Global Category Manager, Professional Services

Agilent Technologies; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Agilent Technologies is seeking a Professional Services Category Manager to lead global sourcing for professional services and finance. You will shape category strategy, govern supplier performance, and influence senior stakeholders across Global Indirect Procurement and Corporate Services.

You will drive complex negotiations, manage strategic supplier relationships, and develop category playbooks to optimize cost and risk while enabling enterprise priorities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Economics, Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, category management, or consulting.
• Experience managing Professional Services, consulting, outsourcing, or other complex indirect service categories.
• Proven success leading high-value sourcing initiatives and complex negotiations in a global matrixed org.
• Strong stakeholder-influencing, analytical, negotiation, and executive communication capabilities.
• Preferred: Master’s degree (MBA), CPSM, CIPS, CPM, or equivalent qualification.
• Experience in life sciences, diagnostics, technology, or other highly regulated global industries.
• Experience with eSourcing, spend analytics, procurement reporting, and contract lifecycle management platforms.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute multi-year global category strategies aligned with Agilent's priorities and transformation agenda.
• Lead Agilent’s preferred supplier strategy for professional services with governance and performance management.
• Create category playbooks based on spend, supplier concentration, demand patterns, and market dynamics.
• Identify opportunities for competitive sourcing, supplier consolidation, and cost optimization.
• Serve as procurement advisor to senior stakeholders on sourcing strategies, suppliers, and commercial structures.
• Negotiate best-in-class commercial arrangements and develop fact-based negotiation strategies.
• Establish governance for strategic suppliers and lead quarterly business reviews and scorecard programs.
• Monitor supplier risk and coordinate mitigation plans.

Skills

Stakeholder influence

Negotiation

Analytical skills

Executive communication

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

eSourcing tools

Spend analytics

Contract lifecycle management platforms

Job description

Job Description Position Overview

The Professional Services Category Manager is responsible for leading Agilent's global sourcing strategy, supplier management, and commercial governance for Professional Services and Finance categories. The portfolio includes management consulting, financial and audit consulting, key strategic transformation initiatives, outsourced services, engineering and technical services, research and development support, clinical and laboratory services, and other specialized project resources. Operating within Global Indirect Procurement and the Corporate Services team, this role partners with senior leaders across the enterprise, including Corporate Development, the Transformation Office, Finance, Global Supply, R&D, and other corporate functions, to optimize cost, improve supplier performance, mitigate risk, and enable enterprise priorities. The role leads highly visible, complex sourcing initiatives; shapes category direction; influences executive stakeholders across regions; and serves as a procurement subject-matter expert. Success requires exceptional influencing skills, strong stakeholder management, advanced negotiation skills, and a proven ability to deliver results.

Key Responsibilities

Global Category Strategy & Planning

• Develop and execute multi-year global category strategies aligned with Agilent's business priorities, financial objectives, and transformation agenda.
• Develop and lead Agilent's preferred supplier strategy for professional services, including supplier segmentation, governance, performance management, and adoption across business functions.
• Create category playbooks based on spend, supplier concentration, demand patterns, contract coverage, market dynamics, business risk, and stakeholder requirements.
• Identify and prioritize opportunities for competitive sourcing, supplier consolidation, standardization, demand management, and commercial model optimization.
• Build and maintain a forward-looking pipeline of sourcing events, renewals, and strategic supplier initiatives.

Business Partnership & Executive Influence

• Serve as the primary procurement advisor for Professional Services, helping senior stakeholders select appropriate sourcing strategies, suppliers, engagement models, and commercial structures.
• Influence stakeholders to increase competitive tension, use preferred suppliers, aggregate demand, improve requirements, and adopt enterprise category strategies.
• Present sourcing recommendations, negotiation outcomes, business cases, risks, and decisions in clear executive-level terms.
• Facilitate cross-functional and cross-regional alignment to maximize enterprise leverage while addressing critical business needs.

Strategic Sourcing & Negotiation

• Lead complex global and regional sourcing initiatives, including strategy development, RFPs, RFQs, supplier evaluation, negotiation, recommendation, and implementation.
• Negotiate best-in-class commercial arrangements, including fixed-fee, milestone-based, outcome-based, managed-service, retainer, rate-card, and time-and-material models.
• Develop fact-based negotiation strategies that balance cost, quality, flexibility, speed, innovation, and risk.

Supplier Relationship & Performance Management

• Establish governance frameworks for strategic Professional Services suppliers, including roles, decision rights, escalation paths, KPIs, and executive review cadence.
• Lead supplier business reviews and performance discussions focused on service quality, commercial compliance, measurable outcomes, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Implement scorecards and corrective action plans and hold suppliers accountable for contractual and operational commitments.
• Monitor supplier, concentration, financial, operational, data, and reputational risks and coordinate mitigation plans.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Economics, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, category management, or a consulting background.
• Demonstrated experience managing Professional Services, consulting, outsourcing, or other complex indirect service categories.
• Proven success leading high-value sourcing initiatives and complex commercial negotiations in a global, matrixed organization.
• Strong stakeholder-influencing, analytical, negotiation, and executive communication capabilities.
• Ability to work independently, navigate ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and drive decisions without direct authority.
• Preferred Master's degree, MBA, CPSM, CIPS, CPM, or an equivalent professional qualification.
• Experience in life sciences, diagnostics, technology, or another highly regulated global industry.
• Experience implementing preferred supplier programs, managed services, or supplier performance programs.
• Experience with eSourcing, spend analytics, procurement reporting, and contract lifecycle management platforms.

Additional Details

This job has a full time