Category Manager MA

Company: MassMutual
Location: Worcester
Posted on: April 24, 2024

Job Description:

We have 3 Category Manager positions open on 3 different teams- Marketing, Annuities & 3rd party Distribution, Enterprise Risk Management & Sustainability

Full-Time

Boston, MA, Springfield, MA

The Opportunity

Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment where you have wide latitude to make impactful decisions? Does the idea of working closely with Stakeholders to help achieve their goals and initiatives to further the organization's mission interest you? Do you enjoy a role that offers a wide variety of responsibilities, and "something new every day"?

On the MassMutual Procurement team, we have a goal to enable MassMutual's mission and vision by providing the right supplier solution at the right time. Our mission is to streamline the procurement process, align supplier partners to meet business needs and continuously increase the value provided to our policyholders.

As a Category Manager, you will be responsible for managing all elements of MassMutual's category strategy for your assigned area. This will include the design, development, and oversight of a category plan (strategy). You will also serve as the lead contact between key business executives and procurement, understanding their strategy and aligning your category strategy appropriately. You will serve as the procurement expert for your category, partnering across the business and with other procurement functional areas including strategic sourcing, supplier diversity, and procurement operations. A strong mix of analytic, strategic vision, and communication skills will ensure your success. You will partner closely with teams in the MassMutual Procurement Organization and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure that our supplier relationships are being optimized across multiple facets including innovation, value realization, continuous improvement, and risk mitigation.

In this role, as well as all roles within MassMutual, you will demonstrate accountability, agility, a dedication to be inclusive, a strong business acumen, and will show courage, even in the most difficult situations. We also highly value strong communication skills, a passion for learning, leadership traits, resilience and self-awareness.

The Team

The team is comprised of seasoned, collaborative professionals with experience in procurement, category management, supplier management, and sourcing. The broader procurement team in a rapidly developing and growing group of procurement professionals who are excited about transformation and improving procurement.

The Impact

Develop and execute complex category and supplier strategies aligned with business goals and budgetary targets


Responsible for managing key supplier relationships


Ensures that services and products meet the strategic needs of stakeholders. Participates in the negotiation process of service level agreements and ensures that contractual obligations are met


Champion third party risk management process compliance and Supplier Diversity


Create and monitor category budgets, as appropriate


Explore supplier and market opportunities to improve upon current spending


Actively engage internal stakeholders across the enterprise to ensure frequent communication and alignment on overall MassMutual supplier management strategies and strategic supplier specific strategies.


Guide Procurement in preparation for and facilitating of contract negotiations and oversee the overall contracting process from a supplier experience and quality standpoint


Lead supplier onboarding and offboarding activities, as well as managing appropriate supplier specific ongoing monitoring plans. Investigate on all supplier issues by working with relevant internal stakeholders and help the supplier to resolve issues efficiently



Minimum Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Supply Chain Management or related field


6+ years of procurement and/or sourcing experience


5+ years of applying general procurement value stream best practices


5+ years of driving continuous improvements with suppliers and their key performance indicators (KPIs)


5+ years in applying effective category management and financial acumen skills to influence positive company results


3+ years experience creating and leading category strategy


3+ years of demonstrating an ability to influence and encourage leaders from across the organization towards positive supplier relationships, compliance and results delivery



Ideal Qualifications

Strong financial acumen and understanding of how effective category management relates to company results


Demonstrated verbal and written communication, change management capabilities, business acumen, project management and leadership skills


Experience with research and analysis around Procurement specific industry trends resulting in recommendations and insights to stakeholder strategies


Experience in large-scale sourcing activities (RFPs) to realign suppliers in the category


Demonstrated verbal and written communication skills, change management capabilities, business acumen, project management and leadership ability


Extensive experience negotiating agreements and managing complex vendor / client relationships



What to Expect as Part of MassMutual and the Procurement Team:

The desire to drive change and improvement in the procurement function supporting our mission to be a leading procurement organization


Focused one-on-one meetings with your manager


Access to mentorship opportunities


Networking opportunities including access to Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, African American, women, LGBTQ, veteran and disability-focused Business Resource Groups


Access to learning content on Degreed and other informational platforms


Your ethics and integrity will be valued by a company with a strong and stable ethical business with industry leading pay and benefits



#LI-DM2

MassMutual is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer Minority/Female/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Individual with Disability/Protected Veteran. We welcome all persons to apply. Note: Veterans are welcome to apply, regardless of their discharge status.

If you need an accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us and share the specifics of the assistance you need.

Keywords: MassMutual, Worcester , Category Manager MA, Executive , Worcester, Massachusetts