Category Lead

Rogers Communications; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Annual bonus

Health benefits

Pension plan

RRSP TFSA plans

Stock matching

Discounts on Rogers services

Volunteer time off

Charity matching

Career development

Job summary

Rogers Communications in Toronto is seeking a Category Lead to drive procurement strategy and competitive sourcing across key supplier relationships. You will analyze data, craft category strategies and negotiate favorable contracts to optimize spend and value.

You will partner with internal stakeholders to advance supplier development, implement best practices, and lead complex negotiations while ensuring ethical procurement and risk management.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of procurement experience in telco/media or similar.
• Knowledge of category market trends and cost structures.
• Experience with services such as Contact Centres, Credit Operations, Collections, Sales, Banking or Back Office.
• Strong relationship-building and business acumen.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; ability to present to executives.
• Ability to deal with ambiguity and resolve multi-party conflicts.
• Proactive self-starter with quick study of technical topics.
• Experience leading or supporting high-level negotiations.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Adaptable in a fast-paced environment; able to create and execute project plans.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office including PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Project.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with key internal stakeholders to meet business needs.
• Execute competitive sourcing events and evaluate supplier performance.
• Negotiate contracts to ensure favorable terms.
• Develop supplier development programs for continuous improvement.
• Gather and analyze category spend and existing contractual arrangements.
• Support creation of category strategies and key supplier partnerships.
• Provide guidance on procurement best practices and strategic insights.
• Manage supplier issue escalations, negotiations, and settlements.
• Drive continuous improvement, innovations and automation in procurement.
• Champion ethical procurement practices and supplier diversity programs.
• Act as an internal consultant on sourcing, compliance and risk management.

Skills

Relationship building

Communication skills

Negotiation

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Project planning

Stakeholder management

Adaptability

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

PowerPoint

Word

Excel

Project

Job description

We are committed to connecting Canadians through unique partnerships, our world-class network and content Canadians love—and our innovative team is growing. We are looking for dedicated team members to join our Corporate team who have a genuine passion for making positive impacts on customers and the communities where we live and work. We have a variety of business units with exciting and meaningful work waiting for you, including Communications, HR, Legal and Corporate Affairs, Supply Chain, Finance, and Real Estate. If you are considering your next step, we have exciting opportunities waiting for you. Come build a rewarding career at Rogers and be a driving force behind our success story!

Who We’re Looking For

Reporting to the Senior Category Manager Customer Experience, Procurement, the Category Lead will work closely with business partners and fellow colleagues to support the strategic direction of the overall team objectives. Your task will be to support the establishment of commercial arrangements, lead competitive sourcing events, analyze critical data, compile & execute contractual documents aligned with our strategic business objectives. Your efforts will advance Procurement’s trusted advisor status, optimize spend and value for money, drive best practices, and provide future‑focused strategies to achieve our goals.

What You’ll Do

• Responsible for building, maintaining, and enhancing solid relationships with key internal stakeholders across the organization to ensure suppliers within the category and the category strategy are meeting business needs.
• Execute competitive sourcing events and evaluate supplier performance based on quality, cost, delivery, and innovation.
• Negotiate contracts and agreements with suppliers to ensure favorable terms for the organization.
• Develop and implement supplier development programs for continuous improvement.
• Provide support to the team by gathering and analyzing necessary category details including Category spend and existing contractual arrangements.
• Support the creation of pivotal category strategies and advance key supplier partnerships aligned with such strategies with a focus on strategic opportunities.
• Provide guidance to business partners on best‑in‑class procurement practices, ongoing advancements, and opportunities associated with assigned categories, and strategic category insights to support delivery of company objectives.
• Manage assigned supplier issue and dispute escalations to settlement, including negotiations and settlement agreement execution.
• Challenge the status quo by searching for continuous improvement, implementation of innovations and automations to create best‑in‑class procurement practices that are intuitive and user‑friendly for internal stakeholders and suppliers.
• Implement and champion ethical procurement practices, procurement policies, supplier social responsibility objectives, and supplier diversity and sustainability programs.
• Act as an internal consultant to business owners on sourcing practices, supplier performance, compliance, and risk management policies, processes, and procurement standard practices.

