**Position can be based in any KP footprint (CA, WA, OR, CO, MD, DC, GA) however pay is based on the region you reside and will differ from what is posted
Kaiser Permanente is seeking a highly strategic and influential Category Management Specialist VI to lead enterprise-level sourcing and category strategy for our Marketing portfolio. This principal-level role serves as an expert on Marketing-related spend-spanning areas such as advertising, media, digital marketing, creative services, marketing technology, and research. As a trusted advisor to senior Marketing and organizational leaders, this position plays a critical role in advancing Kaiser Permanente-s mission by ensuring that our marketing investments deliver maximum value, innovation, and operational impact. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in category management and strategic sourcing with a strong understanding of marketing supplier landscapes, emerging industry trends, and complex stakeholder needs.
Job Summary:
This senior technical/functional leader is responsible for serving as an expert and leading the development of category/spend strategies for all key categories by leveraging advanced expertise of the markets, suppliers and stakeholder needs; building and fostering long-term relationships with key internal clients and suppliers; owning end-to-end delivery of business needs for categories under management; demonstrating a deep understanding of client initiatives and short, medium, and long-term goals; ensuring alignment of initiatives and strategies with client expectations; driving the adoption of change practices with customers, suppliers and stakeholders to drive strategic programs; and interacting with executive leadership to review and drive decisions.
This position is also responsible for serving as an expert in the RFP process and/or supplier negotiations; leading the development and execution of RFPs to drive the strategic sourcing process; leveraging advanced analytics and insights to ensure data-driven decisions; analyzing category spend to understand price drivers and trends; applying cost and supply market analytics; and championing a digital mindset to adopt new technologies in the source to pay space.
Essential Responsibilities:
Promotes learning in others by communicating information and providing advice to drive projects forward; builds collaborative, cross-functional relationships.Solicits and acts on performance feedback; provides actionable feedback to others, including upward feedback to leadership; influences, mentors, and coaches team members. Practices self-leadership; creates, evaluates, and responds to the strengths and weaknesses of self and unit or team members. Leads the adaptation to competing demands and new responsibilities; adapts to and learns from change, challenges, and feedback. Fosters open dialogue amongst team members.
Drives the execution of multiple work streams by identifying member and operational needs; translates business strategy into actionable business requirements; develops and updates new procedures and policies. Gains cross-functional support for objectives and priorities; determines and carries out processes and methodologies; solves highly complex issues; escalates and resolves issues as appropriate; sets standards and measures progress. Develops work plans to meet business priorities and deadlines; coordinates, obtains and distributes resources. Removes obstacles that impact performance; guides performance and develops contingency plans accordingly; influences the completion of project tasks by others.
Serves as an expert and leads the development of category/spend strategies for all key categories by leveraging advanced expertise of the markets, suppliers and stakeholder needs; driving clear, informed decisions based upon a multi-year strategy; owning end-to-end delivery of business needs for categories under management; keeping current on external and internal influences that may impact the larger organization (e.g., Healthcare Reform, macroeconomic issues, etc.); and interacting with executive leadership to review and drive decisions.
Builds and fosters long-term relationships with key internal clients and suppliers by building strong, collaborative relationships with internal clients across the business to gain buy-in and deliver value; demonstrating a deep understanding of client initiatives and short, medium, and long-term goals; partnering with suppliers to identify and pursue opportunities to drive improved quality and delivery performance; assuring alignment of initiatives and strategies with client expectations to drive value, innovation, service/supply resiliency, quality of care and governance; and partnering with key cross-functional stakeholders (e.g., Portfolio Leads, Sourcing, Procurement Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, etc.) to advance Category Management capabilities.
Serves as a lead expert in the RFP process and/or supplier negotiations and facilitates contracting to deliver strategic value by leveraging advanced negotiation strategies, tactics, and processes in line with situational demands; leading contract negotiations in partnership with Legal; and leading the development and execution of RFPs to drive the strategic sourcing process.
Leverages advanced analytics and insights to ensure data-driven decisions by analyzing category spend to understand price drivers and trends; applying cost and supply market analytics to create category strategies; and championing a digital mindset to adopt new technologies in the source to pay space.
Drives the adoption of change practices with customers, suppliers and stakeholders throughout the implementation and/or modification of new or existing strategic programs (e.g., Source to Pay transformation, Category Management training programs, etc.).
Drives efforts to support KPs Sustainability and Environmental goals and serves as a lead advocate to further advance results in Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP).
Minimum Qualifications:
Minimum four (4) years experience in a leadership role with or without direct reports.
Bachelors degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Management Science, Business, Finance, Accounting, Contract Administration, Procurement or a directly related field and minimum nine (9) years experience in category management, strategic sourcing, or a directly related field. Additional equivalent work experience in a directly related field may be substituted for the degree requirement. Advanced degrees may be substituted for the work experience requirements.
Additional Requirements:
Preferred Qualifications:
Master's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Management Science, Business, Finance, Accounting, Contract Administration, Procurement or a directly related field.
Three (3) years of experience negotiating contracts for the procurement of goods and services.
COMPANY: KAISER
TITLE: Category Management Specialist VI - Marketing
LOCATION: Pleasanton, California
REQNUMBER: 1396579
External hires must pass a background check/drug screen. Qualified applicants with arrest and/or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, state and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran, or disability status.
