Title: Category Manager
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Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , 15212– hybrid, with a minimum of two days per week onsite
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Engagement: Temporary consulting assignment, approximately 2–3 months
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Position Overview
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The consultant will support indirect procurement, with a particular focus on corporate services, IT, and telecom-related categories. This role requires someone who can independently lead visible, cross-functional sourcing initiatives while also managing day-to-day procurement execution.
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The ideal candidate will combine strong strategic sourcing capabilities with a practical, hands-on approach to procurement operations, including purchase-order creation, invoice issue resolution, supplier management, and end-to-end procure-to-contract execution.
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Key Responsibilities
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- Manage a portfolio of approximately 20–25 sourcing and procurement projects of varying size and complexity.
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- Support indirect categories including HR, legal, treasury, environmental health and safety, operations, IT, telecom, and shared services.
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- Develop and execute category and sourcing strategies aligned with business and stakeholder requirements.
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- Lead RFPs and other competitive sourcing events, including requirements gathering, supplier evaluation, negotiation, and supplier selection.
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- Manage supplier qualification, contract development, implementation, and ongoing supplier performance.
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- Partner directly with directors, vice presidents, and other senior stakeholders to understand needs, align priorities, and advance projects.
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- Analyze spend, supplier, and market data to identify savings, value creation, risk reduction, and supplier-diversity opportunities.
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- Negotiate commercial terms and support contract review and interpretation.
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- Create purchase orders and blanket orders and assist with invoice reconciliation and related operational issues.
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- Leverage e-sourcing, spend analytics, contract-management, and ERP tools to support procurement execution.
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Required Qualifications
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- Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, business, finance, engineering, or a related discipline.
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- Approximately 3–5 years of relevant experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, or category management.
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- Demonstrated experience sourcing IT, telecom, corporate services, or other indirect categories.
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- Experience managing sourcing projects from initial requirements through contracting, purchase-order creation, implementation, and supplier management.
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- Strong working knowledge of RFPs, supplier evaluation, commercial negotiation, and contract terms.
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- Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects with limited oversight.
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- Strong analytical, organizational, project-management, and stakeholder-management skills.
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- Strong professional presence and the ability to work effectively with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
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- Willingness to perform both strategic and tactical procurement activities.
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- Ability to work onsite in Pittsburgh in accordance with the client’s hybrid schedule.
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Preferred Qualifications
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- Corporate procurement practitioner experience.
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- Experience with Maximo or a comparable ERP/procurement platform.
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- Familiarity with e-sourcing, spend-analysis, and contract-management tools.
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- Experience supporting supplier-diversity and total-cost-reduction initiatives.
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- Experience in utilities, energy, regulated industries, or similarly complex organizational environments.
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- Ability to start quickly and remain engaged for the full 2–3-month assignment.
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Ideal Consultant Profile
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The strongest candidate will be a self-directed procurement professional who can step into an active workload, establish credibility quickly, and balance strategic thinking with detailed execution.
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They should be equally comfortable leading a multimillion-dollar sourcing initiative, engaging senior stakeholders, negotiating with suppliers, and handling tactical procurement activities such as purchase-order creation and invoice resolution.