Category Manager (Technology Sourcing)

Okta's Strategic Sourcing and Procurement (SS&P) team is looking for an experienced Category Manager (Technology Sourcing) to to join our energetic Strategic Sourcing team to support and be part of Okta's continued growth.  You will lead sourcing activities for our Technology spend globally. This includes leading complex, high-value sourcing projects and contract negotiations for IT service and product categories such as Software, Network, SaaS, IaaS, Telephony, and other direct or indirect technology requirements on a local or global scale.

In this role, you will be a trusted, senior partner to our Technology stakeholders — owning the sourcing strategy for some of SS&P's most complex and highest-impact categories, leading high-stakes negotiations, and driving cost-saving initiatives while maintaining service quality and mitigating risk. You will also provide guidance and mentorship to junior Category Managers and serve as an escalation point for Tactical Sourcing on technology-related matters.

We are looking for a proactive, organized, and collaborative individual who works well in a fast-paced environment and can operate with a high degree of autonomy. This role will report to the Senior Manager, Strategic Sourcing – Technology. 

This is a hybrid role (2 days a week in office) and must be based in either Bellevue, WA, or the San Francisco Bay Area.

Key Responsibilities:

• Category Strategy & Planning:  Develop and lead sourcing strategies for Technology categories (Software, Network, SaaS, IaaS, Telephony, AI, and related technology requirements), working closely with senior stakeholders to understand long-term needs and deliver measurable value. Gather business and technical requirements to produce documentation supporting RFx events, and develop internal presentations and business cases to secure management approval for multi-year supplier agreements.
• Sourcing & Project Management: Lead and support all aspects of the strategic sourcing process end-to-end — RFx events, supplier evaluations, and day-to-day commercial contract negotiations — for the most complex, high-value technology sourcing initiatives. 
• Contract Negotiation: Lead commercial term negotiations for project-level agreements and partner with Legal on Master Service Agreements (MSAs) and related exhibits, applying strong negotiation and legal acumen to secure favorable terms on high-stakes, high-dollar technology contracts. 
• Cost Optimization & Risk Management: Use industry expertise to identify and lead cost optimization initiatives across the largest or most strategic Technology categories, where outcomes carry cross-functional or company-wide impact. Provide economic analysis of supplier proposals for high-dollar or high-risk expenditures, and identify and mitigate the associated internal and external risks. Identify and mitigate both internal and external risks associated with technology purchase transactions. 
• Stakeholder Partnership:  Build effective, strategic relationships with senior business stakeholders and cross-functional teams (Finance, Legal, Security, Privacy) to align sourcing initiatives with business requirements, ensuring policies and procedures are followed and met. 
• Supplier Relaitonship Management:  Own the relationship strategy for Okta's most strategic or highest-spend Technology suppliers. Drive supplier performance review meetings and serve as the escalation point when supplier issues or negotiations exceed what P3 Category Managers can resolve independently.
• Process, Governance, & Compliance:  Ensure adherence to Okta's policies and procedures. Provide guidance and mentorship to  and serve as an escalation point for junior team members.
• Data Analysis & Reporting:  Build the data models and spend analysis that inform leadership's Technology category decisions — identifying opportunities for streamlining and consolidation of spend across the portfolio. Regularly brief leadership on strategy progress, savings, and market trends, presenting insights in an executive-ready format 

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in Sourcing and Procurement of Technology (Infrastructure, SaaS, Telecom, IaaS, AI, etc.), including category management, strategic sourcing, vendor management, risk management, and/or procurement in a large, global company environment.
• Proven ability to independently lead complex contract and commercial term negotiations, including deep understanding of tech contract law, commercial terms, and risk requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to own end-to-end management of the most complex, highest-dollar, or highest-risk sourcing projects, with minimal oversight.
• Experience mentoring or providing guidance to junior category managers or sourcing staff.
• Demonstrated ability to build data models and spend analyses that inform senior leadership decisions, and to present findings and recommendations in an executive-ready format.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated track record of building trust and driving alignment with senior-level business stakeholders, cross-functional partners, and key vendors.
• Experience owning strategic relationships with an organization's highest-spend or most critical suppliers, including serving as an escalation point for issues beyond junior team members' authority to resolve.
• Advanced proficiency in sourcing and contract systems (e.g., Workday Strategic Sourcing/Scout, Coupa, Ironclad), with experience identifying and driving improvements to how these tools are used across the category management function.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Professional certifications such as CSCP, CPSM, or CPIM.
• Experience driving M&A-related sourcing activity, including contract novation and consolidation.
• Proven track record of process or policy improvements that scaled across a sourcing function.
• Proficiency with analytics and reporting; strong data-oriented approach to category strategy and negotiations.
• Experience with ERP and financial systems; familiarity with Coupa, Workday Strategic Sourcing (Scout), etc.
• Ability to travel as needed.

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