category sourcing manager, Technology/Hardware (Nashville, TN)

Starbucks Coffee Company; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Life insurance

401(k) with employer match

Tuition coverage via Starbucks College

Stock program (Bean Stock)

Job summary

Starbucks Coffee Company seeks a senior Category Sourcing Manager, Technology, to own multi-year strategies for hardware, software, cloud, and related technology services. You will lead complex negotiations, drive supplier governance, and partner with Finance, Legal, Security, and business leaders to optimize value and risk across the technology portfolio.

As a partner in Starbucks Technology, you will shape demand, guide category decisions, and oversee initiatives from market analysis through

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience in a related discipline.
• 8+ years of progressive strategic sourcing, category management, procurement, or supplier-management experience with technology-category responsibility.
• Experience developing multi-year category strategies for hardware, software, SaaS, cloud, maintenance, and support.
• Experience leading high-value sourcing events and complex negotiations with major technology suppliers.
• Deep knowledge of enterprise software licensing, subscription, consumption, maintenance, and renewal models.
• Ability to influence senior leaders and align cross-functional stakeholders.
• Experience creating category strategies, market analyses, negotiation plans, and business cases.
• Experience negotiating complex agreements with Legal, Information Security, Privacy, Finance, and risk/control functions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and refresh multi-year enterprise category strategies for hardware and related tech services.
• Provide strategic category leadership across a high-value spend portfolio.
• Lead complex sourcing initiatives including negotiations and contracting.
• Create negotiation strategies with major technology suppliers to improve pricing and terms.
• Evaluate licensing structures, consumption models, and total cost of ownership.
• Partner with senior leaders to align sourcing decisions with business priorities.
• Establish executive supplier governance and drive performance improvements.
• Identify and mitigate supplier, licensing, information-security, and renewal risks.

Skills

Executive communication

Supplier governance

Negotiation

Financial modeling

Excel

PowerPoint

Strategy development

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, finance, technology, engineering, or related discipline

Tools

PowerPoint

Contract management systems

Job description

Now Brewing - category sourcing manager, technology! #tobeapartner

From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company. One that not only celebrated coffee and the rich tradition, but that also brought a feeling of connection. We are known for developing extraordinary leaders who share this passion and are guided by their service to others.

The category sourcing manager, technology is a senior individual contributor and enterprise category leader responsible for setting the vision and commercial direction for a broad portfolio of technology categories, including software, SaaS, cloud-based solutions, maintenance, support, and related technology services, with a primary focus on hardware.

The role combines deep technology-category expertise with enterprise leadership in sourcing, negotiation, contracting, supplier governance, and value creation. The individual will serve as an advisor to Starbucks Technology (ST), Finance, Legal, Information Security, Privacy, and other business leaders, translating business priorities into multi-year category strategies that improve cost, agility, resilience, innovation, and risk outcomes.

The successful candidate will bring significant experience leading complex, high-value technology categories and negotiating with major hardware manufacturers, and value-added resellers. This role requires the ability to influence senior executives, lead cross-functional teams through ambiguous and high-stakes decisions, shape demand and supplier strategy, and oversee initiatives from market analysis and strategy development through negotiation, contracting, implementation, and ongoing supplier performance management.

As a category sourcing manager, technology, you will…

• Develop, own, and continuously refresh multi-year enterprise category strategies across hardware and related technology services, aligned with business and technology roadmaps.
• Provide strategic category leadership across a portfolio of complex, high-value spend, establishing priorities, governance, value targets, market intelligence, and executive decision points.
• Lead the most complex and business-critical sourcing initiatives, including demand shaping, requirements development, competitive events, proposal analysis, supplier selection, negotiations, contracting, transition planning, and implementation.
• Create and execute negotiation strategies for major technology suppliers, including software publishers, cloud providers, hardware manufacturers, distributors, and value-added resellers, to improve pricing, commercial flexibility, service, and risk allocation.
• Evaluate and optimize licensing structures, consumption and subscription models, renewals, support terms, total cost of ownership, and commercial benchmarks to deliver sustained enterprise value.
• Partner with senior leaders across Technology, Finance, Legal, Information Security, Privacy, and the business to challenge requirements, evaluate trade-offs, and align on sourcing and supplier decisions.
• Build and govern a multi-year value pipeline through competitive sourcing, demand management, supplier consolidation, license and consumption optimization, specification changes, improved terms, and supplier-enabled innovation.
• Establish executive supplier governance for strategic and critical suppliers, lead business reviews and escalations, monitor contractual commitments and performance, and drive corrective action and continuous improvement.
• Identify, quantify, and mitigate supplier, commercial, licensing, information-security, privacy, service-continuity, concentration, transition, and renewal risks across the category portfolio.

