IT Category Manager (Hybrid Position) - Ace Hardware Corporation

Are you a strategic thinker with a passion for optimizing IT procurement? We're seeking an experienced IT Category Manager to join our team and drive significant cost savings and business outcomes.

As the IT Category Manager, you will:

• Develop and execute corporate sourcing strategies for indirect and capital IT categories.
• Lead strategic supply chain management initiatives.
• Perform complex data analysis to identify cost-saving opportunities.
• Negotiate complex contracts and communicate value propositions to stakeholders.
• Collaborate with internal departments to optimize procurement processes and governance.

What You’ll Do

1. Develop and Implement Sourcing Strategies:

• Develop best-practice sourcing methodologies for indirect procurement programs.
• Conduct in-depth market analysis to inform category strategies and optimize benefits.
• Collaborate with category owners to define requirements and communication strategies.

2. Manage Category Management Activities:

• Oversee corporate governance for assigned categories.
• Establish SLAs, KPIs, and compliance standards.
• Implement reporting capabilities and conduct quarterly business reviews with suppliers.
• Develop contract management matrices and performance scorecards.
• Communicate program performance, trends, and benefits to stakeholders.

3. Foster Stakeholder Relationships:

• Conduct internal and external communications to update stakeholders on program status.
• Gather feedback from internal customers on supplier performance and identify areas for improvement.
• Tailor deliverables and requirements based on customer needs and measure performance against updated criteria.
• Facilitate collaborative RFI/RFP events and analyze results to support recommendations.

4. Ensure Ethical and Analytical Rigor:

• Apply a rigorous analytical approach to ensure impartiality and ethics.
• Leverage third-party resources for independent assessments.
• Demonstrate deep expertise in assigned categories to effectively define, measure, analyze, and deploy strategies.

5. Drive Cost Savings and Performance:

• Create and incorporate appropriate performance levels for suppliers.
• Accurately forecast, measure, and report program cost savings.
• Refresh agreements mid-contract to address changing market conditions and corporate requirements.

Who You Are
 

The ideal candidate for the IT Category Manager role should possess strong analytical skills, exceptional negotiation abilities, and a deep understanding of IT procurement practices. They should also have a proven track record of developing and executing successful sourcing strategies, along with excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Required Skills

• Education: Undergraduate degree in relevant fields (Procurement, Supply Chain, Business, Operations, or Finance)
• Experience: 7-10 years of experience in sourcing, buying, or procurement with demonstrated successes.
• Strategic Planning: Ability to develop long-range sourcing plans to reduce costs, optimize value, and meet customer needs.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in E-Sourcing and Contracts Management tools.
• Stakeholder Management: Ability to build relationships and gather requirements from stakeholders.
• Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication, strong interpersonal skills.
• Analytical Skills: Strong negotiation, analytical, problem-solving, organization, and project management skills.
• Productivity Tools: Proficiency in PowerPoint, Word, and Excel.
• Time Management: Ability to work independently, manage multiple projects, and prioritize tasks.
• Contract Management: Experience in contract development, execution, and management.

#LI-CS1

Compensation Details:

$115000 - $143500 per year

Why should you join our team?

We live our values - W.E.L.I.G.H.T (Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility, and Teamwork). Gratitude. Humility. Love. You don’t often see values like these in most corporate statements, but Ace is different. These things are important to us. They represent our commitment to the company, our employees, to Ace retailers and to the Ace brand.

In addition to providing our employees a great culture, Ace also offers competitive benefits* that address life’s necessities and perks, many of which expand and improve year after year, including:

• Incentive opportunities, based on role/grade level (rapid company growth over the past 5 years resulted in incentives being paid out at an average of 122% of your target opportunity!)
• Generous 401(k) retirement savings plan with a fully vested matching contribution the first year in addition to quarterly contributions and annual discretionary contribution (once eligibility requirements have been met).  Over the past 5 years, company contributions (matching, quarterly & discretionary) for fully eligible employees have averaged 9.6% of total eligible compensation
• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision and disability – up to 26 weeks short-term disability and long-term disability) & life insurance benefits for you and your dependents
• 21 days of vacation immediately available (prorated in the first year) and up to 6 paid holidaysdepending on the month of hire
• Company Car, phone and fuel card are provided for field-based positions
• Your career at Ace is more than just a job. It’s a chance to be part of something meaningful. We help locally-owned businesses thrive and make an impact in their communities – and we support our employees in doing the same by offering an annual Ace Cares Week, 20 hours off work per year to volunteer at an organization of your choice, opportunities to help Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the Ace Helpful Fund through the Ace Foundation
• Ace invests in every employee we hire, with a key focus on development and coaching. We offer on-site classes, facilitator-led courses, and a generous tuition assistance program, plus a performance management approach that goes beyond the typical annual review
• We know the work environment matters. That’s why Ace holds frequent campus events like Employee Appreciation Week, vendor demos, cookouts, and merchandise sales
• We bring them to you! Services such as mobile spas, auto maintenance, car wash and detailing, dry cleaning, dentists, eye doctors, flu shots, recycling and more!
• Employee discounts on Ace merchandise (including top brands like Weber, Traeger, Yeti, Craftsman, DeWalt and more), travel, fitness, computers and thousands more
• Birth/Adoption bonding paid time off
• Adoption cost reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – access to free visits to therapists and lawyers, guidance on financial matters, elder and childcare, and assistance with tickets to entertainment events
• Identity theft protection

* Benefits are provided in compliance with applicable policies.

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We want to hear from you!
When most people think of career opportunities with Ace Hardware, they often think of the helpful cashiers and sales associates at their local store. However, have you also considered the people behind the scenes who select, promote, ship and process the invoices for more than 75,000 products? Maybe you haven't, but we'd like you to. Because together we help our customers take care of their homes. Come find out why a career with the Ace Hardware Corporation is one of America's best kept secrets.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Ace Hardware Corporation is committed to a policy of promoting equal employment opportunities. The company recognizes the importance of diversity and leveraging the skills and talents of all people to the mutual advantage of each individual and the organization. The company is committed to the prevention of employment discrimination related to race, religion, color, sex (including sexual harassment), gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, disability and military or veteran status, sexual orientation or any other action covered by federal or applicable state/local laws.

Disclaimer

The pay range for this position starts as listed in the job posting, but could be higher based on education and experience. Please note, compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each opening. We take into consideration the minimum requirements outlined in the job description, such as an individual’s education, training and experience, the position’s work location, required travel (if any), and external market conditions when determining the final salary for potential new hires.

Be aware that salary estimates published via alternate online job boards may not be a true representation of the actual pay range offered for this position. Please refer to the Ace position description for the accurate starting pay range information and feel free to discuss this with a Talent Acquisition professional if you are chosen to move forward with an interview.

This written “Position Description” is not intended to cover all aspects of the position listed. It is meant to cover the basic/general essential job functions of a particular position. Ace Hardware Corporation reserves the right to change job duties, including essential job functions, according to business necessity.