Strategic Category Manager - Procurement & Vendors

CFA Institute; Virginia (MN); On-site; USD 83,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual discretionary incentive bonus

12% employer pension contribution

Comprehensive medical benefits package

Flexible work options

Wellbeing and development programs

Job summary

CFA Institute is seeking an Associate Category Manager to support the evolution of our Procurement & Vendor Management function in the United States. You will own end-to-end procurement activities for an assigned spend category, partnering with stakeholders to shape category plans and negotiate favorable terms.

You will lead or support RFI/RFP/RFQ processes, monitor supplier performance, and drive continuous improvement across procurement playbooks and templates in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Strong, demonstrable experience across procurement, strategic sourcing, category management or contract management.
• Proven experience managing the procurement lifecycle, including sourcing, commercial negotiation and vendor management.
• Experience within services procurement with understanding of procurement environments beyond goods and logistics.

Responsibilities

• Manage activity across the procurement lifecycle, including sourcing, vendor evaluation, negotiation, contracting and ongoing vendor management.
• Partner with business stakeholders to translate requirements into effective sourcing strategies and category plans.
• Lead or support competitive sourcing activity (RFI/RFP/RFQ) and make award recommendations.
• Negotiate with vendors to secure strong outcomes balancing cost, quality, risk, and business needs.
• Monitor contracts through their lifecycle and track renewals, amendments, and expirations with Legal support where needed.
• Track vendor performance against SLAs and KPIs and address performance gaps.

Skills

Procurement lifecycle

Sourcing

Negotiation

Vendor management

Stakeholder management

Contract management

Spend analysis

Vendor evaluation

Education

Bachelor's degree in supply chain / procurement

Job description

CFA Institute is seeking an Associate Category Manager to support the evolution of our Procurement & Vendor Management function in the United States. You will own end-to-end procurement activities for an assigned spend category, partnering with stakeholders to shape category plans and negotiate favorable terms.

You will lead or support RFI/RFP/RFQ processes, monitor supplier performance, and drive continuous improvement across procurement playbooks and templates in a dynamic environment.