Category Lead

Job Title: Category Lead (For Global procurement - Non IT)

Location: Vadodara/ Bangalore/ Chennai/ Hyderabad/ Pune

Shift: Split shift (1pm 10 pm or 2pm - 11pm IST)

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Category Lead to lead end-to-end procurement across a wide range of corporate and business support service categories. This role will own global category strategy, vendor management, contract governance, and cost optimization, ensuring high-quality service delivery across all regions.

Key Responsibilities:

Develop and execute global sourcing and category strategies.

Lead supplier selection, RFP processes, commercial negotiations, and contract finalization.

Build strong partnerships with internal stakeholders such as Finance, Legal, HR, Compliance, Administration, Leadership, and other business teams.

Ensure compliance with procurement policies, risk controls, audit requirements, and corporate governance standards.

Identify opportunities for vendor consolidation, performance improvement, and cost reduction across global service categories.

Monitor market trends, pricing benchmarks, regulatory changes, and emerging service delivery models.

Oversee supplier performance management, including SLAs, KPIs, and quarterly business reviews.

Drive continuous improvement, innovation, and value creation within the professional services portfolio.

Support global transformation, outsourcing, and spend management initiatives where required.

Required Skills & Experience:

Must have 10-15 years of experience in end to end procurement.

Global exposure: Working with global vendors and stakeholders

Strategic Procurement & Sourcing experience in respective categories

E2E knowledge of Source to Pay Cycle, with key skills around understanding stakeholder needs, defining & understanding statement of work/scope of work, sourcing vendors, conducting RFx, reviewing proposals, reviewing contract T&Cs, preparing recommendations for stakeholders, savings costs, sourcing best quality services and ensuring ethical procurement

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Analytical mindset & skills

Stakeholder management

Knowledge of procurement tools like Ariba, SAP, Oracle (Coupe preferred)