Senior Category Manager

Truist; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 104,000 - 197,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) plan

Paid vacation & holidays

Job summary

Truist is seeking a Senior Category Manager to lead demand and supply management for key spend areas. You will optimize total cost, manage supplier risk, and partner with executive stakeholders to ensure timely contract support and value realization across the organization.

The role requires deep category knowledge, strategic sourcing experience in financial services, and the ability to drive cross-functional teams. Strong negotiation, analytics and relationship skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 6–10 years of sourcing experience in regulated environments.
• Knowledge of market drivers, suppliers and cost factors.
• Experience managing matrixed supplier relationships.
• Direct management of a sourcing/procurement team in financial services or regulated industry.
• Ability to learn quickly and apply strategic category spend insights.
• Strong communication with internal and external stakeholders.
• Proven supplier consolidation and spend optimization track record.
• Subject matter expertise in sourcing methodologies and techniques.
• Ability to develop client relationships and present to executives.
• Proficient analytical, written and verbal communication, plus project management.

Responsibilities

• Develop category strategies for medium/high spend, complexity and importance.
• Partner with Category Managers to drive value and align with business goals.
• Understand category activity and identify opportunities for involvement.
• Build deep expertise within assigned categories and supply markets.
• Lead cross-functional teams on specifications, RFIs, RFPs, contracts and plans.
• Analyze market data for negotiations and supplier selections.
• Monitor supplier performance and forecast demand and design specs.
• Ensure best practices in sourcing and risk management are followed.
• Execute end-to-end sourcing with scope, selection, negotiation and contract execution.
• Engage risk stakeholders and remediate vendor performance gaps.
• Promote risk excellence and regulatory compliance across procurement.
• Manage project pipeline and deliver to timelines; participate in special projects.

Skills

Sourcing

Stakeholder engagement

Negotiation

Project management

Analytical skills

Communication

Executive presence

Vendor management

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA preferred

Job description

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Regular or Temporary:

Regular

Language Fluency: English (Required)

Work Shift: 1st shift (United States of America)

Please review the following job description:

Reporting to the Category Director, the Senior Category Manager is responsible for managing all demand management and supply management activities for one or more categories of spend, with the goal of optimizing the total cost of ownership, managing supplier risk, ensuring suppliers adhere to needed timelines, and meeting all business stakeholders’ needs.

Serve in a relationship management role with key business/executive partners to drive collaboration, prioritization of business needs for contract support, and ensure engagement of appropriate resources across TSSM to deliver supply value with effective risk mitigation.

Actively manage pipeline of projects for team and ensure project delivery to agreed upon timelines and expectations.

The Senior Category Manager will be responsible for categories with medium/high spend levels, medium/high strategic importance and/or categories which require strong business relationships with senior-level peers in the LOBs or other business functions.

He/she should have a deep understanding of the specific dynamics of category requirements as well as the supply market to be able to develop and execute a fit-for-purpose category strategy for the organization.

Following is a summary of the essential functions for this job. Other duties may be performed, both major and minor, which are not mentioned below. Specific activities may change from time to time.

• Effectively develop and partner with Category Managers/Directors to implement category strategies with medium/high spend levels, complexity, and strategic importance within his/her portfolio to optimize business efficiency and drive maximum value.
• Develops an understanding of the current category activity within Truist and determines where SSM can have a greater involvement and drive value.
• Specializes by developing deep expertise within the category(s).
• Maintains deep understanding of global supply markets, competitors and product innovations.
• Builds strong relationships with ‘internal customers’ and industry suppliers.
• Partners with Business Leaders and Executives to ensure that sourcing strategies/category plans and execution are aligned with the Business and MoE/ecosystem Goals.
• Leads cross functional teams in the development of category specifications, RFIs, RFPs, contracts, and sourcing project plans.
• Performs market data analysis for negotiations and supplier selection, and leads high-complexity sourcing events.
• Compiles commodity profile details such as supplier performance, volume forecasts, and design specifications.
• Analyzes trends and dynamics of supply markets, and prepares commodity-specific performance metrics & dashboards.
• Ensures that best practices in the sourcing process are followed.
• Execute the full sourcing process which includes development of scope, supplier selection, commercial negotiation, third party risk acceptance and contract execution.
• Engages risk stakeholders as needed for sourcing activity.
• Drive to remedy inconsistent vendor performance across the enterprise and improve vendor performance/optimizing allocation of spend.
• Promote risk excellence and sound risk management as the first line of defense by driving and owning bank-wide policies including sourcing and purchasing, travel and expense reimbursement and contingent workforce.
• Also ensure compliance with Bank policies for regulatory directives and other firm-wide policies.
• Promote risk excellence and sound risk management as the first line of defense by driving and owning bank-wide policies including sourcing and purchasing, travel and expense reimbursement and contingent workforce.
• Also ensure compliance with Bank policies for regulatory directives and other firm-wide policies.
• Actively manage pipeline of projects for team and ensure project delivery to agreed upon timelines and expectations.
• Participates in special projects and performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree is required 6 to 10 years of relevant experience in sourcing (and related functions) with regulated organizations known for the strength of their operational, customer service, and risk excellence.
• Knowledge of the market, suppliers and cost drivers.
• Demonstrated experience with managing matrixed supplier relationships.
• Direct management experience of a sourcing/procurement team function with strategic development responsibilities in Financial Services and/or heavily regulated industry.
• Ability to learn content quickly and apply a strategic lens to category spend.
• Ability to engage and communication with internal and external stakeholders.
• Track record of success in supplier consolidation and driving spend to preferred suppliers.
• Subject Matter Expertise in strategic sourcing methodology and techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to develop client relationships.
• Proficient analytical skillsProficient written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient project management and time management skills.
• Proficient business acumen.
• Proficient negotiation and influencing skills.
• Proficient interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels, particularly at the management levelSelf-motivated, with executive presence and presentation skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• An MBA, Masters in Supply Chain and industry certifications are preferred.
• Ideally, this experience should be broad based involving several of the following functions: procurement, sourcing and third-party management.

To comply with the Virginia, pay transparency statute and for work locations in Virginia only. The annual base salary for this position is $103,800.00 - $197,210.00 USD.

• Truist offers medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, accidental death and dismemberment, tax-preferred savings accounts, and a 401k plan to teammates.
• Teammates also receive no less than 10 days of vacation (prorated based on date of hire and by full-time or part-time status) during their first year of employment, along with 10 sick days (also prorated), and paid holidays.
• For more details on Truist’s generous benefit plans, please visit our Benefits site.
• Depending on the position and division, this job may also be eligible for Truist’s defined benefit pension plan, restricted stock units, and/or a deferred compensation plan.
• As you advance through the hiring process, you will also learn more about the specific benefits available for any non-temporary position for which you apply, based on full-time or part-time status, position, and division of work.

Truist is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, color, religion, citizenship or national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or other classification protected by law. Truist is a Drug Free Workplace.

EEO is the Law E-Verify IER Right to Work.