Category Lead - Strategic Sourcing (Contract to Hire)

Job Title:  Category Lead - Strategic Sourcing (Contract-to-Hire)
Location: Columbus, OH
Rate: $45–$60/hour
Work Model: Hybrid (Onsite Tuesday–Thursday, Remote Monday & Friday)
Contract Length: August 3, 2026 – August 2, 2027
Extension / Conversion: Contract-to-Hire
Conversion Salary: $96,000–$120,000 annually plus benefits
Employment Type: W-2 Only
Work Authorization: U.S. Citizens Only | Green Card holders also eligible; no visa sponsorship available
Additional Note: Covered parking is available for approximately $40/month and is not reimbursable.

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Category Lead to support strategic sourcing, category management, and supplier relationship management activities within a large enterprise environment. This role will be responsible for independently leading multiple strategic sourcing initiatives, partnering with cross-functional stakeholders, managing supplier agreements, and identifying opportunities to reduce cost, improve quality, increase value, and support business performance goals.

The ideal candidate is highly analytical, self-driven, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment. This individual will leverage category expertise, financial acumen, market analysis, cost modeling, supplier negotiations, and stakeholder engagement to develop and execute category strategies that align with business objectives. The Category Lead will report to the Manager, Category Management and will play a key role in helping the organization plan for future sourcing needs, manage supplier performance, and achieve savings and performance targets.

Key Responsibilities

Category Management & Strategic Planning

• Establish, lead, and support cross-functional category management teams to develop and maintain category plans.
• Develop deep knowledge of assigned spend areas, suppliers, business requirements, market dynamics, and performance drivers.
• Define category requirements in collaboration with internal stakeholder groups and business partners.
• Develop and maintain category strategies that support cost savings, quality improvement, supplier diversity, performance improvement, and total cost of ownership goals.
• Manage category-related projects from initiation through implementation, applying project management principles to deliver results on time and within scope.

Strategic Sourcing & Performance Improvement

• Independently lead strategic enterprise sourcing initiatives from planning through execution.
• Conduct spend analysis, supplier analysis, market research, and external benchmarking to identify sourcing opportunities.
• Develop cost models, savings forecasts, and performance improvement forecasts to monitor progress against goals.
• Lead sourcing and performance improvement initiatives identified through category plans.
• Facilitate cross-functional sourcing teams to evaluate options, align priorities, and drive decisions.
• Lead supplier negotiations as needed to secure favorable commercial terms, improve service levels, and support business objectives.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Maintain and manage critical supplier agreements, including renewals, issue resolution, term negotiations, and performance tracking.
• Develop and maintain supplier criticality ratings and manage resulting supplier relationship strategies.
• Track supplier performance metrics and identify opportunities to improve supplier quality, service, cost, and overall value.
• Conduct Quarterly Business Reviews with critical suppliers and internal executive sponsors.
• Support supplier issue identification, escalation, tracking, and resolution.

Stakeholder Management & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Build strong partnerships with key stakeholders and business partners to understand needs, align priorities, and achieve desired outcomes.
• Develop and manage cross-functional category management and strategic sourcing teams as needed.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to build consensus around category plans, sourcing strategies, and supplier decisions.
• Present data-driven findings, recommendations, and business cases to stakeholders and leadership.
• Work effectively across business units, shared services, procurement, legal, finance, operations, and supplier teams.

Analysis, Reporting & Value Delivery

• Analyze spend, supplier performance, market conditions, savings opportunities, and category trends.
• Build and present cost models, financial analyses, and recommendations to support sourcing and category decisions.
• Track sourcing timelines, contracting activities, supplier performance, and savings realization.
• Monitor category performance and identify improvement opportunities.
• Ensure business performance measures are met, including sourcing timelines, contracting milestones, savings goals, and stakeholder expectations.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Lead sourcing and category strategy meetings with internal stakeholders.
• Analyze spend data, supplier performance, pricing models, and market conditions.
• Develop sourcing strategies, category plans, cost models, and savings forecasts.
• Facilitate cross-functional team discussions and drive alignment on category priorities.
• Lead supplier negotiations and support contract renewals or amendments.
• Track supplier performance, issues, risks, and improvement actions.
• Prepare leadership updates, sourcing recommendations, business cases, and category performance reports.
• Coordinate with procurement, legal, finance, business units, and suppliers to move sourcing and contracting activities forward.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or equivalent work-related experience.
• Proven track record of delivering results and achieving business goals.
• Demonstrated ability to develop effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams.
• Ability to build support, alignment, and consensus across stakeholder groups.
• Proven financial acumen and strong analytical abilities.
• Experience analyzing data, developing cost models, drawing conclusions, and presenting recommendations.
• Strong negotiation, communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple sourcing initiatives and priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing large supplier agreements.
• Experience working in a shared services organization.
• Supply chain experience in the utility industry.
• Knowledge of category management and strategic sourcing practices.
• Experience with supplier relationship management and supplier performance metrics.
• Experience conducting Quarterly Business Reviews or similar supplier governance activities.
• Familiarity with total cost of ownership analysis, supplier diversity goals, and performance improvement initiatives.

Core Competencies

• Category Management
• Strategic Sourcing
• Supplier Relationship Management
• Supplier Negotiation
• Spend Analysis
• Cost Modeling
• Financial Analysis
• Stakeholder Management
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Contract Management
• Supplier Performance Management
• Project Management
• Business Case Development
• Utility Supply Chain

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a commercially minded and analytically strong sourcing professional who can independently lead category and sourcing initiatives while building trust with stakeholders and suppliers. They are comfortable managing large supplier agreements, developing category plans, leading negotiations, and using data to support business decisions. This person is proactive, organized, and able to drive results in a complex enterprise environment while balancing cost, quality, performance, risk, and stakeholder priorities.