Category Manager Lead

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Together we fight for everyone’s opportunity for a better financial future. We will do this together — with customers, partners and colleagues. We will fight for others, not against:
We will stand up for and champion everyone’s access to opportunities. The status quo is not good enough … we believe every individual and every community deserves access to financial opportunities. We are determined to support both individuals and communities in reaching a better financial future. We know that reaching this future depends on our actions today. Like our Purpose Statement, Voya believes in being bold and committed to action.

We are committed to a work environment where the differences that we are born with — and those we acquire throughout our lives — are understood, valued and intentionally pursued. We believe that our employees own our culture and have a responsibility to foster an environment where we all feel comfortable bringing our whole selves to work. Purposefully bringing our differences together to positively influence our culture, serve our clients and enrich our communities is essential to our vision.

Are you ready to join a company with a strong purpose and a winning culture? Start your Voyage – Apply Now

• Lead category management and sourcing for Voya’s interactions with consulting firms.
• Negotiate directly with consulting firms to minimize risk and maximize value.
• Own the end‑to‑end indirect sourcing process, from strategy development through contract signature and supplier management.
• Provide thought leadership and sourcing subject‑matter expertise to internal customers and matrix partners.
• Create detailed negotiation strategies, including points of leverage, identification of all deal variables, and development of appropriate counter‑offers.
• Advise internal customers on the negotiation plan and gain alignment on strategy, timing and process steps.
• Encourage and lead competitive bidding events (RFPs) to expose market pricing and maximize leverage.
• Negotiate all commercial terms using Voya’s best practices.
• Review supplier contract redlines, provide responsive edits and independently negotiate all contract terms to completion for governing agreements, amendments, amended/restated agreements, SOWs and order forms.
• Negotiate/draft in real time via video calls with suppliers.
• Act as a category subject‑matter expert to organization across multiple functions, divisions and geographic locations.
• Engage with internal customers and suppliers to support resolution of medium‑complexity disputes, license audits and other matters requiring a balance of assertiveness, tact, business acumen and diplomacy.
• Achieve annual savings targets and other performance metrics as assigned.
• Partner with internal matrix partners such as finance, information security, risk, legal, insurance and others.
• Focus on vendor rationalization and strategic supplier management.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum 4 years of sourcing and supplier management (supplier negotiations) experience.
• Ability to simultaneously lead multiple initiatives while consistently meeting timelines and milestones.
• Knowledge of business principles such as demand management, project management, commercial contracting and GAAP accounting.
• Ability to accurately interpret complex contract language and summarize historical contracts.
• Business applications:
  • Microsoft Word – Familiar with track changes, document security, keeping long/complex documents organized and clean.
  • Microsoft Excel – Summarize and analyze supplier proposals, provide contract/expense view, create models of complex licensing to validate proposals and demonstrate factual basis for savings.
  • Microsoft PowerPoint – Create visually clean and professional slides for review by customers, stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Understanding of cost and price analysis techniques.
• Understand unique aspects of consulting sourcing compared to other commodities.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.