Category Manager, Global Real Estate & Construction Procurement

The Category Manager, Global Real Estate (Design & Construction) leads strategic sourcing, procurement, supplier management, and commercial contract activities supporting the firm’s global real estate portfolio. The role is responsible for developing and executing category strategies across architecture, engineering, project management, construction, furniture, technology infrastructure, and other workplace-related services.

This position partners closely with Global Real Estate, Finance, Legal, Risk, and business stakeholders to ensure capital projects are delivered through best-in-class procurement practices that optimize cost, quality, schedule certainty, supplier performance, sustainability, and risk management. The role supports the firm’s Global Location Strategy through disciplined sourcing, vendor governance, and commercial leadership across a diverse global portfolio of projects and services.

The role manages strategic supplier relationships and leverages enterprise buying power to establish scalable procurement programs and master service agreements.

• Develop and execute global category strategies for design, construction, project management, furniture, workplace technology, facilities services, and related real estate spend categories.
• Conduct spend analysis, market intelligence, supplier benchmarking, and risk assessments to identify sourcing opportunities and category optimization initiatives.
• Translate spend analysis, supplier market intelligence, and total cost of ownership insights into quantified savings targets and measurable value creation opportunities.
• Establish multi-year sourcing roadmaps aligned with global workplace and real estate objectives.
• Monitor industry trends, construction markets, labor conditions, material pricing, and emerging supplier capabilities.
• Maintain current supplier market maps and external benchmarking to inform sourcing strategies, negotiation positions, and supplier selection decisions.
• Identify opportunities for standardization, supplier consolidation, and improved commercial terms across regions.

• Lead sourcing activities for capital projects globally, including consultant selection, design services, owner’s representative services, furniture procurement, general contractors, and specialty vendors.
• Develop and manage RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, bid evaluations, supplier interviews, and recommendation packages.
• Define structured RFx evaluation criteria, scoring methodology, decision documentation, and defensible award recommendations based on price, quality, delivery, risk, and stakeholder requirements.
• Facilitate competitive procurement processes while balancing cost, quality, schedule, risk, and stakeholder requirements.
• Partner with project teams to establish procurement strategies aligned with project delivery objectives.
• Support project budgeting and forecasting activities through market pricing, benchmarking, and procurement planning.

• Lead commercial negotiations and contract execution activities for design and construction-related agreements.
• Partner with Legal and Risk Management to establish contract standards and negotiate favorable commercial terms.
• Negotiate master service agreements, statement of work templates, rate cards, and project-specific agreements.
• Ensure appropriate risk allocation, insurance requirements, indemnification provisions, performance obligations, and service-level expectations.
• Drive measurable value through commercial negotiations, scope optimization, and contract governance.

• Establish supplier governance programs for strategic design,…