Lead Category Manager - IT

At Motiva, our employees’ energy, passion, and dedication to excellence are what make us who we are and what allows us to generate energy that makes a house a home, gets us from point A to point B, and enables our health and wellbeing. We invest in every aspect of our employees’ lives because, at Motiva, our people matter.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Motiva refines, distributes and markets petroleum products throughout the Americas. The company’s Port Arthur Manufacturing Complex in Port Arthur, TX, is comprised of North America’s largest refinery with a total throughput of 720,000 barrels per day, the largest base oil plant in the western hemisphere, and an integrated chemical plant. Under exclusive long-term brand licenses with Shell and Phillips 66 (for the 76® brand), Motiva’s commercial operations supply more than 12 billion gallons of fuel to customers annually. Motiva is wholly owned by Aramco, one of the world’s largest integrated energy and chemicals companies.

Position Overview:

As a key member of Motiva’s Supply Chain team, the Lead Category Manager - IT is responsible for the development and execution of category and sourcing strategies across assigned IT procurement categories. This position leads the development and execution of technology category strategies, leveraging commercial expertise, market intelligence, supplier management, and contract negotiations to optimize total value, mitigate risk, drive innovation, and support business objectives.

The Lead Category Manager partners closely with stakeholders across Information Technology, Cyber Security, Finance, Legal, and Supply Chain to translate business needs into actionable sourcing strategies and commercial outcomes.

This role supports Supply Chain as a strategic, value-adding business partner by helping drive value creation, strengthen supplier partnerships, mitigate risk, champion compliance, and deliver outcomes aligned with company policies, procedures, and ethical standards.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Category Leadership

• Provide strategic and tactical sourcing support across assigned operational areas and categories, ensuring that sourcing activity aligns with business priorities.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to business stakeholders, translating business requirements into sourcing strategies, commercial recommendations, and supplier solutions that support enterprise objectives.
• Develop and lead the implementation of sourcing and category strategies that support business needs and align with approved category methodologies and overall business objectives.
• Lead end-to-end strategic sourcing initiatives from opportunity identification through contract execution, delivering measurable value through supplier selection, commercial optimization, and risk mitigation.
• Conduct spend analysis, market analysis, supplier capability assessments, and benchmarking to identify opportunities to improve value delivery, service levels, and supply base optimization.
• Develop negotiation strategies supported by market intelligence, supplier analysis, business requirements, commercial leverage, and total cost of ownership considerations.
• Track category performance measures, sourcing metrics, and operational KPIs to evaluate effectiveness and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Maintain awareness of suppler markets, industry trends, pricing models, commercial structures, and emerging risks impacting assigned categories.

Value and Cost Optimization

• Identify and execute value chain initiatives that drive cost competitiveness, service performance, and greater overall value across assigned categories
• Partner with stakeholders to evaluate demand drivers, challenge requirements (as appropriate), and identify opportunities for optimization (standardization, consolidation, scope refinement, .
• Conduct economic analysis, cost modeling, and total cost of ownership analysis to support bid evaluations, sourcing decisions, and business case development.
• Develop credible business cases and return on investment models supported by market data, commercial considerations, and relevant business and technical factors.
• Proactively identify opportunities for cost savings, cost avoidance, risk reduction, and enhanced value delivery across the supply base.
• Track and report value delivery, including savings, cost avoidance, risk reduction, supplier performance improvement, working capital impact, and service-level improvements.
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Supplier Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers to ensure reliability, quality, innovation, and cost effectiveness across the supply base.
• Lead supplier performance management efforts, including KPI reviews, issue resolution, and continuous improvement initiatives to improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost outcomes.
• Apply appropriate supplier performance management strategies for strategic, critical, and high risk suppliers per Motiva Supply Chain policy.
• Negotiate and re-negotiate commercial and contractual terms, working with Legal and Risk Management as needed to secure acceptable terms and minimize risk.
• Serve as a primary change agent within the supply base, driving supplier collaboration and strategic partnerships that improve operational and commercial performance

Contract Lifecyle, Risk Management and Compliance

• Proactively manage and support the commercial lifecycle of assigned agreements, including the renewal, amendments, statements of work, change orders, extensions, expirations, true-ups, and termination planning.
• Assesses supply market and supply chain risks, develops mitigation strategies, and supports contingency planning to protect business continuity.
• Ensures sourcing strategies, supplier decisions, and procurement activities comply with company policies, governance standards, regulations, and ethical business practices.
• Prepare sourcing recommendations, award justifications, business cases, and governance materials required for stakeholders, and leadership approvals.
• Manages escalations, aligns stakeholders through strategy approval processes, and resolves complex commercial issues efficiently.
• Maintain strong documentation, transparency, and commercial discipline throughout sourcing and contracting process.

