Category Management Director: Strategic Sourcing & Leadership

Vizient; Missouri; Hybrid; USD 102,000 - 179,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Incentive eligible

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Vizient is seeking a Category Management Director to serve as a strategic leader and subject matter expert for assigned category portfolios. You will develop and execute category strategies delivering financial, operational, clinical, and organizational value for members, while guiding multi-disciplinary teams across sourcing, contracting, and value analysis initiatives.

You will lead end-to-end sourcing, negotiate complex terms, and build consensus among clinicians, executives, and suppliers.

Qualifications

• Relevant degree preferred.
• 7 or more years of relevant experience required in category management, strategic sourcing, supply chain, consulting, healthcare operations, contracting, or related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex sourcing and category management initiatives.
• Proven ability to serve as a trusted advisor and influence executive, clinical, operational, and supplier stakeholders.
• Experience facilitating stakeholder committees, value analysis initiatives, or cross-functional decision-making groups.
• Strong negotiation and contracting experience with complex supplier agreements.
• Advanced analytical skills with the ability to translate data into strategic recommendations.
• Excellent executive communication, presentation, and relationship management skills.
• Demonstrates deep knowledge of AI tools, capabilities, outputs, and limitations and applies AI effectively in complex business situations. Leverages AI to improve productivity, analysis, decision-making, and innovation; critically evaluates AI-generated content and serves as a resource to others in the effective and responsible use of AI solutions.
• Healthcare, group purchasing, consulting, or highly regulated industry experience preferred.
• This role follows a hybrid work model, requiring three days per week in the office. Office locations include Irving, TX; Chicago, IL; Cape Girardeau, MO and Centennial, CO.
• Willingness to travel.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead comprehensive category strategies for assigned portfolios that align with client priorities and organizational objectives.
• Serve as the primary category subject matter expert and strategic advisor for stakeholders across sourcing, contracting, and value analysis initiatives.
• Identify category opportunities through analysis of spend, utilization, supplier performance, market conditions, and member priorities.
• Establish strategic plans that drive value realization, standardization, innovation, risk mitigation, and cost optimization.
• Lead end-to-end sourcing initiatives including opportunity assessment, requirements development, RFI/RFP execution, supplier evaluation, negotiations, contract development, and implementation.
• Develop and negotiate complex business, financial, operational, and contractual terms with suppliers.
• Build consensus among client stakeholders, suppliers, and Vizient teams to create solutions that meet clinical, operational, and financial objectives.
• Provide guidance and direction on complex contracting strategies and negotiations.
• Lead stakeholder committees consisting of physicians, clinicians, value analysis leaders, supply chain professionals, operational leadership and executive stakeholders as applicable.
• Facilitate discussions that align stakeholder priorities and support informed sourcing and contracting decisions.
• Present category strategies, sourcing recommendations, and initiative outcomes to executive-level audiences.
• Build trust-based relationships with key stakeholders and suppliers to drive long-term value delivery.
• Manage a complex category portfolio with significant cross-functional collaboration across sourcing, contracting, analytics, implementation, and value analysis teams.
• Anticipate and respond to market, regulatory, supply chain, legal, and competitive factors impacting category strategies.
• Provide mentoring, guidance, and subject matter expertise to other team members.
• Represent Vizient in supplier, member, and industry-facing engagements related to assigned categories.
• Evaluate and interpret spend, utilization, supplier, and market data to inform category strategies and recommendations.
• Identify opportunities for savings, standardization, quality improvement, technology adoption, and operational efficiency.
• Monitor supplier performance and market developments to ensure ongoing category effectiveness.
• Partner with internal teams to achieve annual operational, financial, and strategic portfolio goals.
• Applies advanced AI fluency to enhance category strategy development, market intelligence, stakeholder communications, and business decision-making; evaluates and refines AI-generated outputs for accuracy, relevance, and business impact, while promoting effective and responsible use of AI tools across sourcing, contracting, and category management activities.

Job description

Vizient is seeking a Category Management Director to serve as a strategic leader and subject matter expert for assigned category portfolios. You will develop and execute category strategies delivering financial, operational, clinical, and organizational value for members, while guiding multi-disciplinary teams across sourcing, contracting, and value analysis initiatives.

You will lead end-to-end sourcing, negotiate complex terms, and build consensus among clinicians, executives, and suppliers.