Category Manager - Engineering Tools and Data & Analytics

Role Description

The Category Manager, Engineering Tools and Data & Analytics is a strategic role responsible for sourcing all tools and technology in this space, along with developing and executing category strategies for the technology products and services that enable UKG's engineering, data and analytics capabilities. This role serves as a trusted partner to the business. In this role, you will drive total cost of ownership (TCO) optimization, supplier rationalization, complex commercial negotiations, and proactive risk management—ensuring UKG leverages best-in-class tools and data infrastructure to accelerate product innovation, operational scale, and margin discipline.

Key Responsibilities

• Category Strategy & Business Partnership
  • Develop and execute multi-year category strategies for Engineering Tools and Data & Analytics, aligned to UKG's technology roadmap, product priorities, financial objectives, and enterprise risk requirements.
  • Conduct ongoing market research, spend analytics, and technology benchmarking to identify emerging industry trends, licensing innovations, and value creation opportunities.
  • Partner with stakeholders to understand requirements, forecast demand, evaluate market options, and align sourcing priorities with technology roadmaps and budgets.
  • Drive proactive portfolio management to identify opportunities for supplier consolidation, application rationalization, and demand optimization across technology domains.
  • Build and maintain a robust sourcing, renewal, and value-creation pipeline across the category portfolio.
• Strategic Sourcing & Commercial Management
  • Lead complex end-to-end sourcing initiatives (RFx processes), competitive bidding, supplier selection, and deal structuring for enterprise software, SaaS, cloud platforms, and technical services.
  • Lead commercial negotiations for complex technology agreements—including user-based, capacity, and usage-based licensing models—to secure favorable pricing, terms, and conditions.
  • Optimize commercial structures and contractual protections, including license metrics, usage tiers, minimum commitments, price protection, renewal and termination rights, audit provisions, service levels, data-use rights, and intellectual property terms.
  • Deliver measurable financial and operational outcomes across total cost of ownership (TCO) reduction, cost avoidance, P&L savings, and working capital optimization.
  • Proactively manage renewal timelines, commercial milestones, and lead times to preserve negotiating leverage and support business continuity.
• Stakeholder Alignment & Value Delivery
  • Partner closely with Engineering, Product, Enterprise Data, Information Security, Legal, and Finance teams to align category strategies with business priorities and tech roadmaps.
  • Translate complex technical and business requirements into actionable sourcing plans and scenario-based negotiation strategies.
  • Serve as a trusted advisor to senior engineering and data leaders, offering market insights and commercial expertise on key vendor investments.

First 12–18 Month Priorities

• Baseline UKG's Engineering Tools and Data & Analytics portfolio, including spend, suppliers, contracts, entitlements, utilization, renewal timing, commercial models, and risk exposure.
• Develop and align multi-year category strategies and commercial roadmaps with internal stakeholders.
• Establish an 18- to 24-month sourcing and renewal pipeline that improves planning, preserves leverage, and reduces reactive negotiations.
• Identify and execute supplier, tool, and license rationalization opportunities that reduce duplication, shelfware, and unnecessary complexity.
• Deliver measurable savings, cost avoidance, demand optimization, and budget predictability aligned to UKG's financial objectives.
• Implement structured supplier governance and performance management for the category's most strategic and high-impact suppliers.

Qualifications

• 5-7+ years of progressive experience in Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Category Management, or Supplier Management, including 5+ years supporting technology categories.
• Preferable experience of managing portfolio spend of at least $100-150 Million.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing category strategies across engineering tools, software and SaaS, data and analytics platforms, cloud or data services, AI/ML technologies, or related technology services.
• Proven track record leading complex sourcing events and negotiations for enterprise software, subscription and consumption models, professional or managed services, MSAs, SOWs, and licensing agreements.
• Strong knowledge of technology commercial models, total cost of ownership, contract lifecycle management, supplier performance, and third-party risk management.
• Experience using spend, market, benchmark, usage, and financial data to develop business cases and make data-driven sourcing recommendations.
• Experience operating in a global, fast-paced organization while managing multiple complex initiatives and stakeholders.
• Familiarity with procurement, contract lifecycle, ERP, and analytics platforms; practical experience using AI-enabled tools to improve sourcing effectiveness is preferred.
• Strong collaborative skillset to work amongst multiple stakeholders and departments.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Information Technology, Engineering, Data or a related field; an advanced degree or relevant procurement certification is preferred.

Core Capabilities

• Executive presence and strong stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to operate as a trusted advisor to senior technical, business, and finance leaders.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including the ability to translate technical requirements and complex licensing or consumption models into clear business decisions.
• Data-driven and intellectually curious mindset with the ability to synthesize market, financial, technical, and supplier information into actionable insights.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, presentation, project management, and problem-solving skills.
• Collaborative, business-oriented professional who leads through influence and builds trusted relationships across the business and with suppliers.
• Growth mindset with a strong bias for action: raises the bar, moves with urgency, remains resilient through ambiguity, and takes ownership to deliver meaningful outcomes in a fast-paced, evolving organization.

Company Description

UKG is the Workforce Operating Platform that puts workforce understanding to work. With the world's largest collection of workforce insights, and people-first AI, our ability to reveal unseen ways to build trust, amplify productivity, and empower talent, is unmatched. It's this expertise that equips our customers with the intelligence to solve any challenge in any industry — because great organizations know their workforce is their competitive edge. Learn more at ukg.com.

Equal Opportunity Employer

UKG is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, disability, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories.

Disability Accommodation in the Application and Interview Process

For individuals with disabilities that need additional assistance at any point in the application and interview process, please email View email address on us.fitly.work.

Compensation

The pay range for this position is $102,300 to $147,050. The actual base pay offered may vary depending on skills, experience, job-related knowledge and work location. In addition to base pay, employees may be eligible to participate in a performance-based bonus plan and to receive restricted stock unit awards as part of total compensation. Learn more about UKG’s benefits and rewards at UKG Benefits .