Stakeholder Partnership and Leadership

• Collaborates with cross-functional stakeholders to gather requirements, shape sourcing strategies, and ensure strategic and tactical alignment across business functions.
• Promotes Supply Chain as a positive, strategic, and value-adding partner to the business by proactively engaging stakeholders and communicating sourcing priorities, plans, and results
• Influence stakeholders without direct authority by building credibility through fact-based analysis, commercial insight, and clear recommendations.
• Support continuous improvement efforts that support procurement discipline, supplier relationship management, procurement governance, and commercial outcomes.

Experience and Qualifications:

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Business, Engineering, Management Information Systems, Finance, Computer Science or a related technical or commercial field.
• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in either:
  • Strategic sourcing, procurement, category management, supplier management, contract management, or related commercial disciplines including at least 4 years supporting technology initiatives, IT/OT procurement, cybersecurity, digital transformation, infrastructure, telecommunications, managed services, or enterprise technology categories; or
  • Information technology, technology operations, infrastructure, cybersecurity, telecommunications, enterprise applications, digital transformation, or related technical disciplines, including experience supporting supplier management, commercial evaluations, sourcing decisions, contract negotiations, or technology vendor governance.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with IT, procurement, legal, finance, cybersecurity, and business stakeholders to support supplier, technology, sourcing, contracting, renewals, or commercial decisions.
• Experience supporting, managing, sourcing, contracting, implementing, or operating IT-related products or services, including software, SaaS, cloud, infrastructure, cybersecurity, enterprise applications, managed services, or professional services.
• Experience with supplier management, vendor negotiations, technology evaluations, service levels, statements of work, order forms, contract renewals, budgeting, or total cost of ownership analysis.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, support complex initiatives, and operate effectively in a cross-functional business environment.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills with the ability to influence senior leaders and cross-functional teams.

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Master’s degree or equivalent advanced education in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, Engineering, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Experience across both technology procurement/commercial disciplines and technical IT environments, including strategic sourcing, category management, supplier management, contract negotiation, vendor governance, IT/OT, cybersecurity, infrastructure, telecommunications, enterprise applications, managed services, or digital transformation initiatives.
• Experience in the oil and gas industry and familiarity with supply chain risk, supplier qualification, and governance practices.
• Experience supporting refining, chemicals, manufacturing, or other industrial operations.
• Experience supporting indirect procurement categories such as IT, professional services, corporate services, contractor services, operational support services, or other enterprise services.
• Working knowledge of core IT concepts, including software licensing, SaaS, cloud services, infrastructure, cybersecurity, networking, telecom, data management, enterprise applications, and managed services.
• Familiarity with core IT functions such as infrastructure, enterprise applications, cybersecurity, networking, telecom, cloud services, data management, service desk, end-user computing, IT operations, and project delivery.
• Familiarity with common technology delivery models, including on-premise, hosted, cloud, hybrid cloud, subscription-based, consumption-based, support, maintenance, implementation, and managed service models.
• Familiarity with IT operational concepts such as incident management, change management, disaster recovery, business continuity, identity and access management, endpoint management, and IT service management.
• Ability to understand technical requirements, translate them into commercial and sourcing considerations, and partner effectively with IT, cybersecurity, legal, finance, operations, and supplier stakeholders.
• Demonstrated understanding of software licensing models including perpetual, subscription, SaaS, user-based, consumption-based, and enterprise agreements.
• Experience negotiating software maintenance, support, cloud consumption, and subscription-based agreements.
• Provides informal leadership, coaching, and knowledge sharing across sourcing teams and stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of SCM, ERP, MRP, sourcing, contract management, and procurement tools such as SAP, Ariba, or similar platforms.
• Experience leading complex sourcing initiatives across broad operational or category areas.
• Proven expertise in supplier relationship management, contract negotiation, spend analysis, market analysis, and commercial decision-making.
  

We reserve the right to amend or withdraw Motiva jobs at any time, including prior to the closing date. Depending on qualifications, the successful candidate may be offered a position at a more appropriate level and/or grade.

Applicants for regular U.S. positions must be authorized to work in the United States for Motiva Enterprises LLC without the need for sponsorship of an immigration authorization or visa (for example, TN, H-1B, or other employment-based immigration authorization or visa).

Motiva participates in E-Verify.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, citizenship, genetic information, or other protected status under federal, state, or local laws.