IT Procurement Category Lead

Holman is a family-owned, global automotive services organization anchored by our deeply rooted core values and principles that have enabled us to continue Driving What's Right throughout the last century. Our teams deliver the Holman Experience by treating our customers and each other as we would like to be treated, and creating positive, rewarding relationships all around.

The automotive markets Holman serves include fleet management and leasing; vehicle fabrication and upfitting; component manufacturing and productivity solutions; powertrain distribution and logistics services; commercial and personal insurance and risk management; and retail automotive sales as one of the largest privately owned dealership groups in the United States.

Role Summary:

The Category Lead is a position within the Holman Corporate Assets group. Corporate Assets supports the Holman global business by providing procurement and vendor management expertise that controls customer costs and quality of service while maximizing income for Holman. The Category Lead works with the business team to identify high performing suppliers and negotiate favorable commercial terms in line with business strategy. A successful candidate is a self-motivated, strong communicator, with the ability to pull different ideas together and challenge status quo.

Principal Purpose of Position:

• Develop and execute category strategies across enterprise technology spend areas, ensuring alignment with business objectives, technology roadmaps, and procurement goals.
• Partner with IT leadership, Finance, Legal, Information Security, and business stakeholders to understand requirements and develop sourcing strategies that balance cost, risk, performance, and innovation.
• Lead complex strategy sourcing initiatives, including market assessments, supplier discovery, RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, supplier evaluations, and commercial negotiations.
• Manage technology procurement activities across multiple categories including software, Saas, cloud services, cybersecurity, telecommunications, infrastructure, hardware, professional services, and managed services.
• Negotiate commercial agreements, master service agreements (MSAs), software license agreements, cloud contracts, statements of work (SOWs), renewals, and related contractual documents, frequently involving contract values exceeding $1M.
• Conduct supplier and market analysis to identify competitive alternatives, benchmark pricing, evaluate emerging technologies, and drive continuous improvement in sourcing strategies
• Perform financial analysis, total cost of ownership (TCO) assessments, business case development, and spend analytics to support sourcing decisions and executive recommendations.
• Lead contract renewal and renegotiation efforts to optimize pricing, commercial protections, service levels, and contractual flexibility.
• Collaborate with Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Information Security teams to negotiate risk, cyber security, data protection, regulatory, and contractual requirements.
• Establish and manage supplier governance programs, including performance reviews, service-level agreements (SLAs), monitoring, scorecards, key performance indicators (KPIs), and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Build and maintain executive-level relationships with strategic suppliers to drive innovation, performance, and long-term value creation.
• Provide procurement leadership for enterprise technology initiatives, digital transformation projects, software implementations, cloud migrations, and other strategic business programs.
• Identify and execute cost savings, cost avoidance, supplier consolidation, and value engineering opportunities across assigned technology categories.
• Assess supplier financial stability, operational capabilities, business continuity plans, and risk exposure to support informed sourcing decisions.
• Support merger, acquisition, divestiture, and integration activities involving supplier contracts, technology services, and vendor transitions.
• Develop and present sourcing recommendations, negotiation strategies, and supplier selection decisions to senior leadership and business stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies, sourcing governance requirements, delegated authority limits, and regulatory obligations.
• Maintain awareness of industry trends, technology innovations, supplier market dynamics, and procurement best practices to continuously enhance category performance.
• Mentor internal stakeholders on sourcing processes, supplier engagement strategies, and commercial best practices to increase procurement involvement in strategic purchasing decisions.
• Lead cross-functional project teams and drive sourcing initiatives from opportunity identification through contract execution and supplier implementation.

Education and/or Training:

• Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Supply Chain Management, Information Technology, Finance, Engineering, or related disciple preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Finance, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field required.
• Professional certifications such as Certified Professional in Supply Chain Management (CPSM), Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), Certified Technology Procurement Executive (CTPE), Certified Outsourcing Professional (COP), Project Management Professional (PMP), ITIL, FinOps Certified Practitioner, or equivalent.

