Senior Strategic Sourcing & Category Leader

Vizient, Inc.; Centennial (CO); Hybrid; USD 89,000 - 156,000; Full time

Job summary

Vizient, Inc. is seeking a seasoned sourcing and category management professional to lead strategic initiatives across complex product and service categories.

You will partner with clinicians, value analysis leaders, and suppliers to optimize spend, performance, and client satisfaction, while applying AI tools for research and analysis. The role requires 5+ years in sourcing, a strong analytics background, and the ability to manage multiple projects in a hybrid, multi-location environment

Qualifications

• Relevant degree preferred.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in strategic sourcing, category management, supply chain, consulting, healthcare operations, contracting, and/or related field.
• Experience supporting sourcing initiatives, supplier negotiations, or category management activities.
• Strong analytical skills with experience utilizing spend, utilization, supplier, and market data.
• Ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Healthcare, group purchasing, consulting, or highly regulated industry experience preferred.
• Demonstrated AI Fluency with the ability to independently utilize AI tools to support day-to-day work activities, critically evaluate AI-generated content, identify potential limitations or inaccuracies, and apply appropriate human judgment when making business recommendations and decisions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category strategies for assigned product and service categories.
• Partner to manage sourcing initiatives from opportunity identification through implementation.
• Conduct category, market, supplier, utilization, and spend analyses to support sourcing recommendations and strategy development.
• Assist in developing sourcing plans, project timelines, stakeholder engagement strategies, and implementation approaches.
• Research market conditions, emerging technologies, supplier capabilities, and industry trends impacting assigned categories.
• Collaborate with client sourcing representatives, clinicians, value analysis leaders, and operational stakeholders throughout sourcing initiatives as appropriate.
• Support stakeholder committees through agenda development, meeting facilitation, documentation, and follow-up activities as needed.
• Assist in gathering business requirements and identifying opportunities to improve quality, standardization, service, and cost performance.
• Provide category insights and recommendations to support stakeholder decision-making.
• Support development of RFIs, RFPs, supplier evaluations, and sourcing event deliverables.
• Conduct supplier negotiations, contract development activities, and implementation planning.
• Analyze supplier proposals and contract opportunities to identify savings, value-added services, and operational improvements.
• Coordinate communications and activities associated with contract implementation and ongoing supplier management.
• Evaluate client spend, utilization, and contract performance data to identify savings and optimization opportunities.
• Develop analyses and presentations that support strategic sourcing recommendations.
• Monitor industry trends, market dynamics, and supplier developments that may impact category strategies.
• Support achievement of annual operational, financial, and category performance objectives.
• Leverage approved AI tools to enhance productivity, support research and analysis, develop stakeholder communications, summarize complex information, and improve work quality while applying sound judgment and validating outputs for accuracy, relevance, and business appropriateness.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Category management

Stakeholder collaboration

Data analytics

AI fluency

Project management

Communication

Education

Relevant degree

Tools

AI tools

Excel

BI tools

Job description

Vizient, Inc. is seeking a seasoned sourcing and category management professional to lead strategic initiatives across complex product and service categories.

You will partner with clinicians, value analysis leaders, and suppliers to optimize spend, performance, and client satisfaction, while applying AI tools for research and analysis. The role requires 5+ years in sourcing, a strong analytics background, and the ability to manage multiple projects in a hybrid, multi-location environment