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Metropolitan Transportation Authority · 1 day ago

Category Manager (IT)

New York, NY

Full-time

Hybrid

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

$104K/yr - $123K/yr

8+ years exp

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is North America's largest transportation network, serving a population of 15.3 million people. The IT Category Manager will be responsible for developing and executing IT categories, managing supplier performance, and driving cost savings while ensuring compliance with procurement regulations.

Transportation/Trucking/Railroad

Responsibilities

Focus negotiations on the complete fulfillment of internal stakeholder requirements through cost reductions, cost avoidance, and process improvements

Create and review supplier contracts to ensure appropriate business terms are addressed

Create detailed statements of work where needed. Facilitate legal and risk management review to ensure standard terms and conditions are inserted where appropriate

Lead all agency projects via the RFx process, including gathering business requirements, drafting RFx documents, identifying and qualifying potential suppliers, and RFx project management

Measure and manage supplier performance relative to contracted service levels and identify and resolve supplier performance issues resulting in value and service to the organization

Track trends in the marketplace and actively monitor price indices applicable to category areas, identify new sources of supply and engage with new suppliers, work collaboratively with suppliers and customer stakeholders to identify and execute continuous cost and performance improvement

Negotiate Software License Agreements, Master Services Agreements, and Statements of Work

Act as a Subject Matter Expert in IT Categories and with key suppliers, e.g., Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Salesforce, etc

Assist in the transformation of Procurement into a strategic function offering sustainable value to the MTA-wide organization

Ensure that procurement activities involving solicitation, award, and contract management are carried out in accordance with Federal and State laws, regulations, Executive Orders, and MTA Board guidelines

Coordinate and collaborate extensively with the Office of Civil Rights on goal-based contracts, ensuring inclusion for diverse suppliers

The IT Category Manager position will be new to the MTA. Being a new position, there will be significant change management required for both internal MTA stakeholders and external suppliers to achieve success

Procurement traditionally has held a tactical role, ensuring the purchase order and contracting process is completed. The complex challenge for this role will be to offer strategic value to our internal stakeholders and to understand business requirements early on in the process, and help lead category excellence. The strategic value offered includes expertise in the supplier market and emerging trends, proactively managing risk, and adjusting MTA requirements as needed

The IT Category will be faced with the traditional challenges that face current contract managers. In most instances, Executive Orders are made available to Procurement with such short notice that the myriad actions required to implement the Orders by their effective dates have to be performed under emergency conditions

It is frequently necessary to resolve conflicts between a project manager’s desires and the applicable procurement regulations; e.g., a manager may want to have an item obtained on a sole-source basis when there is no convincing rationale to do so, or when Procurement practice, law, or guidelines dictate another course of action

Specifications and work statements are frequently found to be inadequate; hence, consultation with the program manager is required to develop the real needs and accurately reflect them in the specification or the RFP

Packaging of procurement requirements for a project to allow minority/small businesses an opportunity to compete may require a redirection of the project approach from that originally intended by the program manager

Development of standardized specifications and common purchasing of like items requires overcoming the natural fear of the affiliated agencies of losing control over their contracts and projects

Qualification

Category ManagementSupplier Performance ManagementContract ManagementCost Saving MethodologiesMarket IntelligenceAnalytical SkillsInterpersonal SkillsWriting SkillsProject ManagementTeam Leadership

Required

Must possess excellent interpersonal skills

The ability to interface with staff of affiliated agencies, other departments, consultants, and other outside agencies is a mandatory skill for resolving conflicts in a constructive and timely fashion while maintaining proper procedures and practices, as required

The position requires the ability to write well, both in regard to work that the incumbent prepares as well as in reviewing work done by others

Excellent analytical and writing skills are especially required for developing policies, procedures, and contract documents from legally written source documents

The incumbent must be adept at balancing his/her time between projects that require long and concentrated time at the desk often meeting tight deadlines

The incumbent is utilized as a resource person, fielding inquiries and referrals from internal MTA staff and external parties who do not know who the specific person is within MTA that they wish to contact

The incumbent must be able to foster professional growth and motivate subordinates in positive working functions, as well as meet customer-driven needs

BA/BS in Supply Chain Management, Procurement and Contract Management, or related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience from an accredited college may be considered in lieu of a degree

Minimum of 8 years satisfactory full-time experience in Procurement or a similar role

Company

Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Glassdoor3.6

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is North America's largest transportation network, serving a population of 15.3 million people in the 5,000-square-mile area fanning out from New York City through Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut.

Founded in 1834

New York, NY, US

10001+ employees