Strategic Sourcing Category Manager — Cloud & IT

Citizens Bank; Johnston (RI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 248,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Retirement benefits

Flexible work arrangements

Education reimbursement

Wellness programs

Job summary

Citizens Bank seeks an Enterprise Services and Cloud Strategy Category Manager to lead a team of sourcing professionals across ERP, Data Analytics, AI, and Cloud platforms. You will drive multi-year category strategies, partner with business lines, and deliver measurable value in a highly regulated environment.

You'll coach negotiations, develop risk-aware supplier governance, and present executive insights to senior leaders, shaping strategic decisions across IT and operations.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in category management, vendor management and strategic sourcing.
• Experience leading complex negotiations and enterprise-wide sourcing initiatives.
• Strong commercial acumen and financial modeling capability.
• Advanced analytical skills translating data into insights.
• Cross-functional collaboration and consensus-building across stakeholders.
• Executive-level communication and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute multi-year category strategies aligned to business and enterprise objectives.
• Define category vision, value targets, performance expectations, and strategic guardrails.
• Maintain a comprehensive category strategy that includes demand forecasts, supplier and contract landscapes, market intelligence, and a savings and value roadmap.
• Own annual category value targets, including cost savings, cost avoidance, and productivity improvements.
• Identify opportunities for demand management, specification optimization, and supplier rationalization.
• Track, measure, and report realized savings and category performance outcomes.
• Participate complex, cross-functional sourcing initiatives, including RFIs, RFPs, and supplier negotiations.
• Inform fact-based negotiation strategies supported by financial analysis and market insights.
• Partner closely Business, Strategic Sourcing, Risk, and Compliance teams to ensure appropriate commercial, regulatory alignment and performance levels and penalties.
• Manage strategic supplier relationships through structured governance, including performance scorecards and regular business reviews.
• Define and monitor supplier KPIs aligned to business outcomes.
• Proactively address supplier performance issues and mitigate operational, financial, concentration, and resiliency risks.
• Collaborate with third-party risk, compliance, and information security partners to support effective risk management in a regulated environment.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior business leaders.
• Influence sourcing and demand decisions early in the planning cycle.
• Constructively challenge demand and assumptions to optimize enterprise outcomes.
• Present clear, executive-ready insights and strategic recommendations.
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of sourcing professionals to strengthen category management capabilities and drive consistent execution.
• Set clear performance expectations, priorities, and accountability measures aligned to enterprise sourcing objectives.
• Provide day-to-day guidance on complex sourcing strategies, stakeholder engagement, supplier negotiations, and issue resolution.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performing team culture focused on continuous improvement, professional growth, and measurable business impact.
• Support resource planning, workload prioritization, and talent development to ensure effective delivery across assigned categories and initiatives.

Skills

Category management

Vendor management

Strategic sourcing

Negotiation leadership

Financial modeling

Analytical skills

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Education

MBA or CPSM certification

Job description

Citizens Bank seeks an Enterprise Services and Cloud Strategy Category Manager to lead a team of sourcing professionals across ERP, Data Analytics, AI, and Cloud platforms. You will drive multi-year category strategies, partner with business lines, and deliver measurable value in a highly regulated environment.

You'll coach negotiations, develop risk-aware supplier governance, and present executive insights to senior leaders, shaping strategic decisions across IT and operations.