Lead Category Manager - Public Sector Subcontract Management

The Role

The Lead Category Manager oversees strategy, sourcing, negotiation, and contracting of highly complex services and products, aligning procurement strategies to business objectives while optimizing supplier value and performance.

In this role, you will also serve as a senior Public Sector subcontracting lead, supporting capture/proposal work, subcontract award execution, and subcontract administration/performance expectations for Public Sector programs.

Work Location

This is a work from home position within the U.S.

The Main Responsibilities

Category intelligence
Analyze category spend (sub-category, supplier, business unit), market conditions, and should-cost; partner with Reporting & Analytics to leverage standard analytics.
Monitor supplier landscape, market shifts, and innovation; ensure full cross-segment spend visibility.
Build and lead VP+ strategy discussions using crisp, decision-ready content.

Category strategy
Translate insights into an annual category plan aligned to business-unit goals and budget targets.
Execute value levers: sourcing events, negotiation, demand management, and value engineering.

RFx (RFI/RFP) strategy
Define RFx approach, lead high-complexity events, and delegate tactical execution as appropriate.
For Public Sector subcontracting, support subcontract requests (RFP/RFI/ROM/LoE) with disciplined scope, PoP (period of performance), and required documentation.

Contracting / subcontracting
Negotiate and manage high-complexity agreements; transition lower-risk, lower-complexity contracts to procurement using approved templates and standard terms.
Own or co-own Public Sector subcontract lifecycle for third parties: contract discovery, NDA confirmation, and MSA/subcontract templating with Legal review when required.
During capture/proposal, shape the supplier/subcontractor team; enforce NDA coverage before sharing information.
Draft and execute agreements defining scope, deliverables, SLAs, milestones, and schedules.
Enable efficient Legal review by providing clear business context; flag risks, misalignment, and policy conflicts early.

Stakeholder management
Operate as a strategic partner: align priorities, anticipate demand, and run a regular operating cadence to track outcomes and remove blockers.
Partner across Public Sector stakeholders (Program Management, Product, Sales, Legal) per the procurement support model (RFx, proposal support, negotiation, supplier management).

Supplier management
Serve as primary supplier contact; orchestrate interactions and prepare stakeholders for supplier communications, including QBRs and SLA performance.
Track performance; deliver actionable feedback and drive continuous improvement.
For Public Sector subcontractors, define performance reporting and initiate corrective actions—including replacement or termination—when performance warrants.

What We Look For in a Candidate

Required

• Bachelor’s degree and/or relevant experience; minimum 8+ years of related experience.
• Proven background negotiating high-complexity, high-dollar contracts in a fast-paced environment; intermediate-to-advanced experience reviewing contract terms.
• Experience administering or supporting subcontracts under FAR/DFARS-governed prime contracts, including understanding and applying subcontracting policies/procedures and required clause flow-downs. 
• Cost reimbursable services subcontracting experience: draft/negotiate SOW/LoE, define PoP, manage ceiling/funding, enforce allowable/allocable costs.
• Complex contract-type fluency: execute services work under cost-reimbursement, T&M, and IDIQ/task-order structures while controlling scope, PoP, and risk.
• Demonstrated exceptional interpersonal and communications skills with senior internal stakeholders and complex suppliers.
• Experience overseeing supplier relationships, including regular performance reviews and discussions.
• Strong to expert knowledge of procurement systems such as SAP and Ariba; strong analytical/problem-solving skills and ability to process complex data.
• Public Sector subcontracting experience supporting subcontractor/supplier onboarding and agreement execution steps (including NDA and teaming agreement concepts and/or subcontract agreement execution) consistent with Public Sector subcontract management procedures.
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining CPSR-ready / CPSR-compliant procurement documentation and contract files (e.g., commercial item determinations, required signatures/approvals, cost/price analysis support, and clause flow-down documentation).

Compensation

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