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Salary: USD 130,000 - 178,000 / annual
Okta's Strategic Sourcing and Procurement (SS&P) team is seeking an experienced Category Manager (Technology Sourcing) to lead sourcing activities for technology spend globally. This is a senior individual contributor role focused on complex, high-value sourcing projects and contract negotiations for IT service and product categories including Software, Network, SaaS, IaaS, Telephony, and AI infrastructure.
You will serve as a trusted senior partner to technology stakeholders, owning sourcing strategy for complex, high-impact categories, leading high-stakes negotiations, and driving cost-saving initiatives while maintaining service quality and mitigating risk. You will provide guidance and mentorship to junior Category Managers and serve as an escalation point for tactical sourcing on technology matters.
Key responsibilities include: developing and leading sourcing strategies for technology categories; leading end-to-end strategic sourcing processes including RFx events, supplier evaluations, and commercial negotiations; leading contract negotiations for project-level agreements and partnering with Legal on MSAs; identifying and leading cost optimization initiatives across strategic technology categories; building effective relationships with senior business stakeholders and cross-functional teams (Finance, Legal, Security, Privacy); owning relationship strategy for Okta's most strategic or highest-spend technology suppliers; ensuring adherence to policies and procedures while mentoring junior team members; and building data models and spend analyses that inform leadership decisions.
The role reports to the Senior Manager, Strategic Sourcing – Technology and is hybrid (2 days per week in office), based in either Bellevue, WA or the San Francisco Bay Area.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, or related field
- 5+ years of experience in sourcing and procurement of technology (Infrastructure, SaaS, Telecom, IaaS, AI, etc.), including category management, strategic sourcing, vendor management, risk management, and/or procurement in a large, global company environment
- Proven ability to independently lead complex contract and commercial term negotiations, including deep understanding of tech contract law, commercial terms, and risk requirements
- Demonstrated ability to own end-to-end management of complex, highest-dollar, or highest-risk sourcing projects with minimal oversight
- Experience mentoring or providing guidance to junior category managers or sourcing staff
- Demonstrated ability to build data models and spend analyses that inform senior leadership decisions and present findings in executive-ready format
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with track record of building trust and driving alignment with senior-level business stakeholders, cross-functional partners, and key vendors
- Experience owning strategic relationships with organization's highest-spend or most critical suppliers, including serving as escalation point for issues beyond junior team members' authority
- Advanced proficiency in sourcing and contract systems (e.g., Workday Strategic Sourcing/Scout, Coupa, Ironclad), with experience identifying and driving improvements
Preferred qualifications include professional certifications (CSCP, CPSM, CPIM), experience driving M&A-related sourcing activity, proven track record of process or policy improvements that scaled across sourcing function, proficiency with analytics and reporting, experience with ERP and financial systems, and ability to travel as needed.
