Remote Senior Category Operations Lead

Lumen; Pierre (SD); Remote; USD 84,000 - 112,000; Full time

Job summary

Lumen is seeking a Sr. Category Operations Specialist to support sourcing, contracting, and supplier management for Outside Plant Support Services, including locates and flagging. You will develop procurement strategies, analyze spend, and optimize supplier performance within a high accountability environment.

Work from home in the U.S. while coordinating with Network Construction, Operations, Finance, and Legal.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, finance, operations, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Two to four years of experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, category management, supplier management, contract administration, or supply chain operations.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze spend and performance data, identify trends, and communicate practical recommendations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including intermediate Excel skills in data analysis, reporting, and presentation.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and stakeholder requests in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
• Strong attention to detail, organization, problem-solving, and written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Analyze spend, supplier performance, service demand, and market trends to identify sourcing opportunities, optimize costs, and mitigate risk.
• Develop reports, dashboards, and performance metrics in partnership with the Reporting & Analytics team.
• Maintain visibility into category spend, supplier utilization, service volumes, and financial performance.
• Partner with Network Construction and regional stakeholders to align sourcing and supplier strategies with Outside Plant support requirements.
• Support supplier sourcing, onboarding, and management for locates, flagging, and related field services.
• Monitor supplier performance, capacity, quality, and service delivery, driving issue resolution and corrective actions as needed.
• Manage RFI, RFQ, and RFP activities from requirements gathering through supplier selection and implementation.
• Track operational issues, supplier commitments, and business priorities to support service continuity and project execution.
• Translate business, supplier, and market insights into actionable category strategies and execution plans.
• Lead or support initiatives focused on cost optimization, supplier performance, demand management, and process improvement.
• Monitor initiative progress, risks, and benefits, providing updates to stakeholders and leadership.
• Coordinate contracts, statements of work, amendments, and renewals in partnership with stakeholders, Legal, and Contracting Excellence.
• Maintain contract records and ensure compliance with sourcing, legal, and approval requirements.
• Monitor key commercial terms, obligations, pricing, and contract milestones.
• Build strong relationships across Network Construction, Operations, Finance, Legal, and other business partners.
• Facilitate supplier and category reviews, align priorities, and drive issue resolution.
• Deliver clear analyses, recommendations, and status updates to stakeholders and leadership.

Skills

Excel

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Procurement knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, finance, operations, or related field

Tools

SAP

Ariba

Job description

Lumen is seeking a Sr. Category Operations Specialist to support sourcing, contracting, and supplier management for Outside Plant Support Services, including locates and flagging. You will develop procurement strategies, analyze spend, and optimize supplier performance within a high accountability environment.

Work from home in the U.S. while coordinating with Network Construction, Operations, Finance, and Legal.