Category Management Advisor

Position Overview

In this role, you will be part of a team of category management and strategic sourcing professionals within the Third-Party Management, & Shared Services (GPTPMS) organization. GPTPMS provides procurement-related services to the greater Cigna Group.  A key function of this position is to negotiate and execute key supplier contracts, drive business value and cost savings, and minimize risk within our supplier contracts.  This position will be an exciting opportunity for establishing a Category Management and Strategic Sourcing (CMSS) presence within the innovation hub.   

The Evernorth℠ strategy is fully aligned with our business strategy, resulting in an opportunity for you to influence future procurement and sourcing direction for the hub, with the shared goal of evolving our world class procurement organization.  This is a hands-on position reporting to management with visibility into GPTPMS leadership.

Responsibilities

• Negotiate and process supplier contracts within assigned spend categories by leveraging market conditions, business strategies, spend, strategic importance, geographic considerations, benchmarks, and other key levers
• Through business unit and partnerships, execute on driving cost savings, cost avoidance, risk reduction, enhanced business outcomes, and improved services from supplier, meeting current and future business and category needs
• Review, revise, and / or draft contracts, service level agreements, statements of work and other contract documents with suppliers for strategic deals
• As assigned, evaluate best in class suppliers through RF(x) or similar competitive events with the goal of optimizing supplier engagements
• Be a trusted advisor for business stakeholders in terms of their suppliers and contracts, sourcing best practices, negotiation strategies, contract terms, and other procurement activities
• Ensure consistent communication and project management with the stakeholders of your assigned sourcing intakes throughout the sourcing and procurement lifecycle
• Develop a strong understanding and forecast of key cost drivers and market factors in assigned categories through continuous research and monitoring.
• Support continuous process improvement in all aspects of the sourcing and procurement processes; liaise with the GPTPMS Center of excellence organization in the US to ensure alignment with process, best practices, and talent strategy
• Maintain and promote sound relationships with suppliers, internal matrix partners, business stakeholders, and other parties involved in sourcing and contracting
• Liase with the US GPTPM and Third-Party Management Teams when Supplier relationship or performance issues may factor into sourcing projects
• Act as a change agent and demonstrate resiliency as changes occur within GPTPMS or the greater Cigna Group.

Qualifications

Required Skills:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to interact with all levels of the organization. 
• Strong skills in understanding legal and commercial supplier contract terms and conditions
• Strong interpersonal/relationship management skills. 
• Strong time and project management skills. 
• Broad knowledge of all aspects of the Source to Pay lifecycle including onboarding, due diligence, contracting, and payment
• Experience in a broad range of indirect procurement categories; Corporate Services (human resources, marketing, financial services, real estate & facilities, and legal services) category experience preferred

Required Experience & Education: 

• At least 11 years of relevant experience
• Contracting experience within indirect procurement
• Experience with procurement and sourcing in an onshore/offshore model  
• College degree (Bachelor) in related technical/business areas or equivalent work experience 
• Experience in a broad range of indirect procurement categories; Corporate Services category experience preferred
• Exposure to Ariba or similar Procurement systems and iCertis or similar Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) systems
• Experience working with a matrix organization and other internal partners to execute on goals

Desired Experience:  

• Experience in health-related fields such as health services, health insurance, pharmacy benefits management, and related fields
• Experience with HIPAA, Business Associate Agreements (BAAs), and other related US Healthcare concepts
• Experience with Purchase Order terminology and Procure-to-Pay processes and industry standards
• Industry certifications such as SIG, CSCP, CPM or similar

Location & Hours of Work

• Full-time position, working 40 hours per week. Expected overlap with US hours as appropriate
• Primarily based in the Innovation Hub in Hyderabad, India in a hybrid working model (3 days WFO and 2 days WAH)

Equal Opportunity Statement

Evernorth is an Equal Opportunity Employer actively encouraging and supporting organization-wide involvement of staff in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to educate, inform and advance both internal practices and external work with diverse client populations.

About Evernorth Health Services