Skill required: Category Management - Category Management Strategy

Designation: Procurement Practice Associate Manager

Qualifications:BBA/Master of Business Administration

Years of Experience:10 to 14 years

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What would you do Operations professionals work across a range of business processes, business applications, and information technology. This role will provide Category Management and Strategic Sourcing support for IT and Technology spend categories across the APAC region, including software, SaaS, cloud, IT services, telecom, hardware, infrastructure, cyber security, managed services, and related professional services. Depending on the role and client requirements, Operations professionals may be based at a client's office or in one of Accenture's delivery centers. The IT Category Management Lead will have strong technology sourcing, category strategy, supplier management, and stakeholder engagement experience to help clients drive measurable business value. Based in India and supporting APAC stakeholders, the role will be responsible for delivering category management services including strategic sourcing, supplier relationship management, contract and commercial negotiations, market intelligence, demand management, compliance support, and continuous cost and performance improvement across IT categories.

What are we looking for Basic Qualifications: Minimum of 12 years of experience in IT procurement, technology strategic sourcing, or IT category management across multiple technology sub-categories. Experience supporting regional or global stakeholders, preferably across APAC markets. Minimum 10 years in a client-facing or senior stakeholder-facing procurement role. Bachelor's Degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Engineering, Information Technology, or a related discipline

Category Strategy, Procure-To-Pay, Procurement Management, Procurement Operations, Procurement Strategy and Planning, Sourcing and Procurement Strategy, Analytical Thinking, Data analysis & Interpretation, Key Stakeholder Relationships, Program Project Management, Budgeting and Forecasting, Team Leadership, Coaching, Customer Service, Microsoft Office Suite Negotiation Skills, Written and Verbal Communication, Prioritization of workload Preferred Skills: MBA, professional procurement certification, or equivalent qualification preferred. Ability to lead formal strategic sourcing efforts for IT and Technology categories, including software, SaaS, cloud, IT services, telecom, hardware, cyber security, and managed services. Strong understanding of technology commercial models, licensing structures, subscription pricing, cloud consumption models, service levels, and supplier risk considerations. Experience negotiating technology contracts such as MSA, SOW, SaaS agreements, cloud agreements, EULA, support and maintenance, telecom, and professional services agreements. Ability to interface effectively with client stakeholders, suppliers, legal, finance, technology, risk, and information security teams through strong written and verbal communication skills. Strong analytical, commercial, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Formal training and/or experience in strategic sourcing, category management, supplier relationship management, and contract management. Experience with sourcing and procurement tools such as Coupa, SAP Ariba, Jaggaer, Ivalua, GEP, or similar platforms. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, and Power BI; Roles and Responsibilities:
Key Responsibilities: Develop, own, manage, and refresh IT category strategies and sourcing pipelines for APAC stakeholders. Design and implement cost savings, value optimization, risk mitigation, and demand management initiatives across IT sub-categories. Lead strategic sourcing projects including opportunity assessment, market research, sourcing strategy, RFI/RFP/RFQ execution, supplier evaluation, negotiations, award recommendations, and implementation support. Manage IT spend categories such as software, SaaS, cloud services, IT consulting, managed services, telecom, network, hardware, data center, cyber security, and digital platforms. Engage with client business, technology, procurement, finance, legal, information security, risk, and compliance stakeholders across APAC to align sourcing outcomes with business objectives. Collaborate with internal and external clients to develop category plans, sourcing roadmaps, supplier strategies, and governance frameworks. Drive supplier relationship management, supplier performance reviews, service level tracking, issue resolution, and supplier development initiatives. Support contract negotiations for technology agreements including MSA, SOW, SaaS, cloud, licensing, support and maintenance, professional services, and telecom agreements. Implement and support enforcement of buying channels, procurement policies, contracting processes, and compliance requirements. Conduct spend analysis, supplier benchmarking, market intelligence, commercial analysis, and financial modelling to support category decisions. Monitor IT market trends, supplier landscape, emerging technologies, pricing models, licensing changes, and APAC regional considerations. Manage client expectations, governance reviews, escalations, and progress communication with senior stakeholders. Work with delivery teams to ensure services are delivered in accordance with contractual obligations, SLAs, budgets, and timelines. Identify continuous improvement opportunities and leverage digital procurement tools, analytics, and generative AI responsibly to improve sourcing efficiency. Provide input to Accenture best practices, category playbooks, templates, and reusable assets for IT sourcing and category management.