Remote Senior HR & Payroll Category Leader

The American National Red Cross; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision plans

HSA/FSA plans

PTO 19 days/year

11 paid holidays

401K with up to 6% match

Paid Family Leave

Employee Assistance

Disability and Long-Term Insurance

Service Awards

Job summary

The American Red Cross is seeking a Senior Category Manager to own end-to-end procurement for HR Total Rewards and Payroll spend. This role is fully remote, US-based, with an east coast schedule, and partners with HR, Finance, and Legal to deliver measurable value.

Responsibilities include leading RFI/RFP activities, negotiating contracts, and managing supplier performance while identifying cost savings and risk mitigation opportunities. A strong background in HR vendor ecosystems is essential.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Management, HR, or related field; MBA is a plus.
• 10 years of progressive procurement/category management experience sourcing HR/HCM, benefits, payroll, or related services.
• Experience negotiating large, complex service contracts with vendors.
• Strong understanding of HR Total Rewards and Payroll vendor landscape (Workday, Alight, benefits carriers).
• Familiarity with data privacy and compliance considerations for HR/payroll data.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute multi-year category strategies for HR Total Rewards and payroll spend.
• Lead complex sourcing events (RFI/RFP/RFQ) for benefits carriers and payroll platforms.
• Negotiate contracts, pricing, and SLAs with major providers.
• Manage supplier relationships and performance via QBRs and scorecards.
• Identify cost savings, cost avoidance, and process efficiencies; track savings targets.
• Embed procurement in planning cycles and technology roadmaps with HR leadership.
• Assess supplier risk (data security/privacy, ERISA compliance, etc.).
• Manage contract lifecycle including renewals, amendments, terminations; mentor juniors.

Skills

Vendor management

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

HR Total Rewards

Payroll/vendor landscape

Data privacy

Executive communication

Spend analysis

TCO modeling

Cross-functional leadership

Policy/compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Management or HR

MBA (plus)

Tools

Workday

Alight

HRIS/payroll systems

Job description

The American Red Cross is seeking a Senior Category Manager to own end-to-end procurement for HR Total Rewards and Payroll spend. This role is fully remote, US-based, with an east coast schedule, and partners with HR, Finance, and Legal to deliver measurable value.

Responsibilities include leading RFI/RFP activities, negotiating contracts, and managing supplier performance while identifying cost savings and risk mitigation opportunities. A strong background in HR vendor ecosystems is essential.