Category Lead Senior/Construction/Utilities

NO VISA SPONSORSHIPS at this time.....Principals only; no recruiter calls or emails.Candidates local to the NorthWest Indiana/Chicagoland area preferredQualifications:- Contracting experience 5 plus years- Intermediate to senior level- RFP 5 plus years- Bidding & negotiations experience- Direct Experience, non-IT- Construction experience, large projects (utilities/commercial/industrial)- Bachelors degree from an accredited college or equivalent work-related experienceProven track record to deliver results and achieve goals Demonstrated ability to developeffective working relationships with othersExperience leading cross-functional teamsAbility to build support and consensusProven financial acumen and analytical abilities Preferred: MBACertified Procurement Manager (CPM) Three years of leadership experienceExperience managing large supplier agreements Experience working in a Shared ServicesorganizationSupply Chain experience in the utility industry Knowledgeable in category management andstrategic sourcing practicesResponsibilities:- Establishing, leading/facilitating, and supporting cross-functional category management teams todevelop and maintain category plans and ongoing category performanceDeveloping deep knowledge and experience within assigned spend management responsibilitiesDeveloping spend/performance and external market analyses to monitor category performanceand identify performance improvement opportunitiesDevelop spending and savings/performance improvement forecasts to monitor progress and ensuregoals are achieved Develop plans to capture identified opportunitiesDefining category requirements through collaborative efforts with respective stakeholder groupsCollaborating with stakeholder groups to develop consensus on the appropriate category plansand prioritiesLeading performance improvement initiatives defined by the category plan including strategicsourcing and other performance improvement initiativesEstablishing, leading/facilitating, and supporting cross-functional strategic sourcing/performanceimprovement teams as needed/prescribed by category plans to achieve savings and performance targets (e.g. reduce cost, improve quality, and result in a lower total cost of ownership, meeting supplier diversity goals)Leading negotiations with suppliers as neededMaintaining critical supplier agreements including renewals, negotiation of terms, issueidentification, tracking, and resolution Supplier Management responsibilities include:Developing and maintaining supplier criticality ratings and managing resulting critical supplierrelationshipsManaging supplier relationships including conducting Quarterly Business Reviews with critical suppliers and NiSource Executive Sponsors Stakeholder Management responsibilities include:Developing successful partnerships with key stakeholders/business partners to achieve desiredresultsDeveloping and managing cross-functional category management and strategic sourcing teamsas neededCollaborating with stakeholders to drive needed decisions to achieve desired results