Associate Category Manager

CFA Institute; Virginia; On-site; USD 83,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual discretionary bonus

Pension with 12% employer contribution

Comprehensive medical benefits

Job summary

CFA Institute is seeking an Associate Category Manager in the United States (Virginia) to own the procurement lifecycle for a spend category. You will partner with stakeholders to understand needs, develop sourcing approaches, negotiate with vendors and manage supplier relationships end-to-end.

Bring proven experience in procurement, sourcing, category management or contract management, with a track record of leading negotiations and managing vendor performance.

Qualifications

• Strong, demonstrable experience across procurement, strategic sourcing, category management or contract management.
• Proven experience managing the procurement lifecycle, including sourcing, commercial negotiation and vendor management.
• Experience within services procurement and understanding of procurement environments beyond goods and manufacturing.
• Evidence of leading or contributing significantly to vendor negotiations and competitive sourcing activity.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and ability to influence new ways of working.
• Knowledge of contracts and key commercial terms through their lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Manage activity across the procurement lifecycle, including sourcing, vendor evaluation, negotiation, contracting and ongoing vendor management.
• Partner with business stakeholders to understand requirements and translate them into effective sourcing strategies and category plans.
• Lead or support competitive sourcing activity, including RFI, RFP and RFQ processes, vendor evaluation and award recommendations.
• Negotiate with vendors to secure strong commercial outcomes while balancing cost, quality, risk and business requirements.
• Manage contracts across their lifecycle, including renewals, amendments and expiration tracking, working with Legal as appropriate.
• Monitor vendor performance against SLAs and KPIs and address performance gaps as needed.
• Use market research, spend analysis and supplier insight to identify opportunities like vendor rationalisation and tail spend management.
• Support evolving procurement processes and help stakeholders understand requirements clearly.
• Track category performance, savings and compliance metrics and contribute to improving procurement processes, templates and playbooks.

Skills

Procurement lifecycle

Sourcing & negotiation

Vendor management

Category management

Stakeholder management

Contract management

Spend analysis

Job description

Are you experienced in managing the procurement lifecycle from sourcing and negotiation through to vendor and contract management? Do you know how to challenge established ways of working while bringing stakeholders with you? Are you excited by the opportunity to help shape a procurement function as it evolves?

CFA Institute is looking for an Associate Category Manager to support the continued development of our Procurement & Vendor Management function. You will take ownership across the procurement lifecycle for an assigned spend category, partnering closely with stakeholders to understand their needs, develop sourcing approaches, negotiate with vendors and manage ongoing supplier relationships.

This is an opportunity to bring established strategic procurement practices into an evolving environment. You will use your procurement expertise to identify opportunities, introduce more structured ways of working and help stakeholders understand the value a strategic procurement approach can bring.

What You’ll Do

• Manage activity across the procurement lifecycle, including sourcing, vendor evaluation, negotiation, contracting and ongoing vendor management.
• Partner with business stakeholders to understand requirements and translate them into effective sourcing strategies and category plans.
• Lead or support competitive sourcing activity, including RFI, RFP and RFQ processes, vendor evaluation and award recommendations.
• Negotiate with vendors to secure strong commercial outcomes while balancing cost, quality, risk and business requirements.
• Manage contracts across their lifecycle, including renewals, amendments and expiration tracking, working in partnership with Legal where appropriate.
• Monitor vendor performance against agreed SLAs and KPIs and support action where performance gaps are identified.
• Use market research, spend analysis and supplier insight to identify opportunities such as vendor rationalisation, consolidation and improved management of tail spend.
• Support stakeholders through evolving procurement processes and ways of working, explaining requirements clearly and handling challenging or sensitive conversations constructively.
• Track category performance, savings and compliance metrics and contribute to the continued improvement of procurement processes, templates and playbooks.

What We’re Looking For

• Strong, demonstrable experience across procurement, strategic sourcing, category management or contract management, with clear personal ownership of procurement outcomes.
• Proven experience managing the procurement lifecycle, including sourcing, commercial negotiation and vendor management.
• Experience within services procurement, with an understanding of procurement environments beyond goods, manufacturing, logistics or production supply chains.
• Evidence of personally leading or contributing significantly to vendor negotiations and competitive sourcing activity.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, including the confidence to challenge existing approaches and influence new ways of working.
• Working knowledge of contracts and key commercial terms, with experience supporting contracts through their lifecycle.
• An analytical approach and the ability to work with spend information, supplier proposals and performance measures.
• Confidence operating in an evolving environment where established processes and stakeholder expectations are changing.
• A collaborative, team-oriented approach combined with the ability to take individual ownership and clearly articulate your own contribution and decisions.
• An open mindset and interest in exploring new ways of working and emerging tools.

Why Join Us

• Play a meaningful role in CFA Institute’s evolution from a purchasing-led environment toward a more strategic procurement and category management model.
• Bring your procurement expertise to an environment where you can help shape how the function works with the wider business.
• Own activity across the procurement lifecycle rather than focusing on only one stage of the process.
• Work closely with stakeholders across the organisation and help introduce more structured, strategic approaches to sourcing and vendor management.
• Join a collaborative environment where curiosity, new ideas and an open approach to improving how work gets done are valued.

At CFA Institute, we are committed to transparency and equity in our hiring process. In compliance with wage transparency laws in many of the jurisdictions in which we recruit, we provide the following information regarding compensation for this position:

Expected salary range: US - $83,000 - $110,000 per year

Actual salary within the stated range will depend on the individual's experience, qualifications, skills, location, and other job-related factors. Additional benefits include eligibility for an annual discretionary incentive bonus, a 12% employer contribution to a pension plan, and a comprehensive medical benefits package.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. CFA Institute prohibits both discrimination and harassment with regard to all identifying characteristics: any individual employee, group of employees, or prospective employee on the basis of race, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, religion, creed or belief, age, marital or partnership status, marital or family status, care giver status, pregnancy and maternity, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, physical abilities/qualities, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, predisposing genetic characteristic, military or veteran status, status as a victim or witness of domestic violence or sex offense or stalking, unemployment status, infectious disease carrier status, migrant worker status, educational background, socio-economic status, geographic location and culture or any other basis protected by applicable law. This policy impacts all aspects of employment, including but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, compensation, training, development, promotion, demotion, layoff, recall, furlough, transfer, leave of absence, and dismissal. This is a global policy that applies to all CFA Institute employees, regardless of location.

If, due to a disability or current medical condition, you need an accommodation or assistance to complete a job application, you can request one at any stage of the recruitment process. Please send an email to [e-mail] noting the accommodations or assistance you are requesting. Please do not include any medical or health information in this email. We will review your request and contact you to discuss the possible options and arrangements. We will try our best to provide you with an accommodation or assistance that meets your needs and respects your preferences.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package to support our employees, including health coverage, generous time off, competitive retirement plans, flexible work options, and wellbeing and development programs. Working at CFA Institute | Comprehensive Benefits

About CFA Institute

CFA Institute is the global leader in investment excellence and ethics. With nearly 200,000 charterholders across 160 markets, we promote professional growth, uphold ethical standards, and help advance better financial markets. Join a global organization committed to putting investors first.

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Important Message: Your application must clearly demonstrate how you meet the requirements as CFA Institute cannot make assumptions about your education, experience, or location. We thank all those who apply.