Category Manager

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

Cloud Operations + Innovation (CO+I) is the engine that powers Microsoft's core cloud platforms and services that millions of people use every day. With more than 95% of Fortune 500 business on Azure, 180 million using Office 365, and millions using other services - all running on Microsoft's cloud infrastructure - CO+I builds and operates the foundation upon which Microsoft's mission to empower every person and organization comes to life.

The CO+I Supply Chain, Operations and Unified Technology ("SCOUT") procurement team is responsible for establishing a flexible, efficient and reliable supply chain that can support a portfolio of complex datacenter operations. We are looking to fill a critical role of Category Manager for data center operations Supply Chain.

Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

• You'll define and execute a sourcing strategy for one or more complex purchasing categories within datacenter critical environment equipment maintenance and services to ensure optimal costs and a sufficient continuity of supplies. You'll also share industry and category expertise across stakeholder teams to develop and execute sourcing strategies.
• While integrating business specifications into sourcing events, you'll define and manage supplier scorecard criteria, coordinate performance reviews, and drive corrective actions. You'll also manage contract and pricing negotiations for a single purchasing category.
• You'll influence senior managers, adopt practices, and apply market intelligence to enable quality execution, while educating stakeholders to ensure compliance, adapting policy as needed to mitigate risk. You'll also drive consistency, timeliness, and quality of deliverables, ensuring stakeholders are aware of Service Level Agreements.
• You'll process or support stakeholder procurement requests for CE equipment maintenance and services via engagement. You'll also execute contracts and comply with established control processes, identifying roadblocks and taking action to resolve them as needed.
• You'll develop pricing and negotiation strategies, gaining senior executive support and mitigating contract disagreements. You'll also drive early business engagements for complex business areas and collaborate with suppliers and leads on onboarding processes.

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Data Analytics, Business, Finance or related field AND 3+ years experience in data science/analytics, finance, project management, supply chain, and/or operation
• OR Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Data Analytics, Business, Finance
• OR related field AND 4+ years experience in data science/analytics, finance, project management, supply chain, and/or operations OR equivalent experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Data Analytics, Business, Finance or related field AND 3+ years experience in data science/analytics, finance, project management, supply chain, and/or operation
• OR Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Data Analytics, Business, Finance
• OR related field AND 4+ years experience in data science/analytics, finance, project management, supply chain, and/or operations OR equivalent experience
• Strong commercial understanding and experience driving and developing contracts on key categories (General Contractors, Mechanical & Electrical Equipment, Power Generation, Construction Services, Operations Services).
• Experience of collaborating with key stakeholders to jointly develop and implement category strategies to drive efficiencies, improve performance delivery and reduce costs.
• Experience of developing and enhancing supplier relationships.
• Data driven mindset to support continuous improvement and accurate reporting.
• Growth mindset to explore new technologies, new ways of working and new contracting methods.
• Knowledge of data center industry and experience managing a variety of project delivery methods - ability to lead a project team in defining risk and developing the appropriate contracting and compensation approach.
• Technical ability to write contracts, ability to set up sourcing plans and negotiation strategies and execute them.
• Excellent communicator that can interact with diverse groups across organizational levels.
• Familiarity with common process improvement methodologies (Lean, Six-Sigma, etc.) and ability to facilitate change management.
• Ability to implement new processes and get buy in from a cross functional team.
• Category Management experience in one or more key categories including General Contractors, Mechanical & Electrical Equipment, Construction Services, Operations Services.
• Skilled project management experience plus exceptional communication and influencing skills
• Experience with Global and regional planning and development

Background Check Requirements:

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

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Sourcing and Category Management IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $97,600 - $188,400 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $125,000 - $206,400 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.