Develop compelling business cases, financial models, category recommendations, and executive-level presentations that enable timely, fact-based decisions. Provide category expertise, negotiation leadership, and coaching to sourcing partners and cross-functional teams, raising capability and consistency across the organization.

We'd love to hear from people with:

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, finance, technology, engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• 8+ years of progressive strategic sourcing, category management, procurement, or supplier-management experience, including significant technology-category responsibility.
• Demonstrated success developing and leading multi-year category strategies for complex enterprise technology products and services, including hardware, software, SaaS, cloud, maintenance, and support.
• Experience leading high-value, high-risk competitive sourcing events and complex negotiations with major technology suppliers, software publishers, cloud providers, and value-added resellers.
• Deep working knowledge of enterprise software licensing, subscription, consumption, maintenance, support, renewal, and technology-channel commercial models.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders, align cross-functional stakeholders, challenge demand, and guide decisions where priorities, risk, and commercial trade-offs are complex.
• Experience developing category strategies, market and supplier analyses, negotiation plans, financial models, business cases, supplier evaluations, and executive award recommendations.
• Experience negotiating complex commercial agreements in partnership with Legal, Information Security, Privacy, Finance, and other risk or control functions.
• Advanced analytical and financial acumen, including the ability to evaluate complex pricing proposals, licensing and consumption models, total cost of ownership, benchmarks, and business scenarios.
• Strong program and portfolio-management skills, with the ability to set priorities, lead multiple cross-functional initiatives, and deliver results across extended timelines.
• Executive-level written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to translate technical and commercial complexity into clear recommendations and decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to coach others, provide thought leadership, and elevate sourcing and category-management capability across teams.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and other tools used for sourcing analysis, portfolio management, and executive communication.

As a Starbucks partner, you (and your family) will have access to medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, and other voluntary insurance benefits. Partners have access to short-term and long-term disability, paid parental leave, family expansion reimbursement, paid vacation from date of hire*, sick time (accrued at 1 hour for every 25 hours worked), eight paid holidays, and two personal days per year. Starbucks also offers eligible partners participation in a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, a discounted company stock program (S.I.P.), Starbucks equity program (Bean Stock), incentivized emergency savings, and financial well-being tools. Additionally, Starbucks offers 100% upfront tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor’s degree through Arizona State University’s online program via the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, student loan management resources, and access to other educational opportunities. You will also have access to backup care and DACA reimbursement. Starbucks will comply with any applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, and in accordance with its plans and policies. This list is subject to change depending on collective bargaining in locations where partners have a certified bargaining representative. For additional information regarding partner perks and more detailed information about benefits, go to starbucksbenefits.com.

*If you are working in CA, CO, IL, LA, ME, MA, NE, ND or RI, you will accrue vacation up to a maximum of 120 hours (190 in CA) for roles below director and 200 hours (316 in CA) for roles at director or above. For roles in other states, you will be granted vacation time starting at 120 hours annually for roles below director and 200 hours annually for roles director and above.

The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate will be based on multiple factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge/skills, experience, geographical location, and internal equity. At Starbucks, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the high end of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.

We believe we do our best work when we're onsite four days a week.

Starbucks Coffee Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with all federal, state and local ordinances.

Starbucks Coffee Company is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at [e-mail] or 1(888) 611-2258.