Category Management Lead
Usa
Fulltime: 40 hrs a week
Experience: Not applicable
Education Level: Academic Bachelor
Conventional Energy
Introduction
What are you going to do
Brunel Energy is recruiting a Category Management Lead to work with a major oil and gas company on a 6-months contract in Houston, TX.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop and execute category management strategies that align with business objectives related to cost, operational efficiency, supplier performance, and safety.
- Lead strategic sourcing activities, including market analysis, RFx processes, supplier evaluations, commercial negotiations, and contract awards.
- Manage the full contract lifecycle for Master Service Agreements (MSAs), Material Agreements, and other strategic contracts, including post-award contract management.
- Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders across Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Finance to understand business requirements and deliver procurement solutions.
- Lead commercial negotiations with suppliers to achieve favorable pricing, contract terms, and long-term value while mitigating commercial risk.
- Manage critical spend categories supporting industrial or energy operations, ensuring supply continuity and contract compliance.
- Identify and implement cost-saving and value improvement initiatives through strategic sourcing, supplier optimization, and category planning.
- Monitor supplier performance through KPIs and continuous improvement initiatives to ensure service quality and operational excellence.
- Support procurement governance by ensuring compliance with company policies, procurement procedures, and contractual obligations.
- Analyze spend data and market trends to develop sourcing recommendations and drive continuous improvement across assigned categories.
Essential skills and knowledge
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Finance, or a related field.
- 8+ years of experience in Category Management, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Supply Chain, or Contract Management.
- Experience managing high-value service and material contracts within the LNG, Oil & Gas, Petrochemical, Industrial, Manufacturing, or Energy industries.
- Experience using ERP and procurement systems such as Oracle, SAP, Maximo, GEP, or similar platforms.
- Strong experience leading supplier negotiations and managing the full sourcing and contracting lifecycle.
- Demonstrated experience developing and implementing category strategies that deliver measurable cost savings and operational improvements.
- Experience working with cross-functional stakeholders in a fast-paced industrial environment.
- Strong understanding of commercial contracting, supplier relationship management, and procurement best practices.
- Excellent analytical, communication, stakeholder management, and negotiation skills.