Lead, Category Management, Professional Services

Guardian Life; Holmdel Township (NJ); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Guardian Life is seeking a Lead, Category Management, Professional Services to drive end-to-end sourcing and contracting initiatives across the Professional Services category. You will work with Finance, Legal, technology and business teams to develop category strategies, propose cost-saving opportunities, and manage key supplier relationships.

You will lead complex RFPs/RFIs, engage senior stakeholders, and influence decisions with rigorous analysis and negotiation acumen.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in technology, finance, legal studies, business, or a related discipline.
• At least 10 years of experience in strategic sourcing, category management, and contract negotiations.
• Experience with end-to-end sourcing and contracting process including RFPs/RFIs, supplier evaluation and negotiations.
• Experience leading professional services sourcing across technology and non-technology engagements.
• Strong in contract review, redlining, and drafting language.
• Ability to analyze supplier proposals, pricing, terms, and negotiate contracts.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end execution of high-visibility sourcing initiatives and supplier negotiations in the Professional Services category.
• Partner with senior leaders to develop category management strategies and drive spend consolidation.
• Evaluate proposals, create evaluation sheets, and drive consensus on supplier selection.
• Provide detailed analysis of supplier proposals to stakeholders, including pricing and business terms.
• Interface with suppliers and internal partners to ensure timely decisions and effective contract management.
• Familiarize with Guardian’s contract landscape and manage key suppliers.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Data analysis

Procurement

Contract management

Supplier management

RFP/RFI leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Microsoft Excel

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business/related field

MBA (preferred)

Tools

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Hybrid - In office 3 days per week

New York

Holmdel

Full time

R000110543

Lead, Category Management, Professional Services

Strategic Sourcing & Vendor Management

Do you enjoy solving complex business problems through strategic sourcing, rigorous analysis, and strong contract negotiations? As Lead, Category Management, Professional Services, you will partner with business leaders to develop and execute category strategies that deliver value, foster innovation, identify savings opportunities, and mitigate risk. You will lead high-visibility sourcing initiatives from requirements definition through supplier selection and contract negotiation while building trusted relationships across Finance, Legal, technology, and business teams. This role offers the opportunity to influence senior leaders, strengthen Guardian’s supplier portfolio, and accelerate impact across the enterprise.

You are

A strategic and collaborative sourcing lead who can translate business needs into executable category and negotiation strategies. You are comfortable leading complex, high-value initiatives, influencing senior stakeholders, and balancing commercial value, innovation, speed, and risk. You bring strong analytical judgment, clear communication, active listening, adaptability, integrity, accountability, and a problem-solving mindset. You build trust across functions, support an inclusive team culture, and remain organized and effective while managing competing priorities.

The Lead, Category Management, Professional Services Category will handle end to end sourcing and contracting negotiations of sourcing activity and projects within the Professional Services category. S/he will become familiar with Guardian’s contract landscape, supplier base, and manage key suppliers. S/he will also need to engage the business early in the sourcing process to understand requirements, propose category management ideas and cost saving opportunities.

You have

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in technology, finance, legal studies, business, or a related discipline.

• At least 10 years of experience in strategic sourcing, category management, and contract negotiations.

• Demonstrated knowledge of the end-to-end sourcing and contracting process, including requests for proposal, requests for information, supplier evaluation, and commercial negotiations.

• Experience leading professional services sourcing projects across both technology and non-technology engagements.

• Strong in contract review, redlining, and drafting contract language.

• Ability to analyze supplier proposals, pricing, business terms, and legal terms, and to redline contracts to accurately capture negotiated business requirements.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience negotiating large-volume of consulting, technology implementation, managed services, outsourcing, or transformation contracts.

• Experience developing alternative commercial models such as fixed-fee, milestone-based, outcome-based, consumption-based, or blended-rate structures rather than relying solely on time-and-materials arrangements.

• Experience using should-cost analysis, benchmarking, rate-card analysis, and competitive market intelligence to develop negotiation positions.

• Experience managing strategic suppliers through supplier performance management, QBRs, KPIs, SLAs, and continuous improvement programs.

• MBA preferred

You will

• Run and lead end-to-end execution of high visibility and complex RFPs, RFIs, vendor selection and contract negotiations in the Professional Services Category.

• Partner with Head of Professional Services Category to develop and integrate category management strategies across the business units.

• Drive and deliver on vendor consolidation on professional services suppliers being used across the different LOBs. Partner with key finance leadership to review category spend and drive savings opportunities.

• Ability to develop strategic sourcing strategy on complex deals and showcase leadership and drive sourcing influence to senior level leaders and their teams.

• Candidate must possess experience handling technology and non-technology professional services sourcing projects.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define requirements, evaluate proposals, and ensure timely decision-making.

• Research and advise Guardian senior leaders on supplier options, deal structuring and other deal aspects, including deal duration, selection criteria and supplier KPIs.

• Create evaluation sheets and perform qualitative and quantitative analysis to drive to consensus on supplier selection.

• Providing detailed analysis of supplier proposals to stakeholders, including pricing and business terms.

• Provide the first layer of review prior to sending matters to legal and will need to directly interface with suppliers and internal business partners. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong organizational skills, possess the ability to multi-task, be detail oriented, and be able to set and manage priorities.

• Become familiar with Guardian’s contract landscape, supplier base, and manage key suppliers.

• Engage the business early in the sourcing process to understand requirements, propose category management ideas and cost saving opportunities.

• Manage and prioritize a key complex and high value contracts and sourcing projects simultaneously.

• Provide the first layer of review prior to sending matters to legal and will need to