Category Manager, IT Software and Services

About the role

McKesson is an impact-driven, Fortune 10 company that touches virtually every aspect of healthcare. We are known for delivering insights, products, and services that make quality care more accessible and affordable. Here, we focus on the health, happiness, and well-being of you and those we serve – we care. What you do at McKesson matters. We foster a culture where you can grow, make an impact, and are empowered to bring new ideas. Together, we thrive as we shape the future of health for patients, our communities, and our people.

The Category Manager, IT Software and Services is responsible for developing and executing strategic sourcing and category management strategies across enterprise technology spend, including software, SaaS, cloud solutions, IT professional services, technology consulting, implementation services, managed services, and other technology-related services. This role leads the end-to-end sourcing lifecycle, including demand planning, market analysis, competitive sourcing, supplier evaluation, contract negotiation, supplier relationship management, and ongoing cost and performance optimization. The Category Manager will partner closely with IT, Information Security, Privacy, Legal, Finance, and business stakeholders to ensure sourcing strategies support technology roadmaps, business objectives, risk requirements, and financial goals. The position requires a strategic and commercially focused procurement professional who can manage complex technology agreements, optimize total cost of ownership, mitigate third-party risk, and develop strong relationships with technology leaders and suppliers.

Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Planning

• Develop and execute comprehensive category strategies for IT software and technology services
• Establish multi-year sourcing plans and category roadmaps aligned with IT strategies, budgets, projects, and anticipated renewals
• Analyze spend, supplier landscape, market conditions, emerging technologies, and industry trends to identify sourcing, consolidation, and cost optimization opportunities
• Develop strategies to reduce supplier fragmentation and leverage enterprise purchasing power
• Maintain visibility into demand and upcoming technology initiatives to enable proactive sourcing rather than reactive purchasing

Strategic Sourcing & Negotiations

• Lead end-to-end sourcing initiatives, including requirements gathering, RFI/RFP development, supplier identification, competitive bidding, evaluation, negotiations, award recommendations, and contracting
• Lead complex commercial negotiations for software and IT services agreements
• Negotiate favorable pricing, licensing structures, service levels, renewal terms, termination rights, payment terms, and other key commercial provisions
• Apply total cost of ownership principles when comparing supplier proposals and commercial models
• Develop negotiation strategies using market intelligence, competitive benchmarks, supplier leverage, and business requirements

Software & Technology Procurement

• Manage procurement activities across technology categories such as: SaaS and cloud-based applications, enterprise software and licensed applications, cloud platforms and infrastructure solutions, data and analytics solutions, cybersecurity technology, IT professional services, technology consulting, software implementation and integration services, managed IT services, application development and support, technical staffing and project-based resources, and other technology-related services

Contracting & Commercial Management

• Lead commercial development and negotiation of Master Service Agreements (MSAs), Statements of Work (SOWs), Software/SaaS Agreements, Order Forms, Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and related technology agreements
• Partner with Legal and business stakeholders to establish commercially appropriate contractual terms
• Evaluate supplier pricing models, license metrics, resource models, rate cards, deliverables, milestones, service levels, and acceptance criteria
• Establish commercial protections supporting performance accountability and flexibility as business requirements change
• Proactively manage renewals to reduce unnecessary spend and avoid unfavorable automatic renewal conditions

Stakeholder Partnership

• Serve as the strategic sourcing partner to IT and technology leadership
• Partner with stakeholders to understand technology roadmaps, budgets, project pipelines, business requirements, and sourcing priorities
• Collaborate with Information Security, Privacy, Legal, Finance, and other stakeholders throughout supplier evaluation and contracting
• Provide procurement recommendations and commercial insights that support supplier selection and business decision-making
• Facilitate cross-functional sourcing teams and establish clear sourcing timelines, responsibilities, and decision criteria

Supplier & Performance Management

• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with key technology suppliers
• Conduct supplier business reviews and monitor contractual commitments, service levels, pricing, and overall supplier performance
• Identify opportunities for supplier consolidation, renegotiation, innovation, and continuous improvement
• Manage supplier escalations involving commercial or contractual issues
• Support supplier segmentation and strategic supplier management initiatives

Risk, Security & Compliance

• Partner with Information Security, Privacy, Legal, and other stakeholders to identify and mitigate third-party technology risk
• Ensure appropriate review of cybersecurity, data privacy, regulatory, and compliance requirements during sourcing and contracting
• Evaluate risks related to software licensing, supplier access to company information, data ownership, audit rights, and regulatory obligations
• Maintain appropriate sourcing and contracting documentation to support procurement governance and audit readiness

Financial & Value Management

• Identify and deliver measurable cost savings, cost avoidance, demand management, and supplier consolidation opportunities
• Analyze supplier proposals and pricing structures to identify opportunities to improve commercial value
• Partner with Finance to validate sourcing benefits and financial impacts
• Track category spend, sourcing activity, contract renewals, savings, and other applicable procurement metrics

Requirements

Degree and typically requires 7+ years of relevant experience.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Information Systems, Finance, or a related discipline.

Critical Skills

• 5–7 years of procurement, strategic sourcing, or category management experience, with significant experience sourcing enterprise technology
• Demonstrated experience negotiating complex enterprise software, SaaS, and IT services agreements
• Strong understanding of software licensing, subscription pricing, technology services contracting, and supplier commercial models
• Demonstrated ability to lead competitive RFPs and complex supplier negotiations
• Strong analytical, financial, negotiation, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to influence and collaborate with senior business and technology stakeholders
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Qualifications

• Master's degree, MBA, or advanced supply chain/procurement education
• CPSM, CSCP, CIPS, or similar procurement/supply chain certification
• Experience sourcing technology within a large, complex or highly regulated organization
• Familiarity with contract lifecycle management, procurement, spend analytics, and supplier management platforms

Skills

• IT Category Strategy
• Strategic Sourcing
• Software & SaaS Negotiation
• IT Services Procurement
• Complex Contract Negotiation
• Supplier Relationship Management
• Total Cost of Ownership Analysis
• Financial & Commercial Analysis
• Third-Party Risk Management
• Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Awareness