Category Manager

Job Title: Category Manager - Procurement Category Management Consultant (Marketing & Data Spend)

Location: Mettawa, IL (Hybrid | 3 days onsite: Tue–Thu)

Duration: 9 Months Contract (Potential Extension)

Department: Category Management

Role Overview:

We are seeking an experienced Procurement Category Management professional to support a high-performing category team through a staff augmentation model. This role will focus on foundational category management activities, helping drive operational efficiency, vendor strategy execution, and savings initiatives across marketing, media, and data-related spend categories.

The ideal candidate will bring strong experience in indirect procurement, category strategy support, and contract creation, along with the ability to collaborate cross-functionally and contribute to enterprise-level procurement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support category managers in executing category strategies and procurement initiatives across marketing and data spend areas
• Identify and help operationalize cost-saving opportunities including process efficiencies, demand management, and specification alignment
• Coordinate with vendors to track, calculate, and reconcile rebates, discounts, and savings
• Assist in developing and standardizing category management frameworks and procurement processes
• Draft and support execution of contracts and contractual amendments, including data-sharing agreements and zero-dollar contracts
• Review contract terms to ensure compliance, accuracy, and alignment with business objectives
• Partner with internal stakeholders to improve consistency across procurement practices and category strategies
• Support vendor management activities and maintain strong working relationships with external partners
• Assist in data reporting, interpretation, and presentation of vendor performance and procurement metrics
• Contribute to development of playbooks, policy documents, and operational guidelines
• Improve workflows and data quality within procurement and category management tools

Required Qualifications

• Proven experience in Procurement and Category Management, preferably within indirect spend categories (services, marketing, media, or data)
• Hands-on experience with contract creation, including drafting contracts and supporting execution in collaboration with legal teams
• Strong understanding of vendor management and enterprise-level procurement strategies
• Experience identifying and supporting cost savings and value creation initiatives
• Ability to work across multiple stakeholders and manage cross-functional collaboration
• Strong communication and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting marketing, media, or data-related procurement categories
• Exposure to creative agencies, campaign vendors, and media spend management
• Familiarity with commercial data analysis related to vendor performance and spend optimization
• Experience developing or implementing procurement processes and frameworks

Tools & Systems (Nice to Have)

• Agency Mania
• Provalido
• Ariba
• Sievo
• Power BI or similar reporting tools

What Makes a Strong Candidate

• Strong foundation in procurement category management (this is more important than marketing experience)
• Experience working on strategic procurement initiatives, not just transactional or operational tasks
• Ability to contribute at a mid-to-senior level, beyond pure analyst or coordinator responsibilities
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, stakeholder-driven environment

What This Role Is Not

• Not a pure contract management or contract administration role
• Not focused on transactional procurement or purchase order execution
• Not suitable for candidates with only marketing/vendor experience without procurement background
• Not ideal for candidates with only direct procurement (materials/supply chain) experience

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Finance, Business Analytics, Operations, or related field