Director, HR & Legal Category Strategy

The Hartford; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 146,000 - 219,000; Full time

Job summary

The Hartford in the United States is seeking a Director of Category Management within the SSRE organization to lead sourcing and contracting for HR and Legal services, translating enterprise strategy into measurable category plans and outcomes.

Reporting to the AVP, this senior role manages $100M-$200M spend, develops long‑term category strategies, partners with legal, HR, and other functions, and guides negotiations, contracts, and supplier relationships in a hybrid/remote work environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in category management and strategic sourcing.
• Experience with HR and Legal spend categories.
• Proven ability to develop sourcing strategies and deliver value.

Responsibilities

• This role leads the sourcing and contracting of Human Resources and Legal services, aligning to business strategy and delivering measurable outcomes.
• Develops and executes multi‑year category strategies aligned to enterprise objectives.
• Conducts market analysis to understand trends, cost drivers, risks, and opportunities.
• Drives maturity and continuous improvement across outsourcing models and commercial frameworks.
• Establishes category‑level objectives, KPIs, and value‑tracking mechanisms.
• Leads end‑to‑end sourcing initiatives for high‑impact spend areas.
• Develops negotiation strategies and leads supplier negotiations for outcomes.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Category management

Vendor management

Negotiation

Data analytics

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA preferred

Job description

The Hartford in the United States is seeking a Director of Category Management within the SSRE organization to lead sourcing and contracting for HR and Legal services, translating enterprise strategy into measurable category plans and outcomes.

Reporting to the AVP, this senior role manages $100M-$200M spend, develops long‑term category strategies, partners with legal, HR, and other functions, and guides negotiations, contracts, and supplier relationships in a hybrid/remote work environment.