Category Manager (Technology Sourcing)

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in Sourcing and Procurement of Technology (Infrastructure, SaaS, Telecom, IaaS, AI, etc.), including category management, strategic sourcing, vendor management, risk management, and/or procurement in a large, global company environment.
• Proven ability to independently lead complex contract and commercial term negotiations, including deep understanding of tech contract law, commercial terms, and risk requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to own end-to-end management of the most complex, highest-dollar, or highest-risk sourcing projects, with minimal oversight.
• Experience mentoring or providing guidance to junior category managers or sourcing staff.
• Demonstrated ability to build data models and spend analyses that inform senior leadership decisions, and to present findings and recommendations in an executive-ready format.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated track record of building trust and driving alignment with senior-level business stakeholders, cross-functional partners, and key vendors.
• Experience owning strategic relationships with an organization's highest-spend or most critical suppliers, including serving as an escalation point for issues beyond junior team members' authority to resolve.
• Advanced proficiency in sourcing and contract systems (e.g., Workday Strategic Sourcing/Scout, Coupa, Ironclad), with experience identifying and driving improvements to how these tools are used across the category management function.

• Professional certifications such as CSCP, CPSM, or CPIM.
• Experience driving M&A-related sourcing activity, including contract novation and consolidation.
• Proven track record of process or policy improvements that scaled across a sourcing function.
• Proficiency with analytics and reporting; strong data-oriented approach to category strategy and negotiations.
• Experience with ERP and financial systems; familiarity with Coupa, Workday Strategic Sourcing (Scout), etc.
• Ability to travel as needed.

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• →Category Strategy & Planning:  Develop and lead sourcing strategies for Technology categories (Software, Network, SaaS, IaaS, Telephony, AI, and related technology requirements), working closely with senior stakeholders to understand long-term needs and deliver measurable value. Gather business and technical requirements to produce documentation supporting RFx events, and develop internal presentations and business cases to secure management approval for multi-year supplier agreements.
• →Sourcing & Project Management: Lead and support all aspects of the strategic sourcing process end-to-end — RFx events, supplier evaluations, and day-to-day commercial contract negotiations — for the most complex, high-value technology sourcing initiatives. 
• →Contract Negotiation: Lead commercial term negotiations for project-level agreements and partner with Legal on Master Service Agreements (MSAs) and related exhibits, applying strong negotiation and legal acumen to secure favorable terms on high-stakes, high-dollar technology contracts. 
• →Cost Optimization & Risk Management: Use industry expertise to identify and lead cost optimization initiatives across the largest or most strategic Technology categories, where outcomes carry cross-functional or company-wide impact. Provide economic analysis of supplier proposals for high-dollar or high-risk expenditures, and identify and mitigate the associated internal and external risks. Identify and mitigate both internal and external risks associated with technology purchase transactions. 
• →Stakeholder Partnership:  Build effective, strategic relationships with senior business stakeholders and cross-functional teams (Finance, Legal, Security, Privacy) to align sourcing initiatives with business requirements, ensuring policies and procedures are followed and met. 
• →Supplier Relaitonship Management:  Own the relationship strategy for Okta's most strategic or highest-spend Technology suppliers. Drive supplier performance review meetings and serve as the escalation point when supplier issues or negotiations exceed what P3 Category Managers can resolve independently.
• →Process, Governance, & Compliance:  Ensure adherence to Okta's policies and procedures. Provide guidance and mentorship to  and serve as an escalation point for junior team members.
• →Data Analysis & Reporting:  Build the data models and spend analysis that inform leadership's Technology category decisions — identifying opportunities for streamlining and consolidation of spend across the portfolio. Regularly brief leadership on strategy progress, savings, and market trends, presenting insights in an executive-ready format 

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