What You Bring

• 3‑5 years of relevant work experience in telco / media / cable or comparative in a procurement setting
• Knowledge of category’s market trends and impacts to cost structures
• Experience with any one or more of the following services Contact Centres, Credit Operations, Collections, Sales, Banking or Back Office
• Strong relationship building and business acumen are required. Needs to be able to quickly establish credibility and influence with business stakeholders
• Excellent interpersonal and communication (verbal and written) skills. Ability to communicate / present complex topics to executive leaders and to “sell” by influencing their thinking and decisions
• Ability to deal effectively with ambiguity and resolve multi‑party conflicts to get to the “right answer”
• Ability to be resilient when faced with opposition with a solutionist mentality
• Works collaboratively with members of their team and stakeholders across the business and seeks input as needed
• Understands the power dynamic within the spend category and will create his/her own network for success
• Must be a motivated self‑starter and quick study of complicated technical topics
• Experience leading or supporting high level negotiations
• Proven analytical and problem‑solving skills are required, as well as excellent attention to accuracy and detail
• Proven ability to be adaptable in a fast paced, consistently changing environment
• Must be able to create comprehensive project plans and execute with discipline
• Requires proficiency in Microsoft products including PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Project

Success Measures

• Data quality, consistency, and governance maturity across Procurement systems
• Adoption and usage of centralized data platforms and analytics tools
• Delivery of high‑impact dashboards and insights driving business outcomes
• Implementation and scalability of AI‑driven solutions and agents
• Measurable improvements in Procurement effectiveness (e.g., decision speed, savings realization, supplier insights)

What’s in it for you?

We believe in investing in our people and helping them reach their potential as valuable members of our team. As part of our team, you’ll have access to a wide range of incredible resources, growth opportunities, discounts, and perks, including

• Competitive salary & annual bonus
• Competitive & flexible health and dental benefits, pension plan, RRSP, TFSA, and Stock matching programs.
• Discounts Enjoy up to 50% off Rogers Services and Blue Jays Tickets, 25% off TSC items, and a 20% discount on all wireless accessories sold in Rogers stores.
• Paid time off for volunteering
• Company matching contributions to charities you support
• Growth & Development Opportunities
  • My Path self‑driven career development program
  • Rogers First priority in applying to internal roles of interest
• Wellness Programs
  • Homewood employee & family assistance program
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) & Virtual therapy sessions
  • Low or no‑cost fitness membership.
• Our commitment to the environment and diversity
  • Work for an organization committed to environmental protection
  • Strong commitment to diversity and inclusion with employee resource groups supporting equity‑deserving groups including groups representing People of Colour, 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous Peoples, Persons with Disabilities and Women. We all bring something different, and we know what makes us different makes us great.

To protect our people, brand and assets, a pre‑employment background check will be conducted. As part of our selection process, all candidates must clear a criminal background check. Additionally, a credit check and drivers abstract may be required depending on the role.

Schedule Full time

Shift Day

Length of Contract Not Applicable (Regular Position)

Work Location 1 Mount Pleasant (083), Toronto, ON

Travel Requirements Up to 10%

Background Check(s) Required Criminal Record and Credit Check

Posting Category/Function Procurement & Category Management

Requisition ID 340741

To support career growth, collaboration, and high‑performing teams, all Corporate Employees are expected to work onsite. We believe that in‑person connection strengthens our culture and drives industry‑leading performance.

At Rogers, we believe the key to a strong business, is a diverse workforce where equity and inclusion are core to making everyone feel like they belong. We do this by embracing our diversity, celebrating our different perspectives, and working towards creating environments that empower our people to bring their whole selves to work. Everyone who applies for a job will be considered. We recognize the business value in creating a workplace where each team member has the tools to reach their full potential by removing any barriers for equal participation. We work with our candidates who are experiencing a disability throughout the recruitment process to ensure that they have what they need to be at their best. Please reach out to our recruiters and hiring managers to begin a conversation about how we can ensure that you deliver your best work. You matter to us! For any questions, please visit the Recruitment Process FAQ.