Associate Strategic Sourcing & Category Manager

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Overview
Reporting to the Senior Strategic Sourcing & Category Manager, the Associate Strategic Sourcing & Category Manager is responsible for long term planning, strategy development, and leading continuous improvement of assigned spend categories. The position will be responsible for the development and implementation of innovative sourcing strategies and standards across the assigned spend categories to meet Yale University’s needs by achieving high quality, reduced cost, and simplified global effective procurement strategies to drive value, improve service/quality, improve costs and minimize risk to the University community.

The successful candidate must be able to influence and persuade and demonstrate domain expertise. They will also analyze commodity areas, provide recommendations on sourcing strategy and deliver savings to the University. This person should promote a positive work environment, spirit of cooperation and support for coworkers.

Required Skills and Abilities
1. Thorough understanding of RFI/RFPs, negotiations, and contracting. Able to persuade stakeholders regarding the value of Procurement.
2. High level of integrity and builds relationships to become a trusted resource to Yale community. Ability to partner with Stakeholders to understand their needs and deliver value for the University.

3. Proven ability to conduct exceptional supplier resolution during instances of poor supplier performance, failed delivery, price increases, etc.

4. Ability to improve the customer purchasing experience.

5. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Advanced MS Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
 

Principal Responsibilities

1. Delivers and reports cost savings to the University and aggressively pursue contract compliance. 2. Leads cross functional or multi-departmental sourcing activities throughout the University for assigned category. 3. Leads the Category Management and sourcing execution process for assigned category(ies). 4. Thinks strategically about the spend and key suppliers in their category(ies). 5. Proactively engages category stakeholders to develop / align requirements and set objectives. 6. Establishes definition of value and/or total cost of ownership Model for the category, in alignment with stakeholders. 7. Identifies value-generating opportunities within the category. 8. Develops / documents category strategy that addresses stakeholder objectives and value-generating opportunities including creation of category strategy playbooks. 9. Defines pipeline of category execution activities (e.g., sourcing, supplier management, demand management, etc.) to implement the category strategy. 10. Performs evaluation and review of all contract terms and conditions and identifies other potential risks to the University. 11. Identifies new internal University customers and creates and builds strong working relationships where none existed. 12. Develops and implements sourcing, negotiating and contracting strategies to achieve the desired outcomes including savings goals aligned with the Category Strategy for strategic categories. 13. Works with stakeholders to identify preferred suppliers in the category, increase the number of preferred supplier agreements, decrease the quantity of suppliers per category, and promote use of preferred suppliers. 14. Conducts/leads supplier management activities for key preferred suppliers. 15. Collaborates with category stakeholders to manage alignment to category strategy and stakeholder goals. 16. Leads regular category review meetings with stakeholders. 17. Maintains knowledge of market trends and external insights including rigorous analysis of market drivers, cost structures and technical improvements. 18. Collaborates with Procurement COE to track and report category spend, savings, and performance. 19. Provides guidance as needed to buyers on category insights and strategies. Required Education and Experience Bachelor’s Degree and 4 years of purchasing experience or an equivalent combination of experience and education. Required License(s) or Certification(s) Required License(s) or Certification(s): Physical Requirements Physical Requirements:

Job Posting Date

05/18/2026

Job Category

Professional

Bargaining Unit

NON

Compensation Grade

Administration & Operations

Compensation Grade Profile

Manager; Program Leader (25)

Salary Range

$82,000.00 - $131,500.00

Time Type

Full time

Duration Type

Staff

Work Model

Hybrid

Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

Health Requirements

Certain positions have associated health requirements based on specific job responsibilities. These may include vaccinations, tests, or examinations, as required by law, regulation, or university policy.

Posting Disclaimer

Salary offers are determined by a candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education in relation to the position requirements, along with the role’s grade profile and current internal and external market conditions.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring department.

The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.

Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).

Note

Yale University is a tobacco-free campus.