Category Manager (IT)

Cushman & Wakefield; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 94,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, vision, and dental insurance

Retirement savings plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Cushman & Wakefield is seeking a Category Manager (IT) in Minneapolis to lead IT procurement strategy, drive cost efficiency, and optimize supplier relationships. You will interface with IT business lines to implement sourcing and supplier performance programs in line with procurement policies and business goals.

The role requires deep IT procurement knowledge, 5–8 years of experience, and strong analytics, negotiation, and stakeholder skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• 5–8 years of category management experience.
• Professional certifications preferred (CPSM, CIPS, C.P.M.) or evidence of ongoing growth.
• In-depth knowledge of IT Procurement and IT category specifics.
• Strong interpersonal and analytical abilities.
• Ability to build relationships with key business stakeholders and 3rd party vendors.
• Inner drive to accomplish goals and not deterred by obstacles.
• Creative problem solver with capacity to develop innovative strategies.
• Contract negotiation and ongoing management skills.
• Analytics to mine data for in-depth spend analysis.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategic sourcing plans for IT goods and services.
• Conduct global, regional and country market research to identify cost savings and quality improvements.
• Set category goals aligned with company objectives and measure performance.
• Work with procurement partners to align category vision with service line priorities.
• Negotiate favorable terms and ensure policy compliance.
• Manage supplier performance and conduct reviews.
• Develop data analytics to drive spend insights and savings.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Finance, Operations, HR, and others.

Skills

Category management

Vendor management

Negotiation

Data analytics

Stakeholder management

Project management

Change management

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Problem solving

Interpersonal skills

Strategic thinking

Relationship building

Independent worker

Organizational savvy

Business influence

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Job Description Summary

The Category Manager is responsible for overseeing and optimizing procurement and management strategies for IT-related goods and services, including but not limited to hardware, software, cloud services, telecommunications, and other tech needs. This role focuses on driving cost efficiency, improving supplier relationships, and aligning purchasing strategies with organizational goals. They will be the interface with the IT business lines to lead the development and implementation of supplier relationship and performance management. This role will implement the organization’s short , medium and long term strategies by ensuring the highest level of service based on C&W’s Procurement Policies and Procedures. They will require an in-depth understanding of the business impact of procurement contributions and understanding of the business impact of technical contributions. Develops major goals to support the organizations strategy.

Job Title

Category Manager (IT)

Job Description Summary

The Category Manager is responsible for overseeing and optimizing procurement and management strategies for IT-related goods and services, including but not limited to hardware, software, cloud services, telecommunications, and other tech needs. This role focuses on driving cost efficiency, improving supplier relationships, and aligning purchasing strategies with organizational goals. They will be the interface with the IT business lines to lead the development and implementation of supplier relationship and performance management. This role will implement the organization’s short , medium and long term strategies by ensuring the highest level of service based on C&W’s Procurement Policies and Procedures. They will require an in-depth understanding of the business impact of procurement contributions and understanding of the business impact of technical contributions. Develops major goals to support the organizations strategy.

Job Description

Responsibilities

Leadership

• Creates a working environment that encourages high performance and innovation.
• Becomes a trusted advisor and subject matter expert on the categories.
• Removes roadblocks to enable the delivery of procurement and client account goals.
• Promotes compliance with C&W’s code of conduct.

Category Management

• Develop and implement a strategic sourcing plan for IT related goods and services, including but not limited to hardware, CRE software, cloud services, telecommunications, and other tech needs
• Conduct Global, Regional and Country market research to stay updated on industry trends and identify opportunities for cost savings and quality improvements.
• Set category goals aligned with company objectives and regularly measure performance against these targets.
  • Responsible for working with procurement business partners and service line leadership to align category management vision with service line and procurement priorities.
  • Incorporates industry best practices into category delivery.
• Utilizes demand planning to target value from supplier agreements.
• Vendor Management
  • Identify, evaluate, and establish relationships with IT vendors, suppliers, and service providers.
  • Negotiate favorable terms and contracts, ensuring compliance with internal policies and industry regulations.
  • Manage supplier performance and conduct periodic reviews to assess service levels, cost-effectiveness, and alignment with business needs.
  • Monitors preferred supplier utilization, builds roster to ensure capability to deliver across the service line portfolios, and monitors performance to ensure capability to meet account needs.
• Ability to develop and understand data analytics, to mine data to drive in-depth analysis of C&W’s 3rd party spend.

Business Influence

• Communicates supply category preferred supplier metrics and helps the business drive greater adoption of the preferred supplier network.
• Develops and maintains strong relationships with business units and the category management team.
• Drives for results by consistently achieving goals in a timely manner.
• Develops and delivers communications with clarity and impact, ensuring consistent messaging.
• Encourages creation and brings new best in class ideas and approaches to the table for developing and executing category strategies and working within the supply market to ensure Cushman & Wakefield meets or exceeds their objectives.
• Working cross-functionally with other departments including Finance, Operations, TDS, HR, Project Management, etc. for delivery of category strategies.

Risk Management

• Identify and mitigate risks within the IT supply chain, including cybersecurity risks, service disruptions, and compliance issues.
• Work with the legal team to ensure vendor contracts include necessary risk management and compliance clauses
• Working with C&W Legal Counsel to ensure consistent templates and fall back language to enable effective negotiations and risk mitigation.
• Ensure effective and up-to-date commercial arrangements.

Continuous Improvement/Change Management

• Strong problem-solving skills utilizing continuous improvement techniques.
• Utilizes change management techniques to drive the development and utilization of a preferred supplier program.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• 5-8 years of category management experience
• Professional certifications preferred e.g., CPSM, CIPS, C.P.M., or evidence of continued professional growth
• In-depth knowledge of IT Procurement and fundamentals, IT specific category specific knowledge
• Strong interpersonal and analytical skills
• Ability to build relationships with key business stakeholders and 3rd party vendors
• Inner drive to accomplish goals and not deterred by obstacles
• Capacity to develop innovative strategies and solutions, Creative problem solver
• Contract negotiation and ongoing management skills
• Analytics, ability to mine data to drive in depth analysis
• Building and managing diverse supplier relationships
• Interface with all levels in the organization
• Project Management
• Continuous improvement
• Personal flexibility
• Independent worker, self-starter
• Organizational savvy
• Innovativeness
• Effective Communication & Presentation skills
• Decision making & crisis management
• Business Influence, interviewing and active listening
• Knowledge of effective supplier risk management techniques

Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements. The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate’s experience and qualifications. The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role. The compensation for the position is: $ 93,500.00 - $110,000.00 Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email [e-mail]. Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us. INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”