Category Manager, Software

Optiver; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Health benefits

Office perks

Global exposure

Job summary

Optiver seeks a Category Manager - Software to own and execute sourcing strategies across software categories. You will lead day-to-day supplier mgmt, run end-to-end sourcing events, and drive total cost of ownership improvements. This role partners with business and tech stakeholders to optimize licensing, renewals, and contracts.

You will work in a globally interconnected team, influencing spend across regions while strengthening procurement processes and playbooks to uplift capability.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in technology procurement or strategic sourcing with software focus.
• Delivery of complex sourcing projects from intake to contract signature.
• Experience in software vendor/ reseller negotiations with measurable outcomes.
• Knowledge of software subscriptions, enterprise agreements, renewals, and licensing.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day sourcing and supplier mgmt for software categories.
• Plan end-to-end sourcing events (RFI, RFQ, RFP) and evaluate options.
• Negotiate pricing, licensing, renewals, SLAs; manage contracts.
• Partner with stakeholders on requirements, licensing, and TCO.
• Track market trends, risks, and opportunities; ensure policy compliance.

Skills

Negotiation

Sourcing

Category mgmt

Stakeholder mgmt

TCO analysis

Contract negotiation

License optimization

Global matrix

Procurement systems

Tools

Procurement systems

Job description

We are building a dedicated Software category within Global Procurement's Tech Sourcing organization. TheCategory Manager - Software is a hands‑on sourcing position who can manage and execute sourcing and category strategies for specific software categories.

In this role you will own day-to-day sourcing and supplier management across enterprise software deals. The portfolio includes enterprise operations, productivity, and collaboration tools, alongside the wider software estate. You will translate category plans into sourcing events, commercial analysis, contract execution, and measurable outcomes.

You will partner closely with business and technology stakeholders and Procurement colleagues to ensure we are extracting maximum value from supplier and reseller relationships, managing renewals, licensing, and consumption, and driving measurable business impact across a complex and fast-moving spend category.

This is an individual-contributor role where the impact will span globally across multiple regions, partnering with other software category managers to ensure one of our fastest-growing and most-visible categories is managed optimally.

What you'll do

• Category Planning and Execution: work with the business stakeholders to support development of category planning and implementation of the software category strategy.
• Sourcing delivery: Plan and run end-to-end sourcing events ( RFI , RFQ , and RFP ) for enterprise software, prepare commercial evaluation models, negotiation strategies (commercial and contract), and award recommendations.
• Commercial management: Support negotiations on agreements; structure pricing, licensing, renewal mechanics, SLAs, and commercial terms in line with Procurement and Legal standards.
• Stakeholder partnership: Act as a trusted Procurement partner to business operations, enterprise technology, and other stakeholder teams on software requirements, licensing, timelines, and total cost of ownership ( TCO ).
• Market and risk intelligence: Track licensing models, price inflation, vendor consolidation, and consumption trends; surface risks and opportunities to stakeholder teams.
• Process and compliance: Ensure software purchases follow Optiver Procurement policy and controls; maintain accurate records in sourcing and contract systems.
• Cross-regional coordination: Collaborate with Procurement colleagues to align global frameworks, regional exceptions, and consistent ways of working across geographies.
• Knowledge sharing: Contribute to category playbooks, should-cost models, and lessons learned from sourcing events to uplift team capability.

What you'll get

You’ll join a culture of collaboration and excellence, surrounded by curious thinkers and creative problem-solvers. Motivated by a passion for continuous improvement, you’ll thrive in a supportive, high‑performing environment alongside talented colleagues, collectively tackling some of the toughest challenges in the financial markets.

In addition, you’ll receive:

• The opportunity to work alongside best-in-class professionals from over 40 different countries
• Highly competitive compensation package including performance-based bonus structure
• 401(k) match up to 50%
• Comprehensive health, mental, dental, vision, disability, and life coverage
• Extensive office perks, including breakfast, lunch and snacks, regular social events, clubs, sports leagues and more

Who you are

• 5+ years of technology procurement or strategic sourcing experience, with substantive exposure to software categories (SaaS, enterprise applications, business operations systems, and productivity and collaboration tools).
• Demonstrated delivery of complex sourcing projects from intake through contract signature, including multi-supplier evaluations and executive‑ready business cases.
• Experience supporting or leading software provider and/or reseller negotiations with measurable commercial outcomes.
• Working knowledge of software commercial dynamics (subscriptions, enterprise agreements, true‑ups, consumption commitments, renewals, and license optimization).
• Proven ability to partner with business and technology stakeholders and finance on requirements and commercial decisions.
• Experience operating in a matrixed, global environment with multiple regions and stakeholders.
• Strong negotiation, analytical, and financial skills; ability to build and interpret TCO and should‑cost analyses for software solutions.
• Proficiency in sourcing methodologies, contract structures, and commercial terms common in enterprise software.
• Clear communication - able to distil complex technical and commercial trade-offs for business and leadership audiences.
• Organization and prioritization in a fast‑paced environment with competing demands and time-sensitive renewal and project needs.
• Familiarity with procurement systems and tooling and disciplined contract and spend data management.
• Collaborative mindset with integrity, attention to detail, and a continuous‑improvement approach.
• Experience in trading, or other technology‑intensive industries with demanding uptime, security, and data‑protection requirements.
• Exposure to enterprise productivity suites, collaboration platforms, or business‑operations application estates.
• Experience supporting software asset management, license optimization, or SaaS lifecycle programs in partnership with IT and business operations.

Who we are

At Optiver, our mission is to improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency and stabilizing the market no matter the conditions. With a focus on continuous improvement, we prioritize safeguarding the health and efficiency of the markets for all participants. As one of the largest market‑making institutions, we are a respected partner on 100+ exchanges across the globe.

Our differences are our edge. Optiver does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, or other legally protected characteristics.

Below is the expected base salary for this position. This is a good‑faith estimate of the base pay scale for this position and offers will ultimately be determined based on experience, education, skill set, and performance in the interview process. This position will also be eligible for a discretionary bonus (if determined by Optiver) and Optiver's benefits package with the benefits listed above.