Category Manager, Technology - Indirect Procurement

Lululemon Athletica; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 112,000 - 147,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Extended health & dental

Paid time off

Retirement plan matching

Parental top-up

Development courses

Mentorship programs

Leadership series

Wellbeing programs

Job summary

lululemon is seeking a Category Manager for Technology (Indirect Procurement) to lead end-to-end sourcing, analysis, and supplier management in support of the Store Support Centre. You will partner with stakeholders to advance business goals and deliver category strategies across technology spend.

The role requires data-driven negotiation, project management, and the ability to surface risks and opportunities for the Leadership Team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree required; MBA or SCMP preferred.
• 5+ years indirect procurement experience.
• 2+ years technology category management experience.
• Experience running complex RFPs end to end.
• Strong MS Office; Coupa/Oracle knowledge a plus.

Responsibilities

• Support development and execution of category strategies with cross-functional collaboration.
• Contribute market intelligence and value analytics for sourcing decisions.
• Drive productivity improvements and reduce total cost of ownership.
• Define roadmaps and prioritize categories and sourcing events to increase efficiency.
• Partner with business leaders to execute sourcing initiatives that align with priorities.
• Support strategic sourcing events and supplier negotiations.
• Analyze spend data to identify value opportunities and insights.
• Facilitate contract management with Legal for timely execution.
• Maintain tools and processes to plan and execute sourcing activities.

Skills

Relationship building

Category management

Sourcing

Negotiation

Project management

Education

Bachelor

MBA/SCMP

Tools

Microsoft Office

Coupa/Oracle

Job description

Category Manager, Technology - Indirect Procurement

Business Unit: Store Support Centre (SSC)

Time Type: Full-time

Description & Requirements

about this team

The Global Procurement team are trusted business advisors who strategically partner with internal stakeholders and external suppliers to create value and mitigate risk in strategic non-product purchases for the global organization. The team supports the business in increasing its profitability and return on investment by creating value in our indirect supply chain through strategic & stakeholder-centric procurement. From providing category expertise, market insights, cost savings opportunities, supplier performance and relationship management & developing short and long-term strategies, the Global Procurement team plays a key role in value delivery for our business.

about this role

Reporting to the Senior Director, Procurement for the Tech category, the Category Manager partners with stakeholders to advance their business goals and priorities. You will apply advanced data analysis, lead competitive sourcing and negotiations, manage suppliers, and drive end-to-end project execution. You will also support the Procurement Leadership Team in delivering the annual category strategy and proactively surface opportunities and risks that may impact those objectives.

core responsibilities

• Support the development and execution of category strategies through a collaborative, inclusive approach that aligns to business and enterprise priorities.
• Contribute market intelligence and value analytics to inform sourcing strategies and category planning.
• Drive annual productivity improvements by identifying and implementing opportunities to optimize total cost of ownership across assigned sub-categories.
• Increase sourcing efficiency by defining clear roadmaps that prioritize categories and sourcing events.
• Build strong partnerships with business leaders to execute sourcing initiatives that meet functional priorities and elevate Global Procurement’s impact.
• Support strategic sourcing events and supplier negotiations, with opportunities to lead as experience grows.
• Analyze spend and other data sources to identify value opportunities and generate actionable insights.
• Facilitate the contract management process and partner with Legal to ensure timely, accurate execution of agreements.
• Manage and maintain tools and processes used to plan, track, and execute strategic sourcing activities.

qualifications

• Required: Bachelor
• Preferred: MBA, SCMP or equivalent professional designation
• 5+ years Indirect Procurement experience
• 2+ years Technology Category Management experience
• Must be experienced in running complex RFP processes end to end
• Excellent PC skills (Microsoft Office), knowledge of P2P (Coupa)/Oracle a plus.
• Relationship building: Effectively builds partnerships by understanding stakeholder needs and expectations. Navigates complex issues, takes ownership through resolution, and provides guidance and support to team members.
• Category management: Develops and executes strategies across a range of categories. Demonstrates strong knowledge of market dynamics, commercial structures, cost drivers, and industry trends.
• Sourcing: Independently develops creative contracting and sourcing options using established category frameworks. Validates assumptions and ensures sourcing strategies are sound and actionable.
• Negotiation: Understands when and how to negotiate effectively. Has led a range of negotiations that advance organizational goals and adapts tactics to different situations.
• Project management:Leads complex projects and manages multiple deliverables concurrently. Uses tools and techniques to track progress, manage risks, and proactively communicate changes.
• We have 1 open role. This is the posting for Canada reflecting people eligible to work out of our Vancouver office

must haves

• Acknowledge the presence of choice in every moment and take personal responsibility for your life.
• Possess an entrepreneurial spirit and continuously innovate to achieve great results.
• Communicate with honesty and kindness and create the space for others to do the same.
• Lead with courage, knowing the possibility of greatness is bigger than the fear of failure.
• Foster connection by putting people first and building trusting relationships.
• Integrate fun and joy as a way of being and working, aka doesn’t take yourself too seriously.

additional notes

Authorization to work in Canadais required for this role.

compensation and benefits package

lululemon’s compensation offerings are grounded in a pay-for-performance philosophy that recognizes exceptional individual and teamperformance. Thetypical hiring range for this position is from$112,000 - $147,000annually; the base pay offered is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and internal equity. As part of our total rewards offering, permanent employees in this position may be eligible for our competitive annual bonus program and, subject to program eligibility requirements.

At lululemon, investing in our people is a top priority. We believe that when life works, work works. We strive to be the place where inclusive leaders come to develop and enable all to be well. Recognizing our teams for their performance and dedication, other components of our total rewards offerings include support of career development, wellbeing, and personal growth:

• Extended health and dental benefits, and mental health plans
• Paid time off
• Savings and retirement plan matching
• Parenthood top-up
• Extensive catalog of development course offerings
• People networks, mentorship programs, and leadership series (to name a few)

Note: The incentive programs, benefits, and perks have certain eligibility requirements. The Company reserves the right to alter these incentive programs, benefits, and perks in whole or in part at any time without advance notice.

workplace arrangement

In-person collaboration and connection is important to our culture. Work is performed onsite, minimum 4 days per week.

Hybrid

In-person collaboration and connection is important to our culture. Work is performed onsite, minimum 4 days per week.

Only those applicants under consideration will be contacted. Please accept our utmost appreciation for your interest. Lululemon is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit and business needs, and not on race, color, creed, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, military service, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions or any other classification protected by federal, state or provincial and local laws and ordinances. Reasonable accommodation is available for qualified individuals with disabilities, upon request. This Equal Employment Opportunity policy applies to all practices relating to recruitment and hiring, compensation, benefits, discipline, transfer, termination and all other terms and conditions of employment. While management is primarily responsible for seeing that Lululemon equal employment opportunity policies are implemented, you share in the responsibility for assuring that, by your personal actions, the policies are effective.

lululemon is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you would like someone from our team to contact you for individualized support, email us at [e-mail] . In your email, please include the position title, the location of the position and the nature of your request.

The use of AI tools, including but not limited to ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, DeepSeek, or any other AI-assisted software, is strictly prohibited during the interview process. This includes, AI-generated responses, content creation, or any form of automated assistance in live interviews, case studies, technical assessments, or written submissions.

At lululemon, we are committed to privacy, integrity, transparency, and ethical hiring practices. Our commitment to responsible AI ensures that proprietary information is protected and that all hiring decisions are based on an individual’s own skills, judgment, and expertise without AI assistance. Any use of AI during the interview process will result in immediate disqualification. lululemon reserves the right to use AI detection tools to verify the authenticity candidate responses.