ASSOCIATE CATEGORY MANAGER

Description About this role.
The Source-to-Contract (S2C) Associate Category Manager – Conference Services Procurement plays an essential role in supporting the Conferences Business Unit (BU) leadership at Gartner.
This includes leading strategic sourcing opportunities, developing category plans, and negotiating contracts on behalf of multiple stakeholders.
Associate Category Managers are highly effective communicators, able to articulate the value proposition of partnering early and often with the greater Source to Contract team.
This role is responsible for completing conference services related sourcing and contract negotiations needed to execute flawless and renowned Gartner conferences.
This role routinely influences and advises stakeholders on innovative sourcing strategies and contracts that create sustainable, long-term, mutually beneficial supplier partnerships for the overall organization.
What you will do.
Establish strong relationships with stakeholders to build a robust understanding of mission critical priorities and requirements across spend categories and suppliers.
Work collaboratively with geographically dispersed BU stakeholders and the Category Manager - Conference Services to develop strategic category plans.
Gain alignment on sourcing and negotiation strategies and short/long term category roadmaps.
Guide your BU stakeholders on strategic sourcing and operational procurement processes.
Proactively seek ways to reduce costs and improve efficiencies.
Maintain knowledge of current category trends, emerging solutions, supplier capabilities and changes within the Conferences BU and internal corporate events supplier landscape.
Lead cross-functional teams through a disciplined sourcing process.
Facilitate stakeholders through developing requirements, evaluating suppliers and supplier selection using effective project management skills.
Ensure all sourcing initiatives are conducted in a fair and ethical manner which provides a level playing field for all participants.
Develop negotiation plans aligned with stakeholder desired outcomes for TCO, SLAs and key business terms.
Demonstrate competency and knowledge of contract development, key contracting principles, standard terms, laws/regulations and industry standards during contract negotiations.
Organize data sets and develop meaningful analysis of spend, cost and performance metrics.
Present compelling business cases to influence decision-makers at all levels of the organization.
Manage compliance during all phases of the contracting process.
Coordinate with Gartner Legal, Finance, and IT Security when needed.
Ensure all Third-Party Risk Management checks are complete prior to contract signature.
Route contracts for approval and signature as required by Gartner policy.
Conduct supplier relationship management (SRM) activities in partnership with the Category Manager – Conference Services to review supplier performance, future supplier opportunities, supplier innovations and develop action plans for supplier related issues/challenges.
Guide stakeholders on preferred suppliers.
Develop a supplier management strategy to reduce and consolidate global suppliers.
Conduct routine planning sessions with business unit stakeholders to ensure addressable spend in the conference service category is with contracted vendors and considered “managed”.
Be knowledgeable or demonstrate the ability to quickly learn the tools used by the S2C team for sourcing (Workday Sourcing), contract lifecycle management (Conga CLM), spend analysis (Coupa AIC), Market Intelligence (Beroe), operational procurement (Coupa P2P) and metrics (PowerBI).
Support the Supplier Diversity program to bring qualified small and diverse suppliers into the Gartner supply base.
Support the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program by proactively sourcing/ & contracting with suppliers enabling Gartner to meet its zero-greenhouse gas emissions goal.
Support M&A activities as needed to facilitate a smooth transition of acquisitions or divestitures from a supplier contractual standpoint.
What you will need.
Bachelor’s Degree required.
2+ years of recent and relevant sourcing and negotiation experience with demonstrated ability to lead and deliver value.
Experience with different conference/event supplier services, both in the U.
.
and internationally are a plus.
Associates with experience in other categories having an interest and aptitude for this category are welcome to apply.
Strong analytical skills with proficiency to tell the story of “what the data means”.
Compelling collaboration skills that foster strong relationships with internal & external business partners.
Ability to be creative and innovative in finding solutions and negotiating strategies.
Insatiable desire to learn more and improve every day.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment and prioritize your own workload.
Strong ability to work independently and make decisions within the scope of your role.
Unquestionable ethics and the desire to always do the right thing.
Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite applications, G-suite and Sourcing/Procurement solutions for e-sourcing, spend analytics, contract lifecycle management (CLM), and Procure-to-Pay (P2P).
Ability to manage multiple simultaneous initiatives requiring frequent communication, organization, time management, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work with and lead geographically dispersed cross-functional teams.
Multilingual skills are a plus! Who you are.
Highly motivated self-starting performer with a demonstrated ability to influence and lead others while also working independently in a fast-paced environment.
Embracer of fact‐based decision making who naturally leverages and integrates market data, spend analytics, and cost modeling.
Successful negotiator with proven results in setting negotiation strategies, conducting negotiations, and successfully securing contracts.
Strong communicator in both oral and written form with excellent people skills.
Able to successfully prioritize and solve complex business problems while factoring in unexpected change and ambiguity.
Teachable and capable of embracing best practices and feedback as a means of continuous improvement.
Consistent high achiever with perseverance, humility and a positive outlook in the face of challenges.
#LI-AK2 Who are we? At Gartner, Inc.
(NYSE.
IT), we deliver actionable, objective insight that drives smarter decisions and stronger performance on an organization’s mission-critical priorities.
We’ve grown exponentially since our founding in and we're proud to have over associates globally that support over client enterprises in more than 100 countries.
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We believe that a diversity of experiences makes us stronger—as individuals, as communities and as an organization.
That’s why we're recognized worldwide as a great place to work year after year.
We've been recognized by Fortune as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies, named a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index and a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion by the Disability Equality Index.
Looking for a place to turn your big ideas into reality? Join #LifeAtGartner What we offer.
Our people are our most valuable asset, so we invest in them from Day 1.
When you join our team, you’ll have access to a vast array of benefits to help you live your life well.
These resources are designed to support your physical, financial and emotional well-being.
We encourage continued personal and professional growth through ongoing learning and development opportunities.
Our employee resource groups, charity match and volunteer programs keep you connected to your internal Gartner community and causes that matter to you.
Gartner believes in fair and equitable pay.
A reasonable estimate of the base salary range for this role is USD - USD.
Please note that actual salaries may vary within the range, or be above or below the range, based on factors including, but not limited to, education, training, experience, professional achievement, business need, and location.
In addition to base salary, employees will participate in either an annual bonus plan based on company and individual performance, or a role-based, uncapped sales incentive plan.
Our talent acquisition team will provide the specific opportunity on our bonus or incentive programs to eligible candidates.
We also offer market leading benefit programs including generous PTO, a 401k match up to $ per year, the opportunity to purchase company stock at a discount, and more.
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