-scale technology initiatives.
Use internal tracking tools and KPIs to monitor sourcing progress, competitive bidding, supplier performance, software license utilization, and contract compliance.
Apply strong analytical and communication skills to evaluate complex IT proposals, score vendor responses, build detailed business cases (including TCO and ROI models), and present recommendations to IT and executive leadership.
Drive compliance with global IT procurement policies, cybersecurity and privacy standards, and supplier governance frameworks.
Maintain consistent governance for IT supplier onboarding
Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders across IT, cybersecurity, finance, legal, and global operations to ensure procurement initiatives support enterprise goals and objectives.
Support corporate sustainability, ethical sourcing, and supplier diversity goals within IT supply chains, particularly in hardware lifecycle management and responsible technology sourcing.