Category Manager/Procurement – Travel, Meetings & Events

AIG Employee Services, Inc.; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Total Rewards Program

In-office four days a week

Job summary

AIG Employee Services, Inc. is seeking an experienced Sourcing Category Manager - Travel, Meetings & Events to join our Global Sourcing & Procurement organization in Atlanta.

You will partner with stakeholders and suppliers to deliver competitive commercial outcomes, service excellence, and risk mitigation. The ideal candidate brings 5+ years in strategic sourcing for corporate travel and related services, with strong analytics and stakeholder management.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of strategic sourcing and category management experience.
• Experience in Travel, Meetings & Events or related indirect services preferred.
• Understanding of supplier ecosystems including travel, airlines, hotels, venues, and event tech.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category strategies for Travel, Meetings & Events to optimize cost and service quality.
• Lead initiatives across corporate travel, TMCs, air, hotel, car rental, and events services.
• Negotiate meetings and events contracts, venue sourcing, and related services.
• Analyze spend data and supplier performance to identify cost savings and efficiency gains.
• Monitor market dynamics and translate insights into sourcing strategies.
• Identify opportunities to improve the economics and effectiveness of the program.
• Collaborate with program leadership, Finance, Legal, and regional teams to align with business needs.
• Establish supplier governance through reviews, KPIs, SLAs, and performance improvement.
• Support global and regional initiatives, accounting for local market differences.
• Advise stakeholders on preferred suppliers and maximize negotiated program value.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Category management

Procurement

Stakeholder management

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Sourcing Category Manager - Travel, Meetings & Events to join our Global Sourcing & Procurement organization. This role will support the Travel, Meetings & Events category, partnering with business stakeholders and suppliers to deliver competitive commercial outcomes, service excellence, supplier performance, innovation, and risk mitigation. The ideal candidate will bring strong strategic sourcing and category management experience, preferably within corporate travel, meetings and events, hospitality, or related indirect services. This individual will be comfortable navigating a diverse supplier landscape that may include travel management companies, airlines, hotels, car rental and ground transportation providers, meetings and events agencies, venue sourcing partners, and travel and event technology providers. Success in this role requires strong commercial and analytical skills, excellent stakeholder management capabilities, and the ability to balance cost optimization with service quality, traveler and attendee experience, operational requirements, and business needs. This role requires 4 days per week in our Atlanta office.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category strategies across Travel, Meetings & Events, with a focus on cost optimization, service quality, supplier performance, innovation, risk management, and overall business value.
• Lead strategic initiatives across areas such as corporate travel, travel management services, air, hotel, car rental, ground transportation, meetings and events services, venue sourcing, and travel and event technology.
• Negotiate meetings and events services, including event management, venue sourcing, hotel and meeting-related agreements, event technology, and other supporting services.
• Analyze category spend, supplier performance, market intelligence, and business requirements to identify opportunities for cost savings, cost avoidance, demand management, supplier optimization, process improvement, and innovation.
• Monitor Travel, Meetings & Events market dynamics and emerging trends, including changes in air and hotel pricing, supplier capacity, technology, distribution models, and business travel and meetings trends, and translate those insights into sourcing strategies.
• Identify opportunities to improve the overall economics and effectiveness of the Travel, Meetings & Events program.
• Partner with Travel, Meetings & Events program leadership, Finance, Legal, business stakeholders, regional teams, and other cross-functional partners to understand requirements and develop solutions aligned with business objectives.
• Develop and maintain strategic supplier relationships and establish effective supplier governance through business reviews, KPI and SLA management, issue resolution, performance improvement, and innovation discussions.
• Support both global and regional initiatives, taking into consideration differences in local markets, supplier capabilities, business requirements, and regulatory environments.
• Partner with stakeholders to support adoption of preferred suppliers and maximize value from negotiated programs and agreements.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, category management, procurement, or a related discipline within a complex corporate environment.
• Experience sourcing Travel, Meetings & Events, hospitality, or closely related indirect service categories strongly preferred.
• Understanding of the corporate Travel, Meetings & Events supplier ecosystem, which may include travel management companies, airlines, hotels, car rental and ground transportation providers, meeting and event management companies, venue sourcing partners, and travel/event technology providers.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing sourcing strategies that deliver measurable cost savings, cost avoidance, service improvements, supplier innovation, and risk mitigation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with experience leveraging spend data, supplier data, benchmarking, market intelligence, and commercial analysis to inform sourcing decisions.
• Ability to balance commercial objectives with service quality, operational requirements, and traveler and attendee experience.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to build relationships, influence decisions, and collaborate effectively with stakeholders across functions and geographies.
• Strong supplier relationship management capabilities, including experience with KPIs, SLAs, supplier business reviews, performance management, and continuous improvement.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency with sourcing, procurement, contract management, spend analytics, and related technology platforms.

Job Culture & Benefits

At AIG, we value in-person collaboration as a vital part of our culture, which is why we ask our team members to be primarily in the office. This approach helps us work together effectively and create a supportive, connected environment for our team and clients alike.

Enjoy benefits that take care of what matters At AIG, our people are our greatest asset. We know how important it is to protect and invest in what’s most important to you. That is why we created our Total Rewards Program, a comprehensive benefits package that extends beyond time spent at work to offer benefits focused on your health, wellbeing and financial security—as well as your professional development—to bring peace of mind to you and your family.

Reimagining insurance to make a bigger difference to the world American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is a global leader in commercial and personal insurance solutions; we are one of the world’s most far-reaching property casualty networks. It is an exciting time to join us - across our operations, we are thinking in new and innovative ways to deliver ever-better solutions to our customers. At AIG, you can go further to support individuals, businesses, and communities, helping them to manage risk, respond to times of uncertainty and discover new potential. We invest in our largest asset, our people, through continuous learning and development, in a culture that celebrates everyone for who they are and what they want to become.

Welcome to a culture of inclusion We’re committed to creating a culture that truly respects and celebrates each other’s talents, backgrounds, cultures, opinions and goals. We foster a culture of inclusion and belonging through learning, cultural awareness activities and Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). With global chapters, ERGs are a cornerstone for our culture of inclusion. The talent of our people is one of AIG’s greatest assets, and we are honored that our drive for positive change has been recognized by numerous recent awards and accreditations.

AIG provides equal opportunity to all qualified individuals regardless of race, color, religion, age, gender, gender expression, national origin, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected categories. AIG is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to job applicants and employees with disabilities. If you believe you need a reasonable accommodation, please send an email to [e-mail].

Functional Area: CS - Corporate Services

AIG Employee Services, Inc. As a global risk leader with deep industry expertise and innovative solutions to smartly manage risk, AIG enables our clients’ growth in ways they never thought possible. We also do the same for our colleagues, because we know our people are our greatest strength - the source of every insight, every idea and every innovation. When we’re working as one team to do what’s right for our colleagues and our communities, we can achieve excellence together. We encourage colleagues to give back to the causes they care most about, supporting these efforts through our Volunteer Time Off and Matching Grants Programs. Join our Talent Community. Additional information about AIG can be found at www.aig.com | YouTube | Instagram| LinkedIn.