Associate Category Manager

Highmark Health; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Highmark Health in Pittsburgh, PA seeks a procurement professional to create and drive strategic sourcing for assigned spend categories, building strong client relationships and contributing to strategy setting. This hybrid role involves collaboration with executives and stakeholders across the company.

The role partners with business units to develop category strategies, conduct supplier negotiations, and manage procurement projects, travel 0–25% and interface from Director to Manager levels.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
• Experience with strategic sourcing and procurement processes is preferred.
• Strong analytical, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead creation and implementation of sourcing and demand management strategies for assigned categories of spend.
• Plan, schedule and monitor category sourcing initiatives, ensuring on-time delivery of projects.
• Counsel internal leaders on procurement processes, technology capabilities, and policies to support the procurement lifecycle.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Finance, Economics, Business Administration/Management, Accounting, Marketing, Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain or relevant experience and/or education as determined by the company in lieu of bachelor's degree

Job description

Company

Highmark Health

Job Summary

This job is responsible for creating and driving strategic sourcing for an assigned category of spend while building strong client business oriented relationships by contributing to client strategy and objective setting. Supports the business partner, interfaces at the Director and Manager levels of the company, provides procurement services and expertise in the designated spend category for category strategy/plans, strategic sourcing and other strategic procurement processes such as supplier relationship management, spend performance management, demand and compliance management, internal spend and external market analysis, and category governance. Responsible for collaborating with key stakeholders on the development and implementation of annual and multi-year category strategies in order to achieve category goals, achieve business strategies and deliver sustainable category value. This is a hybrid based role in Pittsburgh, PA - onsite 3 days a week. T, W, Th.

Essential Responsibilities

• Lead creation and implementation of sourcing and demand management strategies for assigned categories of spend, manage the development of RFx materials, detailed analysis of proposals and vendor capabilities, negotiations and supplier selection.
• Plan, schedule and monitor category sourcing initiatives, ensuring proper resource allocation an on-time delivery of projects; exercise tight project management.
• Leverage key metrics to identify problem areas and adopt current and emerging business models with an entrepreneurial mindset and creative approach to drive best practice.
• Strategically partner with business unit leaders and contribute to client strategy by providing procurement expertise and strategic partnering for purchasing opportunities.
• Counsel internal business unit leaders regarding purchasing processes, technology capabilities and policies to assist in the procurement lifecycle.
• Build and manage relationships with priority business executives, serves as a key member of the business unit leadership team to support implementation of business strategies through advanced procurement initiatives and team alignment, facilitate the entire sourcing process and closely collaborate with clients to select and award business to suppliers.
• Demonstrate a strategic business mindset, organizational savvy, present an executive-level presence, and balance multiple stakeholder interests simultaneously.
• Under the direction of Procurement leadership, create and drive long‑term category strategies designed to anticipate enterprise‑wide requirements and achieve maximum life‑cycle value while optimizing forecasted shifts in both supply markets, industry trends and supplier economic cycles.
• Monitor strategy implementations on-going performance and ensure key issues, risks, and opportunities are elevated to the appropriate level.
• Lead the development and negotiation of contracts with new suppliers and/or renegotiate existing contracts to accomplish lowest total system cost and savings objectives.
• Conduct category spend analyses and reporting, supplier stratification, supply market and category industry research.
• Perform ethical procurement practices of contracted goods and services which includes compliance with corporate and departmental policies and procedures as well as federal, state and local regulations.
• Develop category expertise and leverage knowledge to proactively identify potential procurement opportunities through data analysis, category and industry knowledge, current and emerging business models and discussions with business units.
• Other duties as assigned or requested.

Experience Required

0-1 years of experience in a procurement role

Skills

None

Education Required

Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Finance, Economics, Business Administration/Management, Accounting, Marketing, Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain or relevant experience and/or education as determined by the company in lieu of bachelor's degree.

Education Preferred

None

Licences or Certifications Required

None

Licences or Certifications Preferred

None

Language (Other than English)

None

Travel Requirement

0% - 25%

Physical, Mental Demands and Working Conditions

Position Type Office- or Remote-based Teaches / trains others Occasionally Travel from the office to various work sites or from site-to-site Rarely Works primarily out-of-the office selling products/services (sales employees) Never Physical work site required No Lifting: up to 10 pounds Constantly Lifting: 10 to 25 pounds Occasionally Lifting: 25 to 50 pounds Occasionally

Disclaimer

The job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this job title. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to do this job. Compliance Requirement: This job adheres to the ethical and legal standards and behavioral expectations as set forth in the code of business conduct and company policies. As a component of job responsibilities, employees may have access to covered information, cardholder data, or other confidential customer information that must be protected at all times. In connection with this, all employees must comply with both the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) as described in the Notice of Privacy Practices and Privacy Policies and Procedures as well as all data security guidelines established within the Company’s Handbook of Privacy Policies and Practices and Information Security Policy. Furthermore, it is every employee’s responsibility to comply with the company’s Code of Business Conduct. This includes but is not limited to adherence to applicable federal and state laws, rules, and regulations as well as company policies and training requirements. Highmark Health and its affiliates prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on any category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. California Consumer Privacy Act Employees, Contractors, and Applicants Notice Highmark Health is a national, blended health organization that includes one of America’s largest Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers and a growing regional hospital and physician network. Based in Pittsburgh, Pa., Highmark Health’s 35,000 employees serve millions of customers nationwide through the nonprofit organization’s affiliated businesses, which include Highmark Inc., Allegheny Health Network, HM Insurance Group, United Concordia Dental, HM Health Solutions and HM Home & Community Services. Highmark Health’s businesses proudly serve a broad spectrum of health-related needs including health insurance, health care delivery, population health management, dental solutions, reinsurance solutions, and innovative, technology solutions.