Global Director

Director - Category Management (Global Procurement Services)

LocationIndia (Noida) with multi region responsibility (Global Role)

Role PurposeThe Director - Category Management will provide strategic, commercial, and operational leadership for high value indirect spend categories including Facilities Management Services (FMS), Real estate / leasing, Infrastructure build, Physical Security, Employee services, and Global Travel & lodgingThe role owns end to end category strategy for a global annual spend of USD 400 million, driving cost optimization, risk management, Contract negotiations & governance, ESG compliance, supplier relations across geographies, lead complex global RFPs, renegotiations, and contract restructurings,This position requires a seasoned leader with 25 years of experience, capable of operating at leadership levels, managing complex supplier ecosystems, and leading senior category leads at GM / DGM levels with overall team size of 40+ across different regionResponsible for managing internal customer / stake holders & act as senior escalation point for business critical supplier performance or continuity issues

Key Responsibilities1. Category Strategy & Spend OwnershipOwn and govern global category strategies for FMS, Security, Employee Transport, and Global Travel with full P&L and value realization accountabilityManage and optimize an aggregate indirect spend of USD 400M annually, ensuring measurable outcomes across cost, quality, resilience, and sustainabilityEstablish 3-5 year category roadmaps covering demand management, sourcing models, technology enablement, and supplier consolidationLead make buy, regionalization, nearshoring, and bundling decisions based on cost and risk trade offs

• Commercial Excellence & Value CreationDrive structured savings programs (hard savings, cost avoidance, productivity gains) with clear governance and Finance sign offLead complex global RFPs, renegotiations, and contract restructurings, including gain share and risk linked commercial modelsEnsure robust TCO based decisioning, benchmarking, and should cost modeling across all categoriesOwn commercial risk management including price volatility, demand shocks, SLA leakage, and supplier concentration risks
• Supplier & Ecosystem ManagementBuild and govern a global strategic supplier ecosystem, including Tier 1 integrators and regional specialistsEstablish supplier segmentation frameworks (Strategic / Preferred / Tactical) with formal QBRs and scorecardsDrive supplier innovation, digitization, and ESG commitments (carbon reduction, social compliance, safety)Act as senior escalation point for business critical supplier performance or continuity issues
• Leadership & Organization ManagementLead and mentor senior category leaders at GM / DGM levels, ensuring clarity of ownership and high performanceSet talent standards for commercial depth, category specialization, and global stakeholder managementBuild succession pipelines and develop future leaders .Foster a high accountability, data driven, and outcome oriented team.
• Stakeholder & Governance LeadershipPartner with Business Heads, Function heads and Regional Presidents to align sourcing strategies with business prioritiesPresent category strategies, savings outcomes, and risk positions to procurement & finance leadershipEnsure governance across policy compliance, audit readiness, risk frameworks, and regulatory adherence
• Transformation & Digital EnablementLead procurement transformation initiatives including: Spend analytics & dashboardsContract lifecycle management (CLM)Service performance digitizationAutomation of transactional procurementSponsor adoption of AI led analytics for data based decision making, process improvement & simplification ,supplier assessment etc

Key Qualifications & ExperienceExperience 25 years of progressive experience in Category Management / Strategic Sourcing / Commercial LeadershipDemonstrated ownership of USD 300-500M+ indirect spend at enterprise or global scaleDeep expertise in FMS, Security Services, Employee Mobility / Transport, and Global TravelProven experience managing senior leadership teams (GM level) across regionsPrior experience in large multinational organizations (IT/ITES, BFSI, manufacturing, or conglomerates) strongly preferred

Skills & CompetenciesEnterprise level commercial acumen & negotiation masteryStrong financial modeling, benchmarking, and ROI orientationAbility to operate in complex, matrixed, multi country environmentsLeadership / CXO level communication and executive presenceStrong understanding of ESG, compliance, and risk managementTrack record of large scale savings, supplier transformation, and crisis managementEducationMBA / PGDM in Supply Chain, Finance, Operations (preferred)Engineering or equivalent undergraduate qualificationProfessional certifications (CIPS, CPSM, PMP) - desirable

Success MetricsNet savings (PnL Impact) & cost avoidance realized vs targetsSupplier performance, Operational SLA & process complianceRisk reduction & business continuity KPIsProcess simplification & automationLeadership bench strength & succession readinessCash flow improvement