Principal Category Manager

Principal Category Manager

Job Category:
Supply Chain

Full-Time

Hybrid

Houston, TX 8020 Katy Fwy Houston, TX 77024, USA +1 more locations

Position Title:

Principal Category Manager (P5)

For more than three decades, Crown Castle has led the way in shared communications infrastructure, delivering profitable solutions by connecting communities, businesses, and people, and enabling each to thrive with reliable access to voice and data in more places, faster than ever before. When you join Crown Castle, you become part of a dynamic team of passionate and collaborative professionals engaging in complex challenges and contributing to projects that shape the future of life and work.

About The Role The Principal Category Manager – Indirect Sourcing is responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies across indirect spend categories, with a primary focus on enterprise software, technology, and professional services. This role leads complex negotiations with strategic suppliers, drives cost savings and risk mitigation initiatives, and serves as a trusted advisor to business stakeholders.

In addition to managing a portfolio of critical suppliers and contracts, this position provides leadership, coaching, and development for a team of Category Managers and Senior Category Managers, helping drive sourcing excellence across the organization.

Responsibilities

• Manage strategic indirect spend categories, including software, IT, legal, fleet, utilities, marketing, and professional services.
• Lead complex negotiations and commercial discussions with key suppliers, including Microsoft, Oracle, Service Now, and other enterprise technology providers.
• Develop and execute category strategies that support business objectives while optimizing cost, risk, and supplier performance.
• Partner with Legal, Finance, IT, Security, and business leaders to negotiate and execute contracts.
• Lead RFX events, supplier evaluations, bid analyses, and sourcing recommendations utilizing Coupa and other sourcing tools.
• Manage supplier relationships, business reviews, and performance improvement initiatives.
• Identify and deliver savings, cost avoidance, and value creation opportunities.
• Coach and develop a team of indirect sourcing professionals while providing guidance on sourcing strategy, negotiations, and stakeholder engagement.
• Drive compliance with procurement policies, contract management processes, and supplier governance requirements.

Experience / Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Information Systems, or a related field.
• 8+ years of indirect strategic sourcing, procurement, or category management experience.
• Significant experience negotiating enterprise software, SaaS, cloud, telecommunications, IT, and professional services agreements.
• Demonstrated success leading complex commercial negotiations with strategic suppliers, including providers such as Microsoft, Oracle, Service Now, and similar enterprise technology vendors.
• Experience drafting, negotiating, and redlining master services agreements, software licensing agreements, SaaS agreements, statements of work, and related commercial contracts.
• Experience developing and executing category strategies that deliver measurable cost savings, cost avoidance, and supplier performance improvements.
• Strong financial and analytical skills, including business case development, total cost of ownership analysis, and supplier evaluation.
• Experience using Coupa (or similar source-to-pay and spend management platforms) for sourcing events, contract management, supplier management, and procurement analytics.
• Familiarity with supplier onboarding, compliance, and risk management platforms such as Avetta.
• Experience building effective partnerships with Legal, Finance, IT, Cybersecurity, and business stakeholders.
• Prior experience coaching, mentoring, or managing Category Managers and sourcing professionals.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and drive results in a fast-paced environment.

Organizational Relationship

Reports To:

Director, Supply Chain

Titles of Direct…