Category Manager (Professional Services)

Job ID and other metadata omitted for brevity.

About the role

Strategic Supply Management (SSM) supports NYPA’s and NYS Canals Corporation VISION2030 and beyond with safe, risk-averse, cost-effective, and timely contracts. Upholds NYPA Values, Ethics, and Guidelines and enables NYPA to achieve its goals by being a strategic partner to business stakeholders. Develops deep market knowledge aligning with NYPA’s major spend categories and leads in capability and technology to sustainably develop local economics and utilize diverse suppliers. The Category Management pillar supports the business to procure the goods and services needed while improving total cost of ownership, driving opportunities to increase diversity spending, identifying and implementing new efficiencies in partnership with suppliers, and acting as a steward of NYPA’s procurement guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Support Category Management leadership to create value, drive continuous improvement, and report realized savings by using strategic sourcing and category management best practices.
• Collaborate with teams and assist Buyers to develop category strategies and initiatives.
• Improve and introduce technologies, processes, and systems to better manage usage and evaluation of purchases for goods and services to align to business requirements.
• Manage the sourcing and category management activities and assist with conducting sourcing events for pertinent categories.
• Develop market analysis to understand supply and market for categories, update category profiles, execute category governance initiatives, and evaluate total cost of ownership.
• Assess demand to increase efficiency, modify Category Playbooks to identify and pursue savings, and coordinate with internal teams to drive demand/project planning.
• Work collaboratively with SSM Leadership, Canal Corporation, and internal stakeholders to develop a demand plan that aligns with staff resources and schedules to meet stakeholder expectations.
• Oversee and train the development of entry-level Strategic Buyers.
• Oversee generation of SAP procurement reports to examine transactions for discrepancies and noncompliance issues to support monthly reporting.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Operations, or a similar field.
• Minimum five years of professional experience in Procurement, Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain, Engineering, or a related functional area.
• Managerial or supervisory experience preferred.
• Utilities industry experience preferred.

Skills

• Think strategically to proactively understand customer needs and provide solutions to overcome obstacles.
• Highly collaborative and team-oriented, with the ability to build relationships with suppliers and technical and business resources.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and project management skills with exceptional follow-through and attention to detail.
• Ability to effectively manage and prioritize multiple programs with varying competing deadlines.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills necessary to help develop technical requirements.
• Problem-solving skills with the ability to identify, quantify, and utilize information to make recommendations that support business choices.
• Advanced knowledge of sourcing platforms and enterprise resource planning, e.g., Ariba eSourcing, SAP, and other related systems and solutions.
• Ability to lead and coach others through complex work efforts in areas such as Risk Mitigation, Project Management, Total Cost of Ownership, Supplier Relationship Management, and Contract Management.

Physical Requirements

Up to 25% travel among sites from time to time, and potentially attend critical meetings that may take place at supplier locations.

Pay

The estimated salary range for this position is $138,000 - $173,000. The salary offered will be determined based on the successful candidate’s relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities.