Category Strategist

We are seeking a highly skilled Category Manager to lead the development, execution, and ongoing management of category/sourcing strategies for IBM's Procurement BPO clients.

• Develop and secure cross-functional alignment for annual category strategies and/or sourcing strategies for the assigned areas of responsibility.
• Implement category strategies utilizing various commercial levers that deliver improved value such as lower cost, reduced risk, increased flexibility, and improved business outcomes for IBM's clients.
• Build deep relationships with cross-functional client stakeholders by providing compelling category insights & strategies, aligning and delivering results against commercial plans, and providing consistent professional communication & issue resolution.
• Identify cost savings opportunities across the client's Marketing spend.
• Act as a trusted advisor and SME in the areas of sourcing and negotiating contracts for Marketing and other Indirect categories.
• Achieve cost savings, risk mitigation, and process efficiencies through various value levers.
• Lead supplier selection process across multiple simultaneous projects within the category.
• Lead negotiations with current and potential suppliers as part of the contract renewal or vendor selection process.
• Collect and analyze internal/external category data, metrics, and reports to track performance against targets and identify new sourcing opportunities or category insights.
• Innovate within the procurement space; looking at new ways to structure programs or categories, benefit from changes in supply market, or modify tools/processes to add value.

• A minimum of 7 years of strategic sourcing and category management experience.
• 4+ years sourcing Marketing categories in areas such as: Creative & Advertising, Production, Digital, Media, Branding, Promotional Items, Market Research, and Events.
• Strong communication skills with proven ability to analyze data & present findings in a clear and cohesive manner.
• Candidates must be detail oriented self-starters, with a demonstrated record of taking end-to-end ownership, solving problems, and learning from failures.
• Candidates must be comfortable working independently in ambiguous situations, and managing external vendor relationships.
• Candidates must be willing and able to travel to client locations based on business requirements.

IBM's Finance organization is responsible for driving enterprise performance and transformation. We are the financial stewards of IBM, delivering IBM's financial strategy, developing new business models, and mitigating enterprise risk.

We are committed to creating a diverse environment and are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics.