Strategic Category Operations Lead – Sourcing & Contracts

Lumen; Frankfort (KY); Remote; USD 85,000 - 124,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Life insurance

Wellbeing programs

Job summary

Lumen Technologies is seeking a Sr. Category Operations Specialist to support sourcing, contracting, and supplier management for Outside Plant Support Services, including locates and flagging, from a US-based work-from-home arrangement.

You’ll develop procurement strategies, analyze spend and supplier performance, coordinate RFIs/RFPs, and drive cost optimization and risk mitigation across Network Construction, Operations, and Legal teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, finance, operations, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Two to four years of experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, category management, supplier management, contract administration, or supply chain operations.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze spend and performance data, identify trends, and communicate practical recommendations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including intermediate Excel skills in data analysis, reporting, and presentation.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and stakeholder requests in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
• Strong attention to detail, organization, problem-solving, and written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Analyze spend, supplier performance, service demand, and market trends to identify sourcing opportunities, optimize costs, and mitigate risk.
• Develop reports, dashboards, and performance metrics in partnership with the Reporting & Analytics team.
• Maintain visibility into category spend, supplier utilization, service volumes, and financial performance.
• Partner with Network Construction and regional stakeholders to align sourcing and supplier strategies with Outside Plant support requirements.
• Support supplier sourcing, onboarding, and management for locates, flagging, and related field services.
• Monitor supplier performance, capacity, quality, and service delivery, driving issue resolution and corrective actions as needed.
• Manage RFI, RFQ, and RFP activities from requirements gathering through supplier selection and implementation.
• Track operational issues, supplier commitments, and business priorities to support service continuity and project execution.
• Translate business, supplier, and market insights into actionable category strategies and execution plans.
• Lead or support initiatives focused on cost optimization, supplier performance, demand management, and process improvement.
• Monitor initiative progress, risks, and benefits, providing updates to stakeholders and leadership.
• Coordinate contracts, statements of work, amendments, and renewals in partnership with stakeholders, Legal, and Contracting Excellence.
• Maintain contract records and ensure compliance with sourcing, legal, and approval requirements.
• Monitor key commercial terms, obligations, pricing, and contract milestones.
• Build strong relationships across Network Construction, Operations, Finance, Legal, and other business partners.
• Facilitate supplier and category reviews, align priorities, and drive issue resolution.
• Deliver clear analyses, recommendations, and status updates to stakeholders and leadership.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for assigned suppliers, managing operational discussions, performance reviews, and escalations.
• Maintain supplier scorecards and support ongoing governance and business reviews.
• Identify and mitigate supplier risks related to capacity, compliance, financial stability, and service delivery.
• Drive accountability for supplier commitments, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Excel proficiency

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain or related field

Tools

SAP

Ariba

Job description

Lumen Technologies is seeking a Sr. Category Operations Specialist to support sourcing, contracting, and supplier management for Outside Plant Support Services, including locates and flagging, from a US-based work-from-home arrangement.

You’ll develop procurement strategies, analyze spend and supplier performance, coordinate RFIs/RFPs, and drive cost optimization and risk mitigation across Network Construction, Operations, and Legal teams.