Category Leader, Principal

Job Responsibilities

• Acts as subject matter expert for particular categories or services in the industry.
• Develops and implements category plans and sourcing strategies for high complexity categories that optimize cost, mitigate risk, and ensure supply continuity.
• Led competitive bidding processes including RFPs, RFIs, and negotiations to secure best-value agreements.
• Negotiates, drafts, and manages contracts to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, corporate policies, and industry standards.
• Develops and sustains mutually beneficial strategic relationships with category and cross-portfolio suppliers, conducting regular performance reviews, fostering collaboration on innovation and continuous improvement, and ensuring alignment with the company’s safety, reliability, and sustainability goals.
• PARTNERS WITH AND INFLUENCES CROSS-FUNCTIONAL STAKEHOLDERS AND TEAMS IN DEVELOPING SOURCING AND NEGOTIATION STRATEGIES FOR HIGH COMPLEXITY SPEND CATEGORIES
• Maintains awareness of industry and market trends, supplier landscapes, and regulatory changes to drive informed decision-making and strategic sourcing initiatives.
• Conducts and documents market research and supplier risk analysis to verify the financial health of existing and potential suppliers.
• WORKS WITH SENIOR MANAGEMENT TO SUPPORT STRATEGIC PLANNING AND DECISION-MAKING AT THE OFFICER LEVEL.

Qualifications

• Minimum: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management or job-related discipline or equivalent experience, 8 years of experience in supply chain or related field.
• Desired: 10 years of work experience in procurement, sourcing, or supply chain management, preferably in the utility, energy, or infrastructure sectors, Experience sourcing in IT, Consulting / Professional Services, Construction / Related Services, or Materials, Proven ability to lead high-value negotiations, develop complex contract structures, and drive favorable outcomes, Strong analytical skills with experience leveraging spend analytics, cost modeling, and digital procurement tools to optimize category strategies, Competency in building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives, Expertise in developing strategic supplier partnerships, managing performance scorecards, and fostering supplier-driven innovation, Strong ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders, including executives, operations leaders, and legal teams, to align procurement strategies with business priorities, Competency in building and leading strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals, Competency in applying project management theories, concepts, methods, best practices, and techniques as needed to perform at the job level, Knowledge of database and information systems – e.g., ARIBA, SAP, etc. – as needed to perform at the job level, Competency in leading cross-functional teams and to drive projects of high complexity, Excellent written and verbal skills, Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office