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MassMutual · 1 day ago

Director, Category Management

Hartford, CT

Contract

Onsite

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

8+ years exp

MassMutual is a leading financial services company seeking a Director of Category Management to enhance their procurement processes. The role involves leading a team of procurement professionals, managing supplier relationships, and executing category strategies to align with business goals.

FinanceFinancial ServicesInsuranceLife InsuranceRetirement

H1B Sponsor Likely

Responsibilities

Responsible for the management of Category teams (5-8) comprised of experienced Category Managers

Team may engage in high dollar value deals (in excess of $1 million dollars), organizational M&A activity and high-level escalations. Team is also responsible for a wide range of portfolios

Responsible for setting goals and objectives for team, providing guidance and support and communicating job expectations

Leads Procurement work across assigned areas and supports the Head of Category Management

Execute complex category and supplier strategies aligned with business goals and budgetary targets

Drive key sourcing events and negotiations, leveraging the full suite of sourcing capabilities

Work with stakeholders to execute against the corporate strategy, providing key insight into 3rd party capabilities, and help align on company-wide supplier management strategies and industry trends

Work with sourcing professionals to set category baseline, conduct market analysis, RFIs, RFPs, etc

Act as liaison with stakeholders for specific category escalations including being accountable for category prioritization and pipeline management including serving as the supplier relationship champion and expert of strategic supplier relationships

Work hand in hand with business customers to understand requirements, requests and feedback on vendors to support selection

Handles complex long-term focused projects involving multiple disciplines or business units

Partner with Procurement and stakeholders to develop and execute supplier negotiations strategies to achieve the best value and least risk for the organization

Guide Procurement in preparation for and facilitating of contract negotiations and oversee the overall contracting process from a supplier experience and quality standpoint

Lead supplier onboarding and offboarding activities, including, but not limited to, coordinating supplier training, granting system access and ensuring that the supplier is familiar with main contacts

Ensures that services and products meet the strategic needs of stakeholders. Participates in the negotiation process of SLA agreements and ensures that contractual obligations are met

Pursues new supplier relationships, when necessary, seeks to achieve the most profitable service from suppliers. May initiate contract changes when required

Strengthen the process structure for Category management by improving standards and partnering with other Procurement functions to develop best practices

Mentor and/or direct less experienced managers or employees

Responsible for Procurement processes not limited to Product/Service Sourcing, Supplier Selection, Pricing/Terms Negotiation, Order Processing, Contract Administration, Supplier Performance Management, and Strategic Sourcing

Bring category subject matter expertise to optimize license structure across key 3rd party relationships, facilitating business growth while ensuring effective cost management

Determine and lead appropriate supplier specific ongoing monitoring plan (operational business review meetings, executive oversight meetings, issue management reviews, performance monitoring, contract management reviews, risk management reviews etc.)

Lead investigations on all supplier issues by working with relevant internal stakeholders and help the supplier to resolve issues efficiently. Loop in appropriate MassMutual teams if risk profile or contract updates become necessary

Qualification

Category ManagementSupplier ManagementNegotiation SkillsProcurement ExperienceFinancial AcumenExecutive CommunicationRelationship ManagementLeadership Experience

Required

Bachelor's Degree

8+ years procurement and/or sourcing experience

5+ years people management experience or commensurate leadership experience

2+ years leading a Procurement team and/or function in financial services or similar industry/environment

4+ years of Executive-level communication and presentation skills as well as listening skills enabling the stakeholders to align with our procurement best practices

Preferred

Strong financial acumen and understanding of how effective category management relates to company results

Strong influence skills to encourage leaders from across MassMutual towards positive supplier relationships and results delivery

Experience creating and leading category strategy

Possesses a strong understanding and prior working experience in supplier management activities including performance management (SLAs, KPIs etc.), relationship management, contracting and risk management

Experience negotiating agreements and managing complex vendor / client relationships

Benefits

Focused one-on-one meetings with your manager

Networking opportunities including access to Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, African American, women, LGBTQ, veteran and disability-focused Business Resource Groups

Access to learning content on Degreed and other informational platforms

Your ethics and integrity will be valued by a company with a strong and stable ethical business with industry leading pay and benefits

Company

MassMutual

Glassdoor3.9

MassMutual is a mutual life insurance company that provides investment management and trust services.

Founded in 1851

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

5001-10000 employees

https://www.massmutual.com/

H1B Sponsorship

MassMutual has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)

Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship

Represents job field similar to this job

Trends of Total Sponsorships

2025 (96)

2024 (94)

2023 (66)

2022 (115)

2021 (121)

2020 (73)