IT Procurement Category Manager

Gartner; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 94,000 - 134,000; Full time

Job summary

Gartner is seeking a Category Manager to lead strategic sourcing for IT Software, Subscriptions, and Mobility, guiding negotiations and contracts with stakeholders across the organization.

The role focuses on delivering cost efficiencies, shaping category roadmaps, and ensuring compliant procurement processes, with potential people management responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required; Master's Degree preferred.
• 5+ years of relevant sourcing and negotiation experience of highly complex technology agreements across software categories with demonstrated ability to lead and delivery value.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency to tell the story of what the data means.
• Compelling collaboration skills that foster strong relationships with internal & external business partners.
• Ability to be creative and innovative in finding solutions and negotiating strategies.
• Ability to work in a fast paced, high-pressure environment and prioritize own workload.
• Strong ability to work independently and make decisions within scope of role without management approval.
• Unquestionable ethics and the desire to always do the right thing.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite applications, G-suite and Sourcing/Procurement solutions for e-sourcing, spend analytics, contract lifecycle management (CLM) and Procure-to-Pay (P2P).
• Ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects requiring frequent communication, organization, time management, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work with and lead geographically dispersed cross-functional teams. Multilingual skills are a plus!

Responsibilities

• Establish strong relationships with stakeholders; building a robust understanding of priorities and requirements across spend categories.
• Develop strategic category plans for IT Software, Subscription and Mobility categories with stakeholders.
• Serve as the Procurement SME and guide strategic sourcing and procurement processes; communicate early and often.
• Maintain knowledge of category trends, supplier capabilities and changes in the landscape.
• Lead cross-functional teams through a disciplined sourcing process and fair contracting.
• Develop negotiation plans aligned with desired outcomes for TCO, SLAs and key terms.
• Organize data sets and develop meaningful spend and performance analyses; present business cases.
• Coordinate with Gartner Legal, Finance, and IT Security during contracting and compliance checks.
• Develop and facilitate business reviews with stakeholders on supplier performance and opportunities.
• Guide stakeholders on preferred suppliers and supplier management strategy.
• Conduct planning sessions to ensure addressable spend is under source-to-contract management.
• Potentially be a people manager in this position.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Strategic sourcing

Negotiation

Data analysis

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Decision making

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

G Suite

Sourcing/Procurement tools

Spend analytics

Contract lifecycle management (CLM)

Procure-to-Pay (P2P)

Job description

About this role:

Gartner Category Managers play an essential role leading strategic sourcing opportunities, developing category plans and negotiating highly complex contracts on behalf of multiple stakeholders. They are highly effective communicators, able to articulate the value proposition of partnering early and often with the greater Source to Contract team. This role will be responsible for Global IT Software Solutions, Subscription Agreements, and Mobility Agreements. This role routinely influences and advises senior leaders on innovative sourcing strategies that create sustainable, long-term partnerships for the overall organization.

What you'll do:

• Establish strong relationships with stakeholders; building a robust understanding of mission critical priorities and requirements across spend categories and suppliers.
• Work collaboratively with geographically dispersed stakeholders to develop strategic category plans for IT Software, Subscription and Mobility categories. Gain alignment on sourcing and negotiation strategies and short/long term category roadmaps.
• Serve as the Procurement SME for your stakeholders and guide them on strategic sourcing and operational procurement processes. Communicate early and often. Proactively seek ways to reduce costs and improve efficiencies.
• Maintain knowledge of current category trends, supplier capabilities and changes within the supplier and technology landscape for traditional and emerging solutions.
• Lead cross-functional teams through a disciplined sourcing process. Facilitate stakeholders through developing requirements, evaluating suppliers and supplier selection using effective project management skills. Ensure all sourcing initiatives are conducted in a fair and ethical manner which provides a level playing field for all participants.
• Develop negotiation plans aligned with stakeholder desired outcomes for TCO, SLAs and key business terms. Demonstrate competency and knowledge of contract development, key contracting principles, standard terms, laws/ regulations and industry standards during contract negotiations.
• Organize data sets and develop meaningful analysis of spend, cost and performance metrics. Present compelling business cases to influence decision-makers at all levels of the organization.
• Manage compliance during all phases the contracting process. Coordinate with Gartner Legal, Finance, and IT Security when needed. Ensure all Third-Party Risk Management checks are complete prior to contract signature. Route contracts for approval and signature as required by Gartner policy.
• Develop and facilitate business reviews with stakeholders to review supplier performance, future opportunities and/or challenges.
• Guide stakeholders on preferred suppliers. Develop supplier management strategy to reduce and consolidate global suppliers.
• Conduct routine planning sessions with your stakeholders to ensure addressable spend in the assigned categories are under source to contract management.
• Potentially be a people manager in this position.

