Category Management

The Category Management Unit is a forward-thinking, creative team of procurement professionals responsible for the development and oversight of statewide contracts that enable more than $2 billion in goods and services purchasing every year. Through effective category management, stakeholder engagement, and data-driven analysis, our unit delivers procurement solutions that meet the evolving needs of public buyers and incorporate climate change, sustainability, and supplier diversity into the procurement process.

Partnering with another Category Manager, you'll bring your knowledge of procurement practices to help us obtain IT Equipment, Networking, Telecommunications, Software and Services for state and local governments. You'll lead cross-functional, results-driven teams through each stage of the statewide contracting process - conducting market research, analyzing trends, developing solicitations, evaluating and awarding vendors, negotiating contracts, and managing vendor relationships. Your strong communication and analytical skills will be essential in delivering solutions that meet the evolving needs of agency and local government partners. You will help foster a positive and purpose-driven culture that can effectively manage a constantly changing landscape to remain focused on achieving desired sourcing outcomes.

Key Responsibilities :

Strategic Planning:

• Develop and implement innovative category strategy.
• Analyze market trends and customer feedback to uncover new opportunities and manage risks
• Collaborate with cross functional teams to implement and manage category strategies.
• Deliver products and services that anticipate customer needs

Team Leadership and Collaboration:

• Build and guide high-performing sourcing teams composed of internal and external experts.
• Monitor sourcing members' performance to ensure successful procurements. Foster a collaborative, innovative work environment that supports continuous learning and improvement

Category Management:

• Oversee pricing, promotion, and product/service offerings within the IT Equipment, Networking, Telecommunications, Software and Services portfolios
• Develop and execute category strategies to drive best value procurement.
• Identify and phase out underperforming offerings and introduce strategic new ones

Vendor and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with vendors, customers and industry stakeholders
• Lead contract negotiations to achieve best-value outcomes
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure category success and growth.

Performance Monitoring:

• Establish, track and analyze category performance metrics
• Implement corrective actions
• Assess risk and gather intelligence on market trends and technical specifications
• Prepare and present clear, actionable reports to senior management and other stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications :

• Proven experience in strategic sourcing
• Strong understanding of information technology hardware, software, services and/or telecommunications industries and products
• Strong leadership and team management skills
• Excellent research, analytical and strategic planning abilities
• Effective communication and negotiation skills
• Proficiency in data analysis and market research tools.
• Familiarity with marketing and sales principles
• The ability to manage multiple projects and tasks with defined timelines
• Problem solving and critical thinking skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 tools, particularly Teams, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint

Candidates should submit a resume and cover letter outlining their experience and interest in the position.

Qualifications:
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants must have at least (A) five (5) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration or clinical management of which (B) at least one (1) year must have been in a project management, supervisory or managerial capacity or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below.

Substitutions:

I. A certificate in a relevant or related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required (A) experience.

II. A Bachelor's degree in a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required (A) experience.

III. A Graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for three (3) years of the required (A) experience.

IV. A Doctorate degree in a related field may be substituted for four (4) years of the required (A) experience.

Comprehensive Benefits

When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.

Want the specifics? Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!