Category Manager - Research

About The Opportunity

JOB SUMMARY

The Category Manager leads and manages the category management function for assigned spend commodities within the P2P department, including the development and maintenance of a multi-year category plan and oversight and support of strategic sourcing projects. Serve as a steward of the University’s strategic plan, accountable for delivering on supplier diversity and ESG goals.

Assigned spend categories include, scientific and medical equipment and consumables, lab and inventory management, hazardous waste services, lab diagnostic services, gene sequencing and antibodies, animals and related care, personal protective equipment (PPE), chemicals and compressed gases, controlled substances and biological materials and handling, and research-related consulting.

Collaborate with cross-functional and regional teams across Northeastern University’s global network of campuses to develop, plan, and execute on category plan initiatives to deliver best value to the University, including managing competitive bid events, facilitating supplier selection, and negotiating business terms. Build and manage internal business relationships by providing guidance and expertise on category best practices, including supplier discovery and selection, demand management, industry insights, negotiation strategies, and contracting. Manage and support communication and change management efforts associated with category initiatives and driving a supplier performance program within assigned, centrally managed spend categories.

Minimum Qualifications

Knowledge and skills required for this position are normally obtained through a Bachelor’s degree with seven years of experience of relevant sourcing and/or project management experience, preferably in the research procurement space.

Strong ability to lead, coach, and inspire a team to meet and exceed performance goals.

• Experience with category planning activities, including working collaboratively with departmental stakeholders and key leaders to regularly monitor and provide updates on progress and results.
• Self-motivated, flexible, and agile project manager, able to prioritize, multi-task, and work horizontally and vertically across a decentralized organization to drive value.
• Effective interpersonal skills and ability to influence and build “trusted advisor” relationships by delivering sound bid/pricing analysis, customer empathy, and data driven decision-making.
• Experience in planning and executing competitive RFx events, including pricing/bid analysis and negotiating business terms with third-party suppliers.
• Experience with supplier management programs, including coordinating and facilitating periodic business reviews and developing supplier scorecards to measure performance.
• Strong presentation skills, including the development and delivery of content to update key stakeholders and executives on assigned projects and/or P2P initiatives.
• Strong data fluency with demonstrated capability to articulate data requirements to non-Procurement stakeholders and effectively utilize data to “tell a story” to build strong business cases and drive continuous improvement outcomes for assigned projects.
  
  
  

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

• Category Planning and Management
  
  
  

Develop and manage the ongoing maintenance of the annual category plan, including reprioritized project priorities, and assisting with the periodic reporting of progress and results against established goals. Leverage university spend and contract data, market insights, and stakeholder input to provide recommended additions or adjustments to strategic priorities included in the multi-year category plan for assigned spend categories. Champion and integrate supplier diversity and/or ESG goals into category planning objectives. Balance the competing needs of the customer community and available team capacity to maximize impact and return-on-effort.

• Strategic Planning and Influence Manage and cultivate key internal customer relationships tied to assigned spend categories. Participate in regular business reviews with key internal stakeholders to determine business needs to influence category plan. Participate, and where appropriate, lead strategic initiatives with various consortia partners (E&I, MHEC, Vizient, Premier, The Boston Consortium, etc.,) and other external groups. Track and report value (cost savings cost savings, avoidance, revenue, etc.) generated from assigned category on a regular basis using established methodology and framework.
  
  
  

Present results to P2P leadership and other internal stakeholders, as necessary.

• Project Management and Value Generation
  
  
  

Provide oversight and support to team members assigned to projects and initiatives listed in the category plan. Coordinate training and communication efforts to the Northeastern community on spend category related topics, including updates to the P2P website and online marketplace environment.

• Supplier Management
  
  
  

Manage and monitor performance of strategic suppliers for assigned spend categories.

Lead the execution of a supplier relationship management framework, to include building and deploying a supplier performance / scorecard program, and deploy cross-industry best practice, category market insight, and benchmarking. Serve as a trusted advisor to assist internal business clients with supplier discovery and performance, including supplier issues and/or transitions.

• Technology
  
  
  

Promote use of e-Procurement tools, including Jaggaer for sourcing (RFx) and electronic catalog enablement and promote other procurement technology initiatives, including tail spend management and automated quoting.

• Professional Development & Training
  
  
  

Proactively develop commodity expertise and professional skills using available thought leadership resources, including industry reports, third-party consultation/subscriptions, trade associations, and conferences. Facilitate the development, implementation, and maintenance of processes, policies, guidelines, Standard Operating Procedures related to supplier competition and selection.

Additional Qualification Considerations

• Prior experience with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Guidance procurement principles and related compliance requirements.
• Prior experience with inclusive supplier and/or ESG programs.
• Prior experience with e-sourcing platforms (e.g., Jaggaer, Ariba, Coupa).
• Proficiency with project management and/or lean six sigma process frameworks and tools, including relevant certifications (e.g., PMP, Lean Six Sigma).
  
  
  

Position Type

Finance

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.

Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compensation Grade/Pay Type

111S

Expected Hiring Range

$86,488.00 - $122,163.25

With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.