Strategic IT Sourcing & Vendor Manager

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina; Kansas; Hybrid; USD 89,000 - 143,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k match including an annual company

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Ability to work Hybrid Flex/Remote

Job summary

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is seeking a Senior IT Category Manager to lead sourcing and vendor governance across IT hardware, software, and services. You will develop category strategies, run sourcing events, and negotiate vendor contracts to reduce total cost of ownership while managing risk.

The role emphasizes collaboration with stakeholders and cross-functional teams to ensure vendor obligations align with business requirements and compliance standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or advanced degree (where required).
• 5+ years of experience in related field.
• In lieu of degree, 7+ years of experience in related field.

Responsibilities

• Establish sourcing strategies with stakeholders for IT hardware; involve software and services.
• Conduct sourcing events with project plan, category strategy, minimum requirements and evaluation criteria.
• Develop bid documents (RFP/RFI/RFQ) and manage status reports and metrics.
• Analyze market dynamics and share industry knowledge within product/service portfolio.
• Source products/services using tools/processes to drive business results.
• Evaluate analyses from total cost of ownership perspective and suggest optimizations.
• Participate in cross-functional vendor negotiations and risk mitigation.
• Review and lead supplier relationship management and performance in category.
• Foster positive vendor relationships and drive engagement.
• Coordinate and host vendor reviews and manage yearly vendor plans.
• Coordinate risk assessments and plan addressing significant risks.
• Escalation point for vendor contractual issues and resolutions.
• Manage contracts with Compliance, Legal, Audit and Risk teams.

Skills

Vendor management

Category management

Sourcing strategies

Negotiation skills

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree or advanced degree

In lieu of degree, 7+ years of experience

Job description

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is seeking a Senior IT Category Manager to lead sourcing and vendor governance across IT hardware, software, and services. You will develop category strategies, run sourcing events, and negotiate vendor contracts to reduce total cost of ownership while managing risk.

The role emphasizes collaboration with stakeholders and cross-functional teams to ensure vendor obligations align with business requirements and compliance standards.