Associate Director, Procurement Category Management & Capability Leadership – AI/Emerging Technology

Skills this role screens for

About the role

The Associate Director, Category Management partners with VP-level business and functional stakeholders to develop global procurement strategies for Artificial Intelligence (AI), Emerging Technologies, and related technologies and services. This multi-faceted, player-coach role combines deep software strategic sourcing expertise with a consultative approach and the ability to influence across a matrixed organization. The role builds procurement capability and process playbooks, delivers training, advises stakeholders on ideas and sourcing approaches, gathers and aligns business use cases, and leads negotiations for large, complex AI and emerging technology contracts and initiatives. Through market expertise, analysis, and cross-functional collaboration, the role translates business priorities into sourcing strategies that deliver value while meeting governance, risk, and regulatory requirements.  Responsibilities: • Partner with VP-level business and functional stakeholders to develop global software, AI, and Emerging Technology procurement strategies, aligning business priorities and sourcing decisions with internal governance, stage-gate processes, approvals, and risk and regulatory requirements.  • Drive Innovation/Thought Leadership and lead complex programs, initiatives from strategy through implementation. Orchestrate procurement projects with a strategic lens, ensuring they are not only aligned with overarching business objectives but also contribute to the long-term strategic vision.  • Build, maintain, and deploy practical procurement capability and process playbooks covering intake, use-case assessment, software sourcing, supplier evaluation, negotiation, contracting, and renewals. Translate market insights and lessons learned into repeatable tools, templates, and guidance.  • Design and deliver training, coaching, and knowledge-sharing for procurement teams and business partners to support adoption of playbooks and effective sourcing practices. Keep training and capability guidance aligned with evolving governance, market conditions, and business needs.  • Contribute to a cross-functional team that informs strategic decision-making by leveraging market intelligence, staying abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and market dynamics.  • Define and develop strategic value drivers with key category suppliers to secure collaborative partnerships that challenge the status quo to achieve cost savings, optimize processes, and enhance overall procurement  value.  • Integrate sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) measures into category strategies, collaborating with suppliers to enhance sustainable and responsible sourcing practices.  • Lead Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) strategies, driving innovation with key category suppliers and collaborating to enact creative and cutting-edge solutions that deliver on long-term business needs. Develop and activate mitigation strategies to proactively define and manage procurement risk across the relevant category, ensuring compliance.  • Lead supplier roadmaps, strategies, and programs for large, complex AI and emerging technology initiatives. Personally lead high-value, complex contract negotiations, aligning cross-functional stakeholders on objectives, commercial trade-offs, negotiation strategy, and approval requirements.  • Ensure effective project management from initiation to completion, directing and guiding cross-functional teams to deliver strategic category-related projects. Identify opportunities for process optimization and efficiency gains, leveraging data analytics to develop long-term continuous improvement programs that achieve strategic objectives.  • Drive end-to-end strategic sourcing, from demand assessment and competitive supplier evaluation through contract negotiation and execution. Evaluate licensing, subscription and consumption-based pricing, total cost of ownership, utilization, renewal options, and supplier dependencies to strengthen commercial outcomes. Partner with Legal, IT, and relevant risk functions on AI-specific contractual considerations, including data use, intellectual property, security, performance commitments, and exit provisions. Ensure processes and playbooks are clear and accessible.  • Gather, clarify, and assess AI and emerging technology use cases with business and technology stakeholders; align requirements, expected value, priorities, and dependencies. Identify common needs and opportunities to aggregate demand, avoid duplication, and connect use cases to appropriate sourcing approaches and adoption plans that improve speed, quality, and competitive advantage.  • Operate as a player-coach and trusted internal consultant, balancing hands-on deal leadership with capability building, training, and project/program leadership. Consult on ideas and approaches, frame options and trade-offs, constructively challenge assumptions, and influence without direct authority to build stakeholder alignment and translate the capability strategy into action.    • Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Mgmt, Technology or related field. Master’s degree is preferred or equivalent experience  • Minimum of 10 years of experience in procurement, supply chain, technology, consulting or related business or operations function. Previous experience leading category teams, IT teams, consulting, partnering with major suppliers, and reporting to senior leaders. Strong proficiency in developing high-impact executive-level deliverables.  • Demonstrated expertise in software strategic sourcing and category management, including market analysis, competitive bidding, licensing and subscription models, consumption-based pricing, total cost of ownership, utilization, and renewal strategies. Proven ability to develop negotiation strategies and lead large, complex technology contract negotiations, including AI and emerging technology agreements, in partnership with Legal, IT, and relevant risk functions. Strong project and change management capabilities.  • Strong consultative business partnering and stakeholder influence skills, with the ability to listen, diagnose needs, facilitate discovery, frame options and trade-offs, and influence without direct authority. Demonstrated ability to gather and align use cases, build consensus across business, technology, procurement, and risk stakeholders, and foster collaborative supplier relationships.  • Experience building practical procurement and process playbooks, tools, and templates, and designing and delivering training and coaching for varied audiences. Ability to translate complex software and AI sourcing concepts into actionable guidance and balance capability building and internal consulting with hands-on negotiation and initiative leadership.  • Strategic thinking and accountability, anticipating future trends, and taking responsibility for impactful procurement outcomes that challenge the status quo.  • Innovative problem-solving skills combined with a significant executive presence, enabling creative solutions and influential communication at all organizational levels. High cross-functional leadership abilities, conflict resolution skills, effectively navigating & harmonizing diverse team dynamics. • Exceptional interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence, facilitating empathetic interactions, effective communication, and robust relationship-building across a matrixed organization.…