Global IT & Finance Category Lead

WIDIA; Latrobe (Westmoreland County); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Kennametal Inc. seeks a Global IT & Finance Category Manager to lead development and execution of category strategies with responsibility for IT and Finance spends totaling ~$110M.

You will drive strategic sourcing, supplier management, risk mitigation, contract governance, and value realization across global operations. This role partners with IT, Finance, HR, Legal, and regional teams to implement initiatives, monitor spend and supplier performance, and deliver measurable savings while

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, or Engineering; MBA preferred.
• Minimum 5+ years of strategic sourcing and procurement experience, including global initiatives.
• Experience leading category strategies in IT/Finance and in a manufacturing environment is a plus.
• Proven track record in complex contract negotiations and supplier governance.
• Ability to work across functions and manage cross-country supplier relationships.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and govern global IT and Finance category strategies across NAM, EMEA, APAC, and India.
• Develop annual sourcing roadmaps, project pipelines, and category strategies aligned with cost reduction goals.
• Lead global RFx events, supplier negotiations, contract renewals, and commercial discussions.
• Define requirements, develop SOWs, and prepare sourcing and negotiation strategies.
• Manage IT categories including software, SaaS, cloud services, hardware, telecom, infrastructure, and cybersecurity.
• Manage Finance categories including audit, tax, banking, insurance, and financial systems.
• Collaborate with IT, Finance, HR, Legal, and regional stakeholders on strategic initiatives.
• Track savings and value realization through sourcing tools and analytics.
• Utilize spend analytics and AI-enabled insights to identify optimization opportunities.
• Monitor market trends and supplier landscapes to drive improvements.
• Prepare executive presentations and sourcing recommendations.
• Lead supplier relationship management and performance scorecards.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Category management

Negotiation

Data analytics

Vendor management

Stakeholder management

SAP

ERP systems

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s Degree (Supply Chain, Business, or Engineering)

MBA

Tools

SAP

ERP systems

Job description

Kennametal Inc. seeks a Global IT & Finance Category Manager to lead development and execution of category strategies with responsibility for IT and Finance spends totaling ~$110M.

You will drive strategic sourcing, supplier management, risk mitigation, contract governance, and value realization across global operations. This role partners with IT, Finance, HR, Legal, and regional teams to implement initiatives, monitor spend and supplier performance, and deliver measurable savings while