What you'll need:

• Bachelor's Degree required; Master's Degree preferred.
• 5+ years of relevant sourcing and negotiation experience of highly complex technology agreements across software categories with demonstrated ability to lead and delivery value.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency to tell the story of "what the data means".
• Compelling collaboration skills that foster strong relationships with internal & external business partners.
• Ability to be creative and innovative in finding solutions and negotiating strategies. Insatiable desire to learn more and improve every day.
• Ability to work in a fast paced, high-pressure environment and prioritize own workload.
• Strong ability to work independently and make decisions within scope of role without management approval.
• Unquestionable ethics and the desire to always do the right thing.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite applications, G-suite and Sourcing/Procurement solutions for e-sourcing, spend analytics, contract lifecycle management (CLM) and Procure-to-Pay (P2P).
• Ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects requiring frequent communication, organization, time management, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work with and lead geographically dispersed cross-functional teams. Multilingual skills are a plus!

Who you are:

• Highly motivated self-starting performer, with a demonstrated ability to influence and lead others while also working independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Embracer of fact-based decision making; naturally seeking to leverage and/or integrate market data, spend analytics, and cost modeling.
• Tenacious negotiator with proven experience in setting negotiation strategies and conducting negotiations.
• Strong communicator in both oral and written form, with excellent interpersonal skills.
• Able to successfully prioritize and solve for complex problems, factoring instances of ambiguity and unexpected change.
• Teachable and embracing of best practices and feedback as a means of continuous improvement.
• Consistently high achiever marked by perseverance, humility, and a positive outlook in the face of challenges.

Who are we?

At Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT), we guide the leaders who shape the world.

Our mission relies on expert analysis and bold ideas to deliver actionable, objective business and technology insights, helping enterprise leaders and their teams succeed with their mission-critical priorities.

Since our founding in 1979, we've grown to 20,000 associates globally who support over 13,000 client enterprises in ~90 countries and territories. We do important, interesting and substantive work that matters. That's why we hire associates with the intellectual curiosity, energy and drive to want to make a difference. The bar is unapologetically high. So is the impact you can have here.

Our vast, virtually untapped market potential offers limitless opportunities - opportunities that may not even exist right now - for you to grow professionally and flourish personally. How far you go is driven by your passion and performance.

We hire remarkable people who collaborate and win as a team. Together, our singular, unifying goal is to deliver results for our clients.

Our teams are inclusive and composed of individuals from different geographies, cultures, religions, ethnicities, races, genders, sexual orientations, abilities and generations.

We invest in great leaders who bring out the best in you and the company, enabling us to multiply our impact and results. This is why, year after year, we are recognized worldwide as a great place to work.

Gartner is the world authority on AI

At Gartner, you'll join a company at the very center of the AI revolution. Gartner has proactive, objective guidance throughout clients' AI journeys. We set the standard for how organizations leverage artificial intelligence to drive meaningful impact. You'll have access to unmatched resources, expertise, and technology, and play a key role in helping Gartner and our clients innovate and grow as we leverage AI to transform business and technology landscapes.

It's an exciting time to be at Gartner, with limitless opportunities to make a real impact, grow your skills, and build a lasting, meaningful career in a field that's reshaping the way we operate. If you're passionate about AI and want to be part of a team that's guiding the leaders who shape the world, Gartner is the place for you.

Gartner offers world-class benefits, highly competitive compensation and disproportionate rewards for top performers.

In our hybrid work environment, we provide the flexibility and support for you to thrive - working virtually when it's productive to do so and getting together with colleagues in a vibrant community that is purposeful, engaging and inspiring.

Ready to grow your career with Gartner? Join us.

Gartner believes in fair and equitable pay. A reasonable estimate of the base salary range for this role is 94,000 USD - 134,000 USD. Please note that actual salaries may vary within the range, or be above or below the range, based on factors including, but not limited to, education, training, experience, professional achievement, business need, and location. In addition to base salary, employees will participate in either an annual bonus plan based on company and individual performance, or a role-based, uncapped sales incentive plan. Our talent acquisition team will provide the specific opportunity on our bonus or incentive programs to eligible candidates. We also offer market leading benefit programs including generous PTO, a 401k match up to $7,200 per year, the opportunity to purchase company stock at a discount, and more.

The policy of Gartner is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, citizenship status, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status and to seek to advance the principles of equal employment opportunity.

Gartner is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer and offers opportunities to all job seekers, including job seekers with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access the Company's career webpage as a result of your disability. You may request reasonable accommodations by calling Human Resources at [phone] or by sending an email to [e-mail].