Lead Category Management - 1011

We are seeking a Lead Category Management in our Broomfield, CO Location.

This individual-contributor role will serve as a trusted commercial advisor and category management subject-matter expert for high-value, high-complexity direct and indirect categories supporting advanced technical programs, government-funded research, and national laboratory relationships. The Lead will own category strategies and portfolio performance, lead complex contract negotiations, guide the category management team on contracting matters, and partner across engineering, R&D, operations, legal, finance, program management, quality, information security, and compliance to deliver resilient, compliant, and commercially sound supply solutions.

Quantinuum believes that employees work better, more efficiently and more collaboratively in close proximity to other employees, where ideas can be exchanged readily, and decisions can be made more quickly for the benefit of the Company and our customers. All employees should work at their assigned location; however, this role may offer the opportunity to work remotely up to 2 days per week, with approvals.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own and execute multi-year category strategies for critical direct materials, capital equipment, technical services, research partnerships, software, and other strategic spend portfolios.
• Translate category strategies into end-to-end sourcing initiatives for high-value, high-risk, and technically complex requirements, including market intelligence, supplier discovery, make-versus-buy analysis, RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, SOWs, proposal evaluation, award recommendations, and contracting.
• Structure, draft, and negotiate complex agreements, statements of work, master agreements, long-term agreements, subcontracts, amendments, and commercial terms covering price, intellectual property, data rights, warranties, indemnities, liability, acceptance, milestones, payment, change control, security, and termination.
• Lead contracting and subcontracting activities with government-funded research laboratories coordinating with Legal, Contracts, Export Compliance, Finance, Security and technical program teams to address partner-specific agreement terms, funding constraints, intellectual property, data rights, confidentiality, deliverables, milestones, audit, consent, reporting obligations, and purchasing-system requirements.
• Partner early with engineers, scientists, technical program leaders, quality, manufacturing, facilities and IT, to translate complex requirements into executable sourcing and contracting strategies.
• Provide commercial leadership for supplier selection and negotiations involving emerging technologies, limited-source markets, long lead times, developmental scope, intellectual property, and significant schedule or performance risk.
• Develop should-cost, total-cost-of-ownership, scenario, and financial models to inform investment decisions and deliver sustainable value, working-capital improvement, and lifecycle cost reduction.
• Establish supplier segmentation, governance models, performance scorecards, quarterly business reviews, and development roadmaps for key suppliers, aligning supplier performance and improvement priorities with category objectives.
• Identify and mitigate supply, geopolitical, cybersecurity, compliance, financial, capacity, quality, and continuity risks through alternate sourcing, contractual protections, and contingency plans.
• Influence senior stakeholders and lead cross-functional decision forums, presenting clear recommendations, tradeoffs, risks, and outcomes to business and technical leadership.
• Provide guidance and subject-matter expertise to the category management team on category strategy, portfolio planning, supplier governance, sourcing execution, contract strategy, terms, risk, negotiation, and issue resolution.
• Serve as a category management thought leader by developing playbooks, improving policies and processes, mentoring category management professionals, and raising organizational capability in category strategy, negotiation, supplier management, and contract risk.

YOU MUST HAVE:

• Bachelor’s degree minimum
• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in category management, including ownership of category strategies, spend portfolios, supplier governance, and value-delivery initiatives, with additional experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, contracts, subcontracts, or a related commercial discipline.
• Minimum of 8 years’ experience leading complex, high-dollar negotiations and managing the full lifecycle of supplier agreements and subcontracts.
• Minimum of 8 years’ experience sourcing technically complex products or services
• Due to Contractual requirements, must be a U.S. Person defined as, U.S. citizen permanent resident or green card holder, workers granted asylum or refugee status

WE VALUE:

• Experience working with government-funded research laboratories or similar institutions through research, user-facility, technical services, licensing, material transfer, collaboration, or other partner-specific agreement structures.
• Advanced degree or professional certification such as CPSM, C.P.M., PMP, CPCM, CFCM, CSCP, or equivalent.
• Strong commercial, financial, analytical, and risk-management acumen, with the ability to develop and defend executive-level recommendations.
• Experience negotiating intellectual property, technical data, confidentiality, cybersecurity, export-control, research and development, publication, or technology-licensing
• Demonstrated category leadership in advanced manufacturing, capital equipment, laboratory equipment, engineering services, software, cloud, information technology, or other high-technology spend.
• Ability to operate independently in ambiguity, challenge assumptions constructively, and influence without direct authority.
• Executive communication, stakeholder-management, facilitation, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Experience with SAP or relevant ERP systems, e-sourcing and contract-lifecycle platforms, analytics tools, and structured project-management methods.
• Track record of mentoring others, establishing scalable sourcing practices, and leading enterprise process improvements.