Sr Category Manager - Procurement & Professional Services Category

Job Title: Category Manager - Procurement Location: Fort Worth, TX (Hybrid: 3 days onsite) Duration: 12+ months Job Description: The Professional Services Category is part of American’s Procurement organization. The team manages end-to-end sourcing for: Contact Center Consulting Services Benefits Contingent Labor Marketing Legal Services Financial Services The Category Manager/Senior Category Manager will: Develop and implement sourcing strategies. Lead contract negotiations. Optimize stakeholder engagement. Drive vendor value creation. Support financial analysis, risk management, legal requirements, and regulatory compliance. What You’ll Do Lead end-to-end strategic sourcing activities, including: Category strategy development. RFI, RFP, and RFQ execution. Supplier evaluation. Market research and benchmarking. Contract negotiations. Vendor performance monitoring. Manage sourcing activities across the benefits vendor ecosystem, including: Medical carriers. PBMs. TPAs/ASO administrators. Stop-loss carriers. Brokers and consultants. Benefits administration platforms. Wellness vendors. Voluntary benefits providers. Specialty point solutions. Conduct structured sourcing events, renewals, market checks, and benchmarking exercises. Support fair supplier comparisons and documented, defensible sourcing decisions. Negotiate commercial and contractual terms, including: Pricing and administrative fees. Rebates and guarantees. Service-level agreements. Implementation obligations. Audit and data-access rights. Market-check language. Termination and renewal protections. Confidentiality provisions. Analyze supplier proposals, claims and utilization trends, renewal projections, administrative fees, PEPM/PMPM structures, PBM economics, rebate arrangements, stop-loss terms, service levels, and total cost of ownership. Deliver measurable business value through: Hard savings. Cost avoidance. Value protection. Working-capital improvements. Vendor consolidation. Fee transparency. Market checks. Rebate and performance-guarantee improvements. Process optimization. Partner with Legal, Finance, consultants, IT/Security, and business stakeholders. Align sourcing strategies with contract terms, implementation plans, financial impacts, and risk considerations. Support compliance-aware vendor management by recognizing when the following areas require review: ERISA fiduciary concepts. DOL service-provider oversight. Broker and consultant compensation disclosures. Voluntary benefit safe-harbor requirements. RxDC reporting. Gag Clause Attestation. Transparency in Coverage. HIPAA. ACA. COBRA. Plan-document requirements. Create and maintain vendor governance tools, including: Supplier scorecards. Performance-guarantee trackers. SLA dashboards. QBR and business-review materials. Corrective-action plans. Escalation paths. Renewal dashboards. Contract-compliance reviews. Monitor vendor performance against: Contractual obligations. Operational and financial expectations. Service levels. Implementation requirements. Reporting commitments. Member-experience standards. Compliance requirements. Drive timely issue resolution when vendor performance gaps arise. Maintain organized, audit-ready documentation, including: Sourcing strategies. RFx materials. Supplier evaluation records. Negotiation summaries. Business cases. Financial-improvement reports. Contract documents. Vendor-governance records. Demonstrate strong project management, executive communication, stakeholder influence, analytical storytelling, negotiation, and problem-solving skills. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. At least three years of related work experience. Sourcing experience in indirect categories, excluding IT and Contingent Labor. Basic financial analysis and cost-savings experience. Strong Excel skills. Strong project management experience. Excellent problem-solving, customer-service, and communication skills. Preferred Qualifications Degree in: Procurement. Supply Chain. Business Administration. Business Management. Finance. Accounting. A related field. Knowledge of Source-to-Pay systems. Experience with Coupa and Levelpath. Experience in Benefits, Medical, Pharmaceutical, or related categories. Process-mapping experience. Supplier risk-analysis experience. Vendor relationship-management experience. Core Skills and Competencies Strong business acumen. Understanding of supply chain concepts and their practical application. Strategic sourcing and procurement expertise. Negotiation and influencing skills. Financial analysis, forecasting, and cost-savings analysis. Vendor relationship management. Supplier risk analysis. Project management. Process mapping and continuous improvement. Executive communication and stakeholder management. Analytical storytelling and problem-solving. Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including: Excel. Word. PowerPoint. Experience with Source-to-Pay systems. High ethical standards. Ability to manage ambiguity and complex stakeholder dynamics. Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously. Ideal Candidate Profile Energetic and ambitious professional interested in developing a career in procurement. Strong communicator with executive presence. Positive, dependable, and highly organized. Self-directed, resourceful, and comfortable working independently. Skilled at navigating ambiguity, change, and complex stakeholder relationships. Able to work in a fast-paced environment while managing multiple priorities. Demonstrates strong work ethic and a positive attitude. Experienced in juggling multiple projects while meeting deadlines and business objectives. Specifically:Pay Range: $40 - $45/hr. on W2 The specific compensation for this position will be determined by a number of factors, including the scope, complexity and location of the role as well as the cost of labor in the market; the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; and other conditions of employment. Our full-time consultants have access to benefits including medical, dental, vision and 401K contributions as well as any other PTO, sick leave, and other benefits mandated by appliable state or localities where you reside or work. #LI-SA4