Category Manager - Professional Services

Job Description:

Job Title: Category Manager - Professional Services

Location: Remote Home Office - North America

Reports to: Head of Procurement

Role Summary

The Category Manager for Professional Services will report to the Head of Procurement. The role will have key responsibility for strategic sourcing, vendor management, and contract negotiations across all talent-related categories at JD Power. These categories include consultants, contract labor, staff augmentation resources, and professional services engagements across all business functions and geographies.

This role involves identifying and prioritizing organizational needs, understanding the talent and services market, developing and executing sourcing strategies, leading competitive procurement processes, and negotiating favorable commercial terms. The successful candidate will work closely with business leaders, the Legal and Finance teams, and external supplier partners to ensure JD Power retains top-tier services while optimizing costs and managing risk. Excellence in communication, relationship management, and strategic thinking are essential to success in this position.

What You Will Do

• Develop and execute comprehensive sourcing and category management strategies for consultants, contract labor, staff augmentation, professional services, and related category spend across the organization
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key suppliers and staffing partners to understand capabilities, market rates, and emerging talent trends
• Partner with business stakeholders across all departments to understand talent needs, skill requirements, project timelines, and budget constraints
• Conduct market research and benchmarking to establish baselines, identify best practices, and stay informed of industry trends in talent sourcing and professional services
• Lead procurement activities including RFx processes, vendor selection, rate negotiations, and contract finalization
• Manage contract negotiations with vendors and service providers, ensuring favorable terms, compliance with company policies, and alignment with risk and legal requirements
• Collaborate with Legal and Finance to manage onboarding, contracting, compliance, and invoicing for all talent and professional services providers
• Drive cost optimization and value creation by identifying savings opportunities, managing spend, negotiating favorable rates, and delivering measurable ROI
• Manage supplier performance through regular business reviews, quality assessments, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Develop business cases and presentations for sourcing decisions, cost savings initiatives, and vendor recommendations to secure stakeholder buy-in
• Maintain deep category knowledge of staffing markets, professional services ecosystems, and talent management best practices
• Monitor and report on key metrics including spend, headcount, savings, vendor performance, and compliance across all talent categories

Key Relationships

• Internal: Business unit leaders, department heads, HR, Finance, Legal, and IT teams across the organization
• External: Staffing agencies, consultants, contractors, professional services firms, and other talent providers
• Cross-functional: Procurement team members, category managers, and sourcing specialists

What You Will Bring

Experience & Expertise

• 8+ years of strategic sourcing, category management, or procurement experience
• 3+ years of demonstrated experience managing talent categories (staffing, consulting, professional services, or contract labor)
• Proven track record of cost savings, contract negotiations, and vendor relationship management
• Deep knowledge of staffing markets, talent ecosystems, and professional services industries
• Understanding of HR processes, compliance requirements (W-2, 1099, visa sponsorship), and employment law implications

Skills & Competencies

• Strategic thinking
• Excellent negotiation and contract management skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with ability to influence at all levels
• Proficiency with procurement systems, data analysis tools, and Microsoft Office
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously
• Strong relationship and stakeholder management capabilities
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment across geographies and time zones

Personal Attributes

• Results-oriented with demonstrated track record of measurable business impact
• Resourceful and entrepreneurial mindset; comfortable driving projects with limited resources
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and project management skills
• Ability to work collaboratively across functions and cultural backgrounds
• Strong work ethic with sense of urgency to move initiatives to completion

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Procurement, HR, or related field; or equivalent professional experience

Special Conditions

• Occasional travel may be required to meet with vendors, clients, and internal stakeholders
• Must be authorized to work in the country where the position is based. JD Power will not sponsor visa applications for this position

This position has a starting salary range of $96,000 - $160,000 USD per year. This is the range we reasonably and in good faith expect to pay for the role at the time of posting. An employee’s pay within the range is determined by a number of factors, including relevant skills, education, qualifications, experience, performance, business or organizational needs, and geographic location.

Company Mission

Our mission in the market we serve is clear. To power every auto-related decision through proprietary data, advanced analytics, deep industry expertise, and seamless workflows that connect insight to action.

Our Values

We POWER Our Customer's Success

We are Innovative, Collaborative and Grounded in Data

We Make Things Easy

We Get It Done

We Start with Trust & Prove it Everyday

JD Power is committed to employing a diverse workforce. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability.

Should you require accommodations during the recruitment and selection process, please reach out to View email address on aiapply.co.

JD Power does not disclose your personal data to unauthorized third parties. However, as a global corporation consisting of multiple affiliated companies in various countries, JD Power has international sites and JD Power uses resources located throughout the world. JD Power may from time to time also use third parties to act on JD Power’s behalf. You agree to the fact that to the extent necessary your personal data may be transferred and/or disclosed to any company within JD Power group of companies as well as to third parties acting on JD Power’s behalf, including also transfers to servers and databases outside the country where you provided JD Power with your personal data. Such transfers may include for example transfers and/or disclosures outside the European Economic Area and in the United States of America. If you are a California or United Kingdom resident, additional disclosures about the information we collect and how we use that information can be found by clicking here.

To all recruitment agencies: JD Power does not accept unsolicited agency resumes and we are not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.