IT Procurement Category Manager

About this role:   Gartner Category Managers play an essential   role   leading strategic sourcing opportunities, developing category   plans   and negotiating   highly complex   contracts on behalf of multiple stakeholders. They are highly effective communicators, able to articulate the value proposition of partnering early and often with the greater Source to Contract team. This role will   be responsible for   Global IT Software Solutions, Subscription   Agreements,   and Mobility Agreements. This role routinely influences and advises senior l eaders on innovative sourcing strategies that create sustainable, long-term partnerships for the overall organization.    What   you’ll   do:   Establish strong relationships with stakeholders; building a robust understanding of mission critical priorities and requirements across spend categories and suppliers.   Work collaboratively with geographically dispersed stakeholders to develop strategic category plans for IT Software,   Subscription   and Mobility categories. Gain alignment on sourcing and negotiation strategies and short/long term category roadmaps.   Serve as the Procurement SME for your stakeholders and guide them on strategic sourcing and operational procurement processes. Communicate early and often. Proactively seek ways to reduce costs and improve   efficiencies .   Maintain knowledge of current category trends, supplier capabilities and changes within the supplier and technology landscape for traditional and emerging solutions.   Lead cross-functional teams through a disciplined sourcing process. Facilitate stakeholders through developing requirements, evaluating suppliers and supplier   selection   using effective project management skills. Ensure all sourcing initiatives are conducted in a fair and ethical manner which provides a level playing field for all participants.   Develop negotiation plans aligned with stakeholder desired outcomes for TCO,   SLAs   and key business terms. Demonstrate competency and knowledge of contract development, key contracting principles, standard terms, laws/ regulations   and industry standards during contract negotiations.   Organize data sets and develop meaningful analysis of   spend,   cost   and performance metrics. Present compelling business cases to influence decision-makers at all levels of the organization.   Manage compliance during all   phases   the contracting process. Coordinate with Gartner Legal, Finance, and IT Security when needed. Ensure all Third-Party Risk Management checks are complete prior to contract signature. Route contracts for approval and signature as required by Gartner policy.   Develop and   facilitate   business reviews with stakeholders to review supplier performance, future   opportunities   and/or challenges.    Guide   stakeholders on preferred suppliers. Develop supplier management strategy to reduce and   consolidate   global suppliers.   Conduct routine planning sessions with your stakeholders to ensure addressable spend in the assigned categories are under source to contract management.    Potentially be a people manager in this position.    What   you’ll   need:   Bachelor’s Degree   required ;   Master’s Degree   preferred.    5+ years of relevant sourcing and negotiation experience of   highly complex   technology agreements across software categories with   demonstrated   ability to lead and delivery value.   Strong analytical skills with   proficiency   to tell the story of “what the data means ”.   Compelling collaboration skills that foster strong relationships with internal   & external   business partners.   Ability to be creative and innovative in finding solutions and negotiating strategies.   Insatiable   desire to learn more and improve every day.   Ability to work in a fast paced,   high-pressure   environment and prioritize own workload   Strong ability to work independently and make decisions within scope of role without management approval   Unquestionable ethics and the desire to always do the right thing.   Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite applications, G- suite   and Sourcing/Procurement solutions for e-sourcing, spend analytics, contract lifecycle management (CLM) and Procure-to-Pay (P2P).   Ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects requiring frequent communication, organization, time management, and problem-solving skills.   Ability to work with and lead geographically dispersed cross-functional teams. Multilingual skills are a plus!   Who you are:   Highly motivated self-starting performer, with a demonstrated ability to influence and lead others while also working independently in a fast-paced environment.   Embracer of fact ‐ based decision making; naturally   seeking   to   leverage   and/or integrate market data, spend analytics, and cost modeling.   Tenacious negotiator with proven experience in setting negotiation strategies and conducting negotiations.    Strong communicator in both oral and written form, with excellent interpersonal skills.   Able to successfully prioritize and   solve   for   complex problems, factoring instances of ambiguity and unexpected change.   Teachable and embracing of best practices and feedback as a means of continuous improvement   Consistently high achiever marked by perseverance, humility, and a positive outlook in the face of challenges   #LI-CJ1 Who are we? At Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT), we guide the leaders who shape the world. Our mission relies on expert analysis and bold ideas to deliver actionable, objective business and technology insights, helping enterprise leaders and their teams succeed with their mission-critical priorities. Since our founding in 1979, we’ve grown to 20,000 associates globally who support over 13,000 client enterprises in ~90 countries and territories. We do important, interesting and substantive work that matters. That’s why we hire associates