Category Lead, Technology Procurement & Strategic Sourcing

Here at Appian our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian youll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things together.

We are seeking a Strategic Category Lead Technology Procurement & Strategic Sourcing to lead the end-to-end lifecycle of our technology this influential role you will serve as the primary architect for our IT category strategy managing a high-growth portfolio that includes enterprise suppliers such as AWS Salesforce Workday and Snowflake.

This is a mission-critical partnership role requiring deep collaboration with Engineering InfoSec Legal Finance and key stakeholders across business. You will ensure the organization maintains a cutting-edge technology stack at an optimal price point while proactively mitigating risk in an evolving digital landscape.

Key Responsibilities

Multi-Year Category Strategy & Business Alignment

• