Category Lead; Enterprise Sourcing & Procurement

Medica is a nonprofit health plan with more than a million members that serves communities in Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Missouri, and beyond. We deliver personalized health care experiences and partner closely with providers to ensure members are genuinely cared for. We're a team that owns our work with accountability, makes data-driven decisions, embraces continuous learning, and celebrates collaboration — because success is a team sport.

It's our mission to be there in the moments that matter most for our members and employees. Join us in creating a community of connected care, where coordinated, quality service is the norm and every member feels valued.

There are two open Category Lead roles supporting the following business categories:

• Operations, Legal & Finance
• Products, Health Services & Human Resources

• Lead the full vendor lifecycle, including vendor selection, onboarding, performance reviews, renewals, amendments, and offboarding activities.
• Serve as the primary liaison between Medica and assigned vendors, fostering strong relationships, trust, and long-term collaboration.
• Facilitate vendor engagement activities such as Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), strategic planning sessions, and operational check-ins.
• Influence vendor counterparts, including senior leaders when appropriate, to drive service improvement, innovation, and issue resolution.

• Partner with ES&P and business units to ensure timely execution of contract renewals, amendments, and terminations.
• Monitor vendor performance against contractual obligations, service-level agreements (SLAs), and regulatory requirements.
• Track, manage, and support remediation plans, audit findings, and risk mitigation activities in collaboration with internal stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate vendor documentation, records, scorecards, and performance dashboards to support transparency and accountability.

• Analyze vendor performance data, service metrics, and trends to identify performance gaps, risks, and improvement opportunities.
• Develop and present reporting on vendor performance, savings achievements, service-level compliance, and value realization.
• Partner with ES&P analytics teams to define meaningful performance metrics and dashboards.
• Conduct ad-hoc analyses and scenario modeling to support decision-making and prioritization.

• Partner with ES&P sourcing teams on RFI, RFP, and RFQ processes, including vendor evaluations and contract negotiations.
• Analyze vendor portfolios to identify overlaps, reduce duplicative spend, and recommend consolidation opportunities where appropriate.
• Lead or support cross-functional initiatives requiring coordination across vendors and Medica teams, including Operations, Compliance, Product, and Risk.
• Translate vendor insights into actionable recommendations that improve business outcomes and the Medica experience.

• Educate internal partners on vendor management best practices, tools, and policies.
• Apply subject matter expertise to support accurate decision-making, problem resolution, and adherence to vendor management standards.
• Share trends, insights, risks, and recommendations with partners to support continuous improvement.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Business, Supply Chain or a related field
• 8+ years of work experience beyond degree in vendor management, sourcing and procurement strategy
• Strong understanding of vendor lifecycle management and sourcing principles
• Experience partnering with cross-functional teams including senior stakeholders and executive business leaders
• Proven ability to influence decisions and deliver measurable business outcomes
• Exceptional communication and presentation skill with an audience of internal and vendor executives

• Demonstrated ability to leverage market intelligence, analytics and business insights to develop strategies, influence decisions and drive measurable outcomes
• Strong understanding of supplier economics, pricing models, and value optimization across complex vendor relationships
• Knowledge of commercial contracting although contracts are managed by a separate function
• Proven ability to thrive in a dynamic and evolving environment while effectively managing competing priorities and changing…