Category Manager

SAIC is hiring a Category Manager within Aerospace & Defense to lead strategic sourcing and category-management activities that improve supplier performance, manage risk, strengthen compliance, and deliver measurable value across the aerospace and defense supply chain. This role partners with business, program, engineering, contracts, legal, and procurement stakeholders to develop category strategies, execute competitive sourcing events, negotiate agreements, and manage key supplier relationships.

The position is 100% remote from within the Unites States.  It will require up to 50% travel primarily to the corporate office in Reston, VA.

Job Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute category strategies aligned with business objectives, program requirements, market conditions, and long-range demand.

• Conduct market intelligence, spend analysis, supplier assessments, and risk evaluations to identify sourcing opportunities and alternative sources of supply.

• Partner with internal stakeholders to define business requirements, specifications, evaluation criteria, sourcing plans, and implementation schedules.

• Lead RFI, RFQ, RFP, and other competitive sourcing processes from planning through supplier selection and award recommendation.

• Negotiate pricing, terms, service levels, risk allocations, and performance commitments with suppliers and subcontractors.

• Support contract development and administration in coordination with Contracts, Legal, Finance, Program Management, and other stakeholders.

• Manage strategic supplier relationships, scorecards, business reviews, corrective actions, development plans, and continuous-improvement initiatives.

• Monitor supplier capacity, quality, delivery, financial health, regulatory compliance, and supply-chain continuity risks.

• Perform cost and price analysis, including should-cost modeling, benchmarking, savings validation, and price-reasonableness determinations.

• Promote compliance with procurement policies, approved-supplier requirements, FAR/DFARS obligations, and applicable export-control requirements.

• Track category performance, savings, supplier diversity, contract utilization, risk, and other key metrics; provide timely reports to leadership and stakeholders.

• Travel to the Reston, Virginia corporate office and supplier or business locations as required, up to 50%.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s and 15 years or more related experience; Masters and 13 or more years of experience.  Additional years of experience may be substituted in lieu of degree.  Degrees in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Finance, Engineering, or a related field preferred.

• Eight or more years of progressive procurement, strategic sourcing, supply-chain, subcontract-management, or category-management experience.

• At least five years of experience developing and executing category or sourcing strategies and leading complex supplier negotiations.

• Experience supporting aerospace, defense, federal contracting, advanced manufacturing, or another highly regulated industry.

• Working knowledge of FAR/DFARS requirements and government-contracting procurement practices.

• Working knowledge of ITAR, EAR, and the handling of export-controlled procurement information.

• Demonstrated skill in market analysis, spend analysis, cost and price analysis, supplier risk management, contract negotiations, and supplier performance management.

• Strong project-management, stakeholder-management, facilitation, problem-solving, written communication, and presentation skills.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and experience using ERP, e-sourcing, contract-management, spend-analytics, or supplier-management systems.

• Ability to work effectively in a remote environment, manage multiple priorities, and collaborate across functions and locations.

• Ability and willingness to travel up to 50%, including regular travel to the corporate office in Reston, Virginia.

• US citizenship.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Finance, Engineering, or a related field.

• CPSM, CPM, CSCP, CPCM, CFCM, or another relevant procurement, supply-chain, or contracting certification.

• Experience with Deltek Costpoint or a comparable government-contracting ERP platform.

• Experience with AS9100-based supplier quality systems, aerospace traceability requirements, and supplier qualification processes.