Assistant Director – Category Management, Software and Infrastructure

Jobtailor; Connecticut; On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor seeks a seasoned Category Manager in the Software category to develop and execute category strategies aligned to enterprise objectives, lead end-to-end sourcing initiatives, and act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders with data-driven recommendations.

You will conduct market analyses, negotiate contracts, manage supplier relationships, and implement best practices to reduce costs, mitigate risks, and improve value.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of category management, strategic sourcing, and contract negotiation experience within the software category.
• Proven experience developing and executing category strategies.
• Experience leading market analysis and intelligence gathering.
• Extensive negotiation and contracting expertise.
• Strong strategic and execution mindset with knowledge of category management and sourcing best practices.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret spend data, market insights and performance metrics.

Responsibilities

• Develops and executes category strategies aligned to enterprise objectives.
• Leads end-to-end sourcing initiatives and supplier negotiations for commercial, risk and service outcomes.
• Drafts and negotiates contracts with Legal when needed, ensuring compliance with business and regulatory requirements.
• Uses spend analytics, dashboards and sourcing insights to inform decisions and prioritize opportunities.
• Partners with stakeholders to align sourcing strategies with operational needs.
• Maintains high standard of customer engagement and service.

Skills

Category Management

Strategic Sourcing

Contract Negotiation

Market Analysis

Stakeholder Management

Education

Bachelor's degree in procurement/supply chain/finance/business

Advanced degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Coupa

Microsoft Office

Performance Dashboards

Spend Analytics

Procurement Technology

Job description

• Develops and executes category strategies aligned to enterprise objectives
• Conducts market analysis to understand trends, cost drivers, risks and opportunities
• Establishes category level objectives
• Functions as a trusted advisor for senior leaders through the category management and sourcing journey, providing clear recommendations and insights supported by data.
• Drives significant reductions in cost while optimizing value through demand- and supply-side opportunities.
• Identifies and mitigates supplier, commercial, operational, and compliance risks within assigned categories.
• Develops and implements category best practices.
• Leads end-to-end sourcing initiatives
• Develops negotiation strategies and leads supplier negotiations for commercial, risk and service outcomes.
• Drafts and negotiates contracts of varying complexity in partnership with Legal when needed, ensuring compliance with business, regulatory and risk requirements.
• Brings software market expertise to deliver both cost savings and business value.
• Ensures consistent contract quality, documentation standards and adherence to procurement policies.
• Uses spend analytics, performance dashboards, and sourcing insights to inform decisions and prioritize opportunities.
• Utilizes procurement technology to support the end-to-end procurement lifecycle and drive efficiency, transparency and value.
• Manages strategic supplier relationships and contract portfolios.
• Ensures accuracy and integrity of sourcing, supplier, and contract data within enterprise systems.
• Partners with business and functional stakeholders to align sourcing strategies with operational and strategic needs.
• Identifies opportunities to apply emerging tools and AI-enabled capabilities to category management activities.
• Maintains a high standard of customer engagement and service.
• Models enterprise leadership principles by driving results with accountability and integrity, partnering effectively across functions with an enterprise mindset, using data and insights to inform decisions, continuously improving how work gets done, contributing to a high-performing, inclusive team culture, embracing change and helping others adapt to evolving priorities and tools.

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of category management, strategic sourcing, and contract negotiation experience within the software category.
• Proven experience developing and executing category strategies.
• Experience leading market analysis and intelligence gathering.
• Extensive negotiation and contracting expertise.
• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in procurement, supply chain, finance or business.
• Advanced degree or equivalent experience a plus.
• Strong strategic and execution mindset with knowledge of category management and sourcing best practices.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret spend data, market insights and performance metrics.
• Demonstrated success negotiating and structuring commercial agreements.
• Excellent stakeholder influence and relationship management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong project management skills, including leading cross-functional sourcing initiatives.
• Knowledge of change management and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Strong customer-service orientation.
• Ability to manage ambiguity through influence and collaboration.
• Knowledge of source-to-pay processes.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications; Coupa experience a plus.
• Innovative, curious mindset with an interest in modern procurement technologies and data-driven approaches.

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in category management and strategic sourcing, with a strong focus on negotiation, contract management, and data-driven decision-making. Proven ability to develop and execute category strategies that align with enterprise objectives while managing supplier relationships and mitigating risks.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Category Management
• Strategic Sourcing
• Contract Negotiation
• Market Analysis
• Stakeholder Management

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Category Strategy Development
• Negotiation Expertise
• Spend Data Analysis
• Contract Drafting
• Sourcing Best Practices

Soft Skills

• Relationship Management
• Communication Skills
• Project Management
• Customer Service Orientation
• Change Management

Industry Keywords

• Software Category
• Source-to-Pay Processes
• Compliance Risks
• Operational Risks
• Emerging Tools

Tools & Technologies

• Microsoft Office
• Coupa
• Procurement Technology
• Performance Dashboards
• Spend Analytics