Category Manager

SAIC; Oregon; Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

SAIC is seeking a Category Manager within Aerospace & Defense to lead strategic sourcing and category-management activities. This role focuses on improving supplier performance, managing risk, and ensuring compliance across the aerospace and defense supply chain.

The position is 100% remote from within the United States, with up to 50% travel to Reston, VA and other locations as required. This is a senior role requiring extensive experience in procurement, category management, and regulated

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 15+ years related experience; Master’s and 13+ years acceptable as substitution.
• Eight+ years in procurement, strategic sourcing, supply-chain, or category-management.
• At least five years leading category/sourcing strategies and complex supplier negotiations.
• Experience in aerospace/defense, federal contracting, or other regulated industry.
• Knowledge of FAR/DFARS and government contracting practices; ITAR/EAR familiarity.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category strategies aligned with business objectives and demand.
• Lead RFI/RFQ/RFP processes from planning through supplier selection and awards.
• Negotiate pricing, terms, and performance with suppliers and subcontractors.
• Collaborate with Contracts, Legal, Finance, and Program Management on contracts.
• Manage supplier relationships, scorecards, and continuous-improvement plans.
• Monitor supplier capacity, delivery, quality, and regulatory compliance.
• Perform cost and price analyses including should-cost modeling.
• Track savings, metrics, and reports for leadership.

Skills

Category management

Strategic sourcing

Supplier management

Risk management

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Project management

Regulatory compliance

Market analysis

Excel/MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Tools

ERP systems (e.g., Deltek Costpoint)

e-sourcing platforms

Contract-management software

Spend analytics tools

Supplier-management systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

SAIC is hiring a Category Manager within Aerospace & Defense to lead strategic sourcing and category-management activities that improve supplier performance, manage risk, strengthen compliance, and deliver measurable value across the aerospace and defense supply chain. This role partners with business, program, engineering, contracts, legal, and procurement stakeholders to develop category strategies, execute competitive sourcing events, negotiate agreements, and manage key supplier relationships.The position is 100% remote from within the Unites States. It will require up to 50% travel primarily to the corporate office in Reston, VA.

Job Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category strategies aligned with business objectives, program requirements, market conditions, and long-range demand.
• Conduct market intelligence, spend analysis, supplier assessments, and risk evaluations to identify sourcing opportunities and alternative sources of supply.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to define business requirements, specifications, evaluation criteria, sourcing plans, and implementation schedules.
• Lead RFI, RFQ, RFP, and other competitive sourcing processes from planning through supplier selection and award recommendation.
• Negotiate pricing, terms, service levels, risk allocations, and performance commitments with suppliers and subcontractors.
• Support contract development and administration in coordination with Contracts, Legal, Finance, Program Management, and other stakeholders.
• Manage strategic supplier relationships, scorecards, business reviews, corrective actions, development plans, and continuous-improvement initiatives.
• Monitor supplier capacity, quality, delivery, financial health, regulatory compliance, and supply-chain continuity risks.
• Perform cost and price analysis, including should-cost modeling, benchmarking, savings validation, and price-reasonableness determinations.
• Promote compliance with procurement policies, approved-supplier requirements, FAR/DFARS obligations, and applicable export-control requirements.
• Track category performance, savings, supplier diversity, contract utilization, risk, and other key metrics; provide timely reports to leadership and stakeholders.
• Travel to the Reston, Virginia corporate office and supplier or business locations as required, up to 50%.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's and 15 years or more related experience; Masters and 13 or more years of experience. Additional years of experience may be substituted in lieu of degree. Degrees in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Finance, Engineering, or a related field preferred.
• Eight or more years of progressive procurement, strategic sourcing, supply-chain, subcontract-management, or category-management experience.
• At least five years of experience developing and executing category or sourcing strategies and leading complex supplier negotiations.
• Experience supporting aerospace, defense, federal contracting, advanced manufacturing, or another highly regulated industry.
• Working knowledge of FAR/DFARS requirements and government-contracting procurement practices.
• Working knowledge of ITAR, EAR, and the handling of export-controlled procurement information.
• Demonstrated skill in market analysis, spend analysis, cost and price analysis, supplier risk management, contract negotiations, and supplier performance management.
• Strong project-management, stakeholder-management, facilitation, problem-solving, written communication, and presentation skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and experience using ERP, e-sourcing, contract-management, spend-analytics, or supplier-management systems.
• Ability to work effectively in a remote environment, manage multiple priorities, and collaborate across functions and locations.
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 50%, including regular travel to the corporate office in Reston, Virginia.
• US citizenship.

Desired

• Master's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Finance, Engineering, or a related field.
• CPSM, CPM, CSCP, CPCM, CFCM, or another relevant procurement, supply-chain, or contracting certification.
• Experience with Deltek Costpoint or a comparable government-contracting ERP platform.
• Experience with AS9100-based supplier quality systems, aerospace traceability requirements, and supplier qualification processes.

SAIC® is a premier mission integrator focused on advancing the power of technology and innovation to serve and protect our world. Our robust portfolio of offerings across the defense, space, intelligence, and civilian markets includes secure high-end solutions in mission IT, enterprise IT, engineering services, and professional services. We integrate emerging technology, rapidly and securely, into mission critical operations that modernize and enable critical national imperatives.

We are approximately 23,000 strong; driven by mission, united by purpose, and inspired by opportunities. SAIC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $7.3 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For ongoing news, please visit our newsroom.