JOB SUMMARY

The Director, Category Management and Sourcing is part of a team responsible for managing category management and strategic sourcing needs for Marriott’s Global Procurement Department.  This role will be responsible driving best-in-class category management and strategic sourcing across one or more business verticals. The Director drives adherence to and communication of Marriott procurement policies and processes, serves as the primary point of escalation for issues, delivers effective communications at all levels (including to executive leadership), and supports cross-functional teams on projects and procurement initiatives. As a key member of the Global Procurement team, this leader will partner closely with corporate, continent, and discipline leaders to develop and execute procurement strategies, enhance supplier governance and drive responsible sourcing and financial sustainability with an emphasis on optimizing supplier relationships and sourcing strategies that support hotel operations at scale. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in category management, strategic sourcing, risk management and regulatory compliance. This role offers the opportunity to drive and execute category strategies and strategic sourcing and contribute to the success of Marriott’s 30+ brands across 10,000+ hotels in 138+ countries by managing categories and key vendors directly tied to hotel operations, including guest-facing and experiential supplies such as music and scent programs, in-room amenities, audiovisual equipment and services, uniforms, branded collateral, and other operational consumables. 

The global team has a presence in 9 offices worldwide (Eschborn, London, Dubai, Cape Town, Shanghai, Singapore, Mumbai, Bethesda MD, Plantation FL) and over 60 clusters representing 200 associates. This role will maximize Marriott’s global purchasing power of $20B+ while supporting strategic supplier relationships.  

CANDIDATE PROFILE 

Education and Experience 

Required

• BA/BS 
• 10+ years of business, legal, and/or procurement experience. Deep technical knowledge of category management and strategic sourcing in the hospitality, lodging or adjacent sector. 
• Demonstrated ability to create strategy and implement change in a highly matrixed cross-discipline environment. 

Preferred

• Masters in Business Administration or Juris Doctor.
• Proven ability to lead and develop a high-performing team
• Experience managing large-scale sourcing initiatives for hotel supply categories such as amenities, uniforms, AV, scent/music programs, and operational consumables                

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES 

• Act as a procurement business partner to business disciplines, providing guidance on category management, strategic sourcing, policy and risk management.
• Establish, continuously refine, and implement category management and sourcing strategies for procurement across the enterprise, ensuring alignment with discipline partners and company objectives. 
• Stay abreast of demand patterns and category spend, cost benchmarks, and business trends to identify potential suppliers, advise on competitive dynamics, and proactively work with stakeholders to modify strategies to meet enterprise-wide requirements, manage risk and optimize costs.
• Identify and develop strategies to mitigate potential risks within the supply chain, ensuring business continuity and stability.
• Develop strategies to manage and optimize supplier relationships, ensuring quality and cost-effectiveness.
• Recommend new sourcing strategies, process improvements, and supplier relationships for the enterprise.
• Provide thought leadership and end-to-end ownership of sourcing events for major initiatives. 
• Develop and implement effective internal tracking mechanisms and measurements to monitor the competitive bidding process.
• Leverage strong analytical and communication skills to lead and assist others in managing all aspects of competitive bids, including analyzing and scoring multiple proposals, creating corresponding business cases (including financial reports), and presenting clear and concise summaries of recommended options. 
• Work collaboratively with cross-functional teams across the enterprise and within Global Procurement to achieve shared goals. 
• Ensure procurement strategies align with corporate sustainability goals, ethical sourcing standards, and supplier diversity initiatives.