Relevant Work Experience:

• Minimum 7-10 years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, category management, or vendor management.
• Minimum 5 years of experience managing enterprise technology categories, including one or more of the following: Software, SaaS, Cloud Services, Cybersecurity, Telecommunications, Infrastructure, Hardware, Data & AI, Managed Services, and IT Professional Services.
• Demonstrated experience managing annual spend portfolios exceeding $50M.
• Proven track record negotiating complex technology and professional agreements valued at $1M or more, including MSAs, Software License Agreements, SaaS Agreements, Cloud Contracts, SOWs, and Outsourcing Agreements.
• Strong working knowledge of supplier governance, contract management, commercial negotiations, spend analysis, risk management, and strategic sourcing methodologies.
• Experience partnering with Legal, Information Security, Finance, and senior business stakeholders in complex initiatives.
• Advanced analytical skills including financial modeling, TCO analysis, benchmarking, and business case development.
• Experience leading procurement, sourcing, or category management functions within a large, complex, global organization.
• Demonstrated expertise negotiating strategic agreements with leading technology suppliers, including Microsoft, AWS, SAP, Google, Oracle, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Cisco, Dell, and other enterprise technology providers.
• Experience supporting cloud transformation, digital transformation, cybersecurity, data & AI, infrastructure modernization, or enterprise application initiatives.
• Proven success in developing and executing multi-year category strategies that deliver measurable business value, risk reduction, supplier innovation, and cost optimization
• Experience leading supplier executive business reviews, governance programs, and strategic partnership initiatives with key technology providers
• Strong understanding of technology licensing models, cloud consumption economics, software asset management, and supplier performance frameworks
• Experience conducting market intelligence, benchmarking, commercial due diligence, and supplier risk assessments to support executive decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior executives, technology leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority
• Exposure to mergers and acquisitions, global procurement operations, shared services environments, or enterprise-wide transformation programs.

Communicating & Influencing Skills:

• Influences senior technology, financial, legal, and business leaders to drive alignment on sourcing and supplier strategies.
• Leads complex negotiations with suppliers to achieve favorable commercial, contractual, operational, and risk outcomes.
• Communicates sophisticated technical, financial, and contractual concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Builds consensus among diverse stakeholder groups with competing priorities and objectives
• challenges assumptions and provides data-driven recommendations that influence enterprise investment and procurement decisions.
• Establishes credibility as a trusted advisor to executives, technology leaders, and strategic suppliers through strong relationship management and business acumen.

Special Requirements:

• Build partnerships with Holman functions and business lines and ensure procurement is involved at the earliest stage of the buying process. Establish KPI for early-stage procurement involvement.

• Ideal candidate will have experience working in commercial vehicle fleet management.

• Some travel required, approximately 5-10%.

Outputs:

• Develop and execute category strategies that optimize total cost of ownership, mitigate risk, and support enterprise technology and business objectives
• Deliver measurable commercial value through strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, contract optimization, cost avoidance, and value creation initiatives
• Establish and maintain high-performing supplier relationships and governance programs that drive accountability, performance, innovation, and business continuity
• Negotiate and implement complex technology, software, cloud, cybersecurity, telecommunications, infrastructure, and professional services agreements that achieve favorable commercial and contractual outcomes.
• Provide market intelligence, financial analysis, benchmarking, and strategic recommendations that enable informed executive decision-making and technology investment planning
• Ensure procurement compliance, contractual risk mitigation, and alignment with legal, information security, finance, and corporate governance requirements across the assigned technology portfolio.

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At Holman, we exist to provide rewarding careers and better lives for employees and their families. We hire, train, empower, and reward exceptional people. Our journey is guided by our desire to get it right every time and the acknowledgement that we have an opportunity to be better. To be better, we have to do better, and to do better we must know better. That's why we are listening, open to learning new things - about ourselves and each other. We will never stop striving for improved diversity, equity, and inclusion because we are successful together when we feel trusted and supported. It's The Holman Way.

At Holman, your total compensation goes beyond your paycheck. To position you for success and provide a rewarding career and better life for you and your family, Holman is proud to offer you the benefits you deserve; including protection against illness, disability, loss of work, or preparation for retirement. Below is a brief overview of the programs available to full-time employees (programs may vary by country or worker type):

• Health Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• 401(k) plan with Company Match
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Paid Holidays, Bereavement, and Jury Duty
• Paid Pregnancy/Parental leave
• Paid Military Leave
• Tuition Reimbursement

Benefits:

Regular Full-Time

We offer excellent benefits including health, vision, dental, life and disability insurance, and 401(k) with company match. Our time off benefits include Paid Time Off (PTO), paid holidays, bereavement, and jury duty. In addition, we offer paid pregnancy and parental leave, and supplemental paid military leave to eligible employees.

Temporary or Part-Time

In geographic areas with statutory paid sick leave, part-time and temporary employees will receive a paid sick leave benefit that meets the mandated requirements.

Pay:

We offer competitive wages that are commensurate with job-related skills, experience, relevant education or training, and geographic location, starting in the range of $87,550.00 - $124,755.00 USD annually for full time employees. The annual compensation range is comprised of base pay earnings.

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Your application, whether an AI tool is used or not, should reflect your authentic abilities and experiences. Any use of AI that compromises honesty or integrity may result in disqualification from the process.

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