Category Lead

Job Description: Category Lead
The Category Lead is responsible for developing and executing strategic sourcing and
category management initiatives across indirect spend categories that drive value, optimise
costs, and support the organisation's long-term objectives. This role goes beyond
transactional buying activities, requiring a deep understanding of indirect market dynamics,
supplier landscapes, and internal business needs to develop and implement robust category
strategies.
The Category Lead will lead end-to-end sourcing processes across indirect categories,
including market analysis, supplier identification, competitive tendering, negotiations, and
contract management. They will leverage category expertise to identify opportunities for cost
optimisation, risk mitigation, and innovation across their designated indirect spend areas.
 Developing and executing multi-year category strategies for indirect spend areas
such as, but not limited to IT, Professional Services, Facilities, Marketing, & HR
Services to mitigate risk and improve profitability.
 Conducting market intelligence and spend analysis to identify sourcing opportunities
and market/process gaps within indirect categories
 Leading strategic supplier negotiations to secure optimal terms, pricing, and service
levels
 Building and managing strategic supplier relationships with various teams to identify
and implement new strategic initiatives and performance frameworks
 Collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders to understand business
requirements and align indirect category strategies accordingly
 Driving continuous improvement initiatives and innovation within the indirect supply
base
 Ensuring compliance with procurement policies, governance frameworks, and
contractual obligations
 Monitoring indirect market trends and proactively adapting category strategies to
changing conditions
 Developing solid relationships with key vendors and suppliers to improve category
offerings and negotiate favourable terms.

Your Responsibilities:
 Apply category management expertise (should-cost, value chain, economic and
financial analysis) to drive actionable insights, frame Total Cost of Ownership
(TCO) opportunities, prioritize initiatives, and execute strategies with intelligent risk-
taking
 Conduct comprehensive market intelligence activities: collect, analyse, and interpret
global supply market data, competitor behaviour, price-setting mechanisms, and
benchmark the competitive landscape to identify risks and opportunities
 Own and monitor category spend, supplier base, savings, and adherence to strategy,
and develop/manage price change mechanisms consistent with contracts and
category needs
 Lead negotiations aligned with business risk tolerance to secure optimal terms and
drive savings

 Manage supplier relationships end-to-end, including supplier development, dispute
resolution, performance management, risk identification, quantification, and
mitigation
 Lead contract development, execution, and lifecycle management, ensuring
agreements are structured to protect business interests and deliver long-term value
 Drive cross-functional collaboration by leading category customer relationship
management, steering category teams, and fostering alignment among Koch
company stakeholders
 Effectively communicate category strategies and sourcing recommendations to
senior leadership and key business stakeholders to drive informed decision-making
 Leverage procurement technologies and digital tools to enhance sourcing processes
and improve spend visibility
 Champion transformation and change management by facilitating the implementation
of step-change initiatives that significantly improve business performance
 Ensure all sourcing activities adhere to Koch's procurement policies, ethical
standards, and governance frameworks
 Demonstrate strong curiosity, proactive problem-solving, and the ability to manage
competing priorities effectively

Required skills and qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Business, or a related field
Proven experience in Sourcing, Category Management, or Consulting within indirect spend
categories
5+ years of experience in managing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and/or P&L ownership
across multiple spend and/or product categories
Demonstrated track record in delivering year-over-year cost savings and driving cost
reduction and transformational change projects
Proven experience developing and executing best-practice market processes including
category strategies, points-of-view (POVs), competitive bidding/benchmarking, should-cost
analysis, and price-setting mechanisms
Proficiency in utilising procurement platforms such as Ariba, Coupa, or equivalent
procurement technology

Understanding of the Purchase Requisition (PR) to Purchase Order (PO) process, including
requisition approval workflows, purchase order creation, goods receipt, and invoice
reconciliation, ensuring seamless procurement operations and compliance with internal
controls and policies
Knowledge of supplier onboarding frameworks and processes, including supplier
qualification, due diligence, risk assessment, and contractual onboarding, with a solid
understanding of contractual obligations such as Data Processing Agreements (DPAs), Non-
Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), and Master Service Agreements (MSAs) to ensure
compliant and structured supplier integration
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, category management tools and software for data
analysis and reporting, with particular emphasis on:
o Microsoft Excel – for spend analysis, financial modelling, data manipulation,
and reporting
o Microsoft PowerPoint – for developing compelling category strategies,
executive presentations, and stakeholder communications
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate
complex sourcing strategies, market insights, and recommendations to both technical
and non-technical stakeholders at all levels of the organisation
Flexible with shift timings (9AM – 6PM / 12PM – 9PM) or any other shift as required by the
business