Procurement Category Manager

Drive Strategic Sourcing and Make an Impact at UVA!

Are you a procurement professional passionate about building strategic supplier partnerships, delivering value, and aligning purchasing decisions with an institution’s mission? Join the University of Virginia’s Procurement Services team as a Category Manager and play a key role in shaping a high-performing, mission-driven sourcing organization.

Collaborate directly with university stakeholders, leverage data-driven strategies, and support UVA’s goals for financial stewardship and sustainability.

Position Summary

As a Procurement Category Manager within UVA’s Procurement Services, you will develop and execute sourcing strategies that enhance value, support operational needs, and advance the University’s mission and sustainability objectives.

This role manages end-to-end category initiatives-using market intelligence, spend analytics, and stakeholder collaboration to drive cost savings, improve supplier performance, and foster strategic partnerships.

The ideal candidate will:

• Guide stakeholders to reduce spend on goods and services
• Execute procurement tasks such as initiating and negotiating RFPs
• Collaborate with state institutions to leverage or establish cooperative agreements
• Build strong business cases for sole source justifications

Why Join UVA Procurement Services?

• Help shape the future of procurement at UVA by building lasting relationships across Grounds
• Thrive in a collaborative environment that values innovation and continuous improvement
• Contribute to initiatives that align with UVA’s mission and generate long-term value

Key Responsibilities

1. Procurement Administration

• Lead procurement activities from strategy development to supplier selection, contracting, and performance management
• Advise stakeholders on sourcing best practices, UVA and state procurement policies, and category-specific strategies
• Conduct complex sourcing events (e.g., RFPs, RFIs) to secure high-value goods and services
• Identify opportunities to leverage cooperative contracts, streamline purchasing, and optimize spend
• Develop business cases for sole source justifications and ensure policy compliance
• Track and report savings, sustainability outcomes, and sourcing performance using procurement analytics

2. Business Intelligence & Reporting

• Analyze spend, supplier performance, and market trends to inform strategies
• Provide data-driven insights to support stakeholder decision-making
• Report on category performance and sourcing outcomes to Procurement Services leadership
• Support cross-functional initiatives aligning procurement with broader University goals
• Identify risks and bottlenecks; support business continuity
• Facilitate user acceptance testing (UAT) and adoption of procurement tools and systems

3. Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong partnerships with faculty, researchers, administrators, and other stakeholders
• Act as a trusted sourcing advisor, offering insights on suppliers, market conditions, and risk management
• Promote sustainability through supplier selection and responsible purchasing practices
• Engage regularly to identify challenges, gather feedback, and propose tailored sourcing solutions

4. Special Projects

• Lead or support strategic sourcing projects, process improvement initiatives, and supplier engagement programs
• Deliver high-quality, timely work that supports Procurement Services and University leadership

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in business administration or a related field
• Minimum 4 years of relevant experience (5+ years preferred) in procurement, contracting, or sourcing
• Experience with RFPs, RFQs, SOWs, sole source procurements, and strategic sourcing
• Proven ability to develop and execute sourcing strategies
• Demonstrated success in achieving cost savings and implementing procurement best practices
• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Proficiency in data analysis and reporting on procurement metrics and savings
• Ability to build partnerships and influence stakeholders

Preferred:

• Experience with multiple procurement categories or commodities
• Knowledge of procurement in a university or higher education setting
• Familiarity with Virginia or federal procurement legislation
• Experience with systems such as Salesforce, Workday, or Procure-to-Pay platforms

Core Competencies

• Analytical Excellence: Uses data to inform sourcing and drive decisions
• Strategic Thinking: Aligns procurement with UVA’s financial and sustainability goals
• Collaboration: Builds partnerships across departments and with suppliers
• Adaptability: Embraces change and fosters continuous improvement
• Customer Focus: Tailors sourcing strategies to meet stakeholder needs

Ready to take your procurement career to the next level?
Join us in shaping a future of efficiency, sustainability, and excellence at UVA. Apply today

This position will remain open until filled. This is an exempt level, benefited position. The University will perform background checks on all hires (if required) prior to employment. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States. For this role, the University will not sponsor or consider candidates requiring sponsorship for employment visas now or in the future. For questions about the position or the application process, please contact Daniel Strong, Senior Recruiter at das6zb@virginia.edu.

Please apply through the University job board, Careers at UVA , and search for R0072390.

There is an in-office expectation of 3 days per week.

Anticipated Hiring Range : Commensurate with qualifications ($95,000 - $ 12 5 ,000 per year) and eligible for University benefits.

Please submit a resume and a cover letter to be considered for this position, applications that do not contain both pieces of information will not receive full consideration.

Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile by searching ‘Find Jobs’ or through their ‘Jobs Hub’. Applicants must complete an application online with the following documents: a resume and cover letter.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Education: Bachelor's degree
Experience: At least four years of experience. Relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
Licensure: Project Management Institute (PMI) certification is typically possessed.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Click here to read more about UVA’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.