Category Manager – Professional Services

Category Manager will drive end-to-end sourcing execution and category management for Professional Services spend, including consulting, advisory, IT services, legal, staffing, and BPO. The role combines hands-on sourcing delivery with category strategy & execution, commercial structuring, and stakeholder engagement to deliver cost, quality, and business outcomes.

Responsibilities:

Support development and execution of category strategies for professional services spend

Identify opportunities for rate optimization, vendor consolidation, and scope rationalization

Manage demand pipelines and align sourcing with organizational priorities

Execute sourcing engagements across consulting firms, system integrators, staffing vendors, legal firms, and BPO providers

Develop and manage rate cards, benchmarking, and pricing frameworks across service providers

Negotiate resource mix, utilization assumptions, and delivery models (onshore/offshore)

Managed end-to-end sourcing cycle, understand business needs, perform vendor research to identify potential participants to getting the contract signed

Develop and published RFP in Ariba

Conduct market research and analysis to identify potential suppliers, evaluate their capabilities, and gather market intelligence to support decision-making

Lead supplier selection and qualification processes, including issuing RFIs, RFPs, and conducting supplier evaluations and negotiations

Collaborate with internal stakeholders to understand their requirements and ensure the sourcing strategy meets their needs

Negotiate contracts, terms, and pricing with suppliers to secure favorable agreements that optimize value while mitigating risks

Manage project plan for all assigned sourcing requests from requirement gathering to contracting

Negotiate contracts, terms, and pricing with suppliers to secure favorable agreements (MSA/SOW) that optimize value while mitigating risks

Liaise with legal, business and supplier to finalize contracts

Document and analyze supplier responses to ensure it contains valid and detailed information

Co-ordination with various stakeholders (business, procurement, suppliers) for setting up meetings, presentations and other sessions

Liaising with business stakeholders, procurement team and suppliers to ensure timely and successful completions of tasks and activities (related to RFx events, NDA management and contracting)

Partner with business stakeholders, Finance, Legal, and delivery teams to understand requirements and drive sourcing outcomes

Maintaining project plans/ tracker for all requests and sourcing events, including timely reporting to all stakeholders

Track and report savings, cost avoidance, and spend visibility across professional services categories

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree

5+ years of sourcing/procurement experience with a focus on professional services, consulting, advisory, BPO etc

Proven experience as a Sourcing Specialist, Procurement Specialist, or similar role

Strong knowledge of strategic sourcing methodologies, procurement best practices, and supplier management

Must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills

Good project management/ business analysis/ process analysis skills

Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities

Professional certifications such as Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) or Project Management Professional (PMP)® Certification will be a plus