Consultant, Procurement Category Management | Technology

Nationwide’s Technology team seeks a Category Manager to lead complex indirect category spend and drive innovative procurement strategies.

• Development of category strategies that maximize customer value leveraging a continuous improvement structure
• Create and implement strong communication plans to achieve positive outcomes for individual contracting events and categories as a whole
• Develop and execute leverage management strategies for individual negotiations
• Develop and implement cost‑based reduction strategies capable of delivering annual target savings
• Execute annual cost savings, cash improvement and action plans to deliver corporate and business objectives year over year
• Monitor the use of appropriate KPI’s to measure and improve the effectiveness of key elements of the category strategies and supplier performance
• Support supplier partnerships through activities such as identifying alternative suppliers, marketing analysis, risk mitigation, performance management and category innovation
• Generate end‑to‑end innovations in the category to meet timelines, critical terms, minimize risks, leverage marketplace shifts and maximize value
• Benchmark historical performance and forecast future price movements, communicating necessary adjustments to plan
• Identify and execute procurement strategies such as payment term improvements, consolidation of supply base, and channel optimization
• Create and present executive summaries to senior leaders in Technology and Business organizations, highlighting trends, issues and opportunities
• Develop pipeline reporting and PowerPoint decks, and facilitate internal contract governance meetings

• Partner and collaborate with Business Partners, Finance, Technology and other Procurement team members to manage new sourcing requests, current contract pipelines for multimillion‑dollar categories and vendor agreements
• Work with reporting teams to develop data analytics and suggest revisions to Procurement policy and procedures to ensure a predictable, easy‑to‑follow and efficient procurement process
• Conduct advanced, continuous industry research and benchmark analysis within a defined spend category
• Establish a category strategy for a highly technical domain, monitor purchasing trends and identify top suppliers and innovations within the category
• Build forecasts of demand, service‑level requirements, total cost of ownership models, contractual and other risk requirements; identify cost‑reduction opportunities and develop recommendations
• Act as a Project Manager with business partners, Finance, Technology as needed
• Facilitate moderately complex to complex competitive bid activity, including requests for proposal (RFP), quote (RFQ) or information (RFI) where applicable
• Negotiate terms of the contract, including conditions, clauses and service‑level agreements
• Document achieved savings for Finance approval
• Assess supplier risk prior to contract and collaborate with risk partners, including Information Risk Management, Technology Review Boards and Privacy, for necessary assessments or contract provisions
• Analyze and align category goals and objectives to maximize usage of diverse suppliers and best practices in sustainability
• Mentor and train new associates on Procurement policy, processes and sourcing skills
• Perform other responsibilities as assigned

Reports to Procurement Manager. Individual contributor; may serve in a lead capacity with business partners.

• Education:
  
  Undergraduate degree in supply chain, procurement, business, finance, accounting, management information systems, economics or related fields (preferred)
• License/Certification/Designation:
  Procurement, purchasing or project management designations (as applicable)
• Experience:
  
  Eight or more years in supply chain management including relationship management, or equivalent professional experience in other closely related industries
• Knowledge, Abilities and
  
  Skills:
  
  Specialized knowledge of supply‑chain principles and practices; in‑depth knowledge of the legal environment; understanding of enterprise structure and business…