Strategic Software Procurement Lead

Kelly; Valley City (OH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Kelly is seeking a Lead Category Manager – Software to join a global Fortune 500 manufacturing organization on a direct-hire basis. This high-impact role leads strategic sourcing, contract negotiations, supplier management, and procurement operations within a complex IT environment.

The ideal candidate has 9+ years of software procurement experience, strong vendor management, and the ability to partner with IT, Finance, Legal, and Cybersecurity to drive multi-year savings.

Qualifications

• 9+ years of procurement experience in a global corporate environment.
• 5+ years in IT technology category with strong SOFTWARE PROCUREMENT focus.
• Proven software agreement negotiations including licensing, renewals, pricing, and multi-year terms.
• Lifecycle expertise from demand/usage forecasting to negotiation, contracting and supplier management.
• Experience managing software publishers, vendors, and VARs/resellers.
• Demonstrated ability to lead negotiations, deliver measurable savings and improvements.
• Stakeholder management across IT, Finance, Legal, Cybersecurity, and business teams.
• Strong leadership and transformation experience with independent, high-impact execution.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex software contract renewals and negotiations across usage, pricing, and terms.
• Develop and execute strategic sourcing across the software category including supplier evaluation and competitive bidding.
• Manage relationships with publishers, vendors, and VARs to drive value and contract compliance.
• Serve as escalation point for IT Software Procurement and executive stakeholders.
• Guide the IT Software Procurement team through contract review, approvals, and governance.
• Partner with IT, Finance, Legal, Cybersecurity, and business units to align strategies.
• Develop financial, usage, savings, and supplier analytics to support decisions.

Skills

Procurement strategy

Contract negotiation

Stakeholder management

Software procurement

Vendor management

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA (preferred)

Job description

Kelly is seeking a Lead Category Manager – Software to join a global Fortune 500 manufacturing organization on a direct-hire basis. This high-impact role leads strategic sourcing, contract negotiations, supplier management, and procurement operations within a complex IT environment.

The ideal candidate has 9+ years of software procurement experience, strong vendor management, and the ability to partner with IT, Finance, Legal, and Cybersecurity to drive multi-year savings.