Global Category Manager

About Vantiva ​

Pushing the Edge ​

Vantiva (Euronext Paris: VANTI) is a global technology leader in connectivity technologies. For over 130 years, we have delivered solutions that connect what matters most. Today, we continue to redefine connectivity with industry-leading broadband, video, and IoT-driven smart systems that elevate how people live, work, and connect globally. ​

Vantiva combines a customer-focused approach with decades of software development, electronics hardware design, and flexible supply chain expertise to deliver high-quality solutions at scale. This proficiency has positioned us as a trusted provider to leading network service providers, enterprise customers, and consumers around the world. ​

Our strong commitment to sustainability and responsible business practices has earned us multiple Gold and Platinum Medals from EcoVadis for environmental and social performance. These awards place us among the top 2% of organizations in our category evaluated globally. ​

With our headquarters in Paris and major offices in Australia, Brazil, China, India, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States, we serve a diverse global customer base. ​

For more information, please visit vantiva.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X (Twitter).

Category manager for Global Professional Services

Category Manager - Global Professional Services Sourcing

Position Summary

The Category Manager - Global Professional Services Sourcing is accountable for developing and executing the global sourcing strategy for external professional services. The role partners with business, technology and functional stakeholders to shape demand, run competitive sourcing processes, negotiate strong commercial outcomes, establish fit-for-purpose contracts and statements of work, and improve supplier performance.

Category Scope

Consulting and advisory services; technology and engineering professional services; project-based services; implementation services; specialist services; staff augmentation for the indirect sourcing category where in scope; and related managed or outcome-based engagements.

Key Responsibilities:

Category Strategy and Planning

• Develop, maintain and execute a global category strategy aligned with business priorities, technology roadmaps and financial objectives.
• Analyse spend, demand, supplier concentration, market dynamics, rate structures and regional delivery models to identify opportunities and risks.
• Build and manage a multi-year sourcing pipeline, including renewals, new requirements, consolidation initiatives and supplier transitions.
• Design preferred-supplier, panel and governance models that improve buying channels, transparency and control.

Strategic Sourcing and Negotiation

• Lead end-to-end RFIs, RFPs, RFQs and competitive negotiations for complex professional-services requirements.
• Partner with stakeholders to convert business needs into clear scopes, deliverables, evaluation criteria and commercial models.
• Develop supplier evaluation frameworks covering capability, delivery, commercials, risk, sustainability and cultural fit.
• Negotiate competitive rate cards, discounts, volume tiers, productivity commitments, payment terms, indexation, travel and expense rules, and other commercial protections.
• Recommend sourcing decisions using fact-based analyses, total-cost considerations and clearly documented trade-offs.

Contract and Statement of Work Governance

• Lead the commercial development and review of master agreements, statements of work, amendments and change requests in partnership with Legal and relevant control functions.
• Ensure each engagement has clear scope, deliverables, milestones, acceptance criteria, service levels, pricing, resource assumptions, governance and change-control provisions.
• Promote the appropriate use of fixed-price, milestone-based, time-and-materials, capacity, managed-service and outcome-based models.
• Identify and prevent scope ambiguity, uncontrolled change, rate leakage, weak acceptance provisions and inappropriate dependency on named resources.

Supplier and Performance Management

• Own commercial relationships with strategic professional-services suppliers and maintain effective executive-level engagement.
• Establish supplier scorecards, business reviews and improvement plans covering cost, quality, delivery, responsiveness, innovation and contractual compliance.
• Lead or support resolution of supplier performance issues, commercial disputes and escalations.
• Drive supplier rationalisation, capability development and continuous improvement while maintaining appropriate competition and resilience.

Governance, Risk and Reporting

• Distinguish appropriately between professional services, staff augmentation, contingent labour, managed services and outsourced services, escalating classification or compliance concerns when required.
• Ensure sourcing activity follows company policies, delegated authority, competition requirements, data protection, information security and applicable regulatory expectations.
• Maintain accurate reporting on spend under management, sourcing pipeline, contract and SOW expirations, savings, cost avoidance, risks, decisions and supplier issues.

Required Experience and Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement or category management, with substantial ownership of professional-services spend in a global or complex organisation.
• Demonstrated success leading complex RFx processes and negotiating high-value professional-services agreements and statements of work.
• Strong understanding of consulting, technology, engineering or other knowledge-based service delivery models, including onshore, nearshore and offshore structures.
• Proven ability to interpret rate cards, resource pyramids, utilisation assumptions, project economics and total cost of ownership.
• Experience managing strategic suppliers, performance reviews, improvement plans and commercial escalations.
• Strong contract and commercial acumen, with practical knowledge of scope, acceptance, service levels, change control, intellectual property, confidentiality, liability and termination concepts.
• Strong analytical capability and proficiency with spend, pipeline, savings and supplier-performance data.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in business, supply chain, technology or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships and work effectively with diverse stakeholders across functions, cultures, geographies and levels of seniority, adapting communication and influencing styles to achieve alignment and drive decisions.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in technology, engineering, telecommunications, media, manufacturing or another multinational environment.
• Experience establishing preferred-supplier programmes, global rate cards, offshore delivery models or outcome-based services.
• Familiarity with e-sourcing, contract lifecycle management, spend analytics and supplier-management platforms.
• Experience working across cultures, regions and time zones.
• MBA in related fields.

Our most important asset is our People.

Vantiva’s success greatly relies on our people’s energy, motivation, and talent.

We are dedicated to cultivating a workforce that embraces and celebrates diversity as we believe our differences drive our creativity, and innovation.

We are proactive in supporting equality and maintaining an inclusive work environment, developing, and enhancing career opportunities for all.

Vantiva is committed to ensuring that all its employees receive a fair wage that is sufficient to live with dignity.

If you require a reasonable accommodation at any step of the application process, please let us know by answering the dedicated question in this application form.

About Vantiva - Pushing the Edge

Vantiva (Euronext Paris: VANTI) is a global technology leader in the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) market.

For over 130 years, we have delivered solutions that connect what matters most. Today, we continue to redefine connectivity with industry-leading broadband, video, and IoT-driven smart systems that elevate how people live, work, and connect globally.

Vantiva combines a customer-focused approach with decades of software development, electronics hardware design, and supply chain expertise to deliver high-quality solutions at scale. This proficiency has positioned us as a trusted provider to leading network service providers, enterprise customers, and consumers around the world.

Our strong commitment to sustainability and responsible business practices has earned us multiple Gold and Platinum Medals from EcoVadis for environmental and social performance. These awards place us among the top 2% of organizations in our category evaluated globally.

With our headquarters in Paris and major offices in Australia, Brazil, China, India, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States, we serve a diverse global customer base. The acquisition of CommScope’s Home Networks business in January 2024 further bolstered our ongoing commitment to innovation.

For more information, please visit vantiva.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X (Twitter).

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