Senior Category Manager

Cushman & Wakefield; United States; Remote; USD 123,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

Cushman & Wakefield is seeking a Senior Category Manager to lead development and implementation of category strategies and manage the preferred supplier program company-wide.

You will collaborate with business lines and procurement partners to align strategies, optimize supplier performance, and drive value for clients while advancing best practices and governance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 7+ years in facilities category management or operations within supply chain.
• Certifications CPSM / CIPS / C.P.M. preferred or demonstrated professional growth.
• In-depth knowledge of procurement fundamentals.
• Subject matter expertise in facility services trades.
• Strong interpersonal and analytical skills.
• Ability to build relationships at all levels.
• Self-motivated with goal orientation and proactive problem solving.
• Contract negotiation and ongoing management skills.
• Analytical data mining to drive spend analysis.
• Experience building diverse supplier relationships.
• Ability to lead and manage multiple projects independently.

Responsibilities

• Lead a high-performance environment and act as trusted category expert; remove roadblocks to procurement goals.
• Develop category plans and align with service lines; drive EBITDA growth via preferred suppliers and use data analytics.
• Communicate supply category metrics and foster adoption of the preferred supplier network; build cross-unit relationships.
• Drive continuous improvement and change management of the preferred supplier program.

Skills

Category management

Procurement

Data analytics

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Relationship building

Analytical skills

Strategic thinking

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree

CPSM / CIPS / C.P.M. certifications

Job description

Job Title

Senior Category Manager

Job Description Summary

This role interfaces with the business lines to lead the development and implementation of category strategies and supplier relationship management company wide. The primary responsibility of this position is to select and manage robust preferred supplier program that drive value for our clients.

Responsibilities

• Leadership- Creates a working environment that encourages high performance and innovation. Becomes a trusted advisor and subject matter expert on the categories. Removes roadblocks to enable the delivery of procurement, company and client goals. Promotes compliance with C&W’s code of conduct.
• Category Management- Establishes category plans and strategy to ensure the right solution for C&W business lines. Responsible for working with procurement business partners and service line leadership to align category management vision with service line and procurement priorities. Drives EBITDA growth through C&W’s preferred suppliers. Incorporates industry best practices into category delivery. Utilizes demand planning to target value from supplier agreements. Monitors preferred supplier utilization, builds roster to ensure capability to deliver across the service line portfolios, and monitors performance to ensure capability to meet account needs. Ability to develop and understand data analytics, to mine data to drive in depth analysis of client 3rd party spend. Ensure effective commercial arrangements.
• Business Influence- Communicates supply category preferred supplier metrics and helps the business drive greater adoption of the preferred supplier network. Develops and maintains strong relationships with business units and the category management team. Drives for results by consistently achieving goals in a timely manner. Develops and delivers communications with clarity and impact, ensuring consistent messaging. Encourages creation and brings new best in class ideas and approaches to the table for developing and executing category strategies and working within the supply market to ensure Cushman & Wakefield meets or exceeds their objectives. Working cross-functionally with other departments including Finance, Operations, Technology, HR, Project Management, etc. for delivery of category strategies. Working with C&W Legal Counsel to ensure consistent templates to enable effective negotiations and risk mitigation.
• Continuous Improvement/Change Management- Strong problem-solving skills utilizing continuous improvement techniques. Utilizes change management techniques to drive the development and utilization of a preferred supplier program.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• 7+ years of facilities category management or operational experience from within the supply chain
• Professional certifications preferred e.g., CPSM, CIPS, C.P.M., or evidence of continued professional growth
• In-depth knowledge of Procurement and fundamentals
• Demonstrated subject matter expertise in facility services trades.
• Strong interpersonal and analytical skills
• Ability to build relationships at all levels
• Inner drive to accomplish goals and not deterred by obstacles
• Capacity to develop innovative strategies and solutions, creative problem solver
• Contract negotiation and ongoing management skills
• Analytics, ability to mine data to drive in depth analysis
• Building and managing diverse supplier relationships
• Ability to independently lead & manage multiple projects

Values

• Driven
• Resilient
• Inclusive
• Visionary
• Entrepreneurial

Benefits

Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work.

Compensation

The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on ... The compensation for the position is: $ 123,250.00 - $145,000.00

EEO Statement

Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email [e-mail]. Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.

About

INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”

Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global commercial real estate services firm for occupiers and investors with approximately 53,000 employees in over 350 offices and nearly 60 countries. In 2025, the firm reported revenue of $10.3 billion across its core service lines of services, Leasing, Capital markets, and Valuation and other. Built around the belief that Better never settles, the firm receives numerous industry and business accolades for its award-winning culture. For additional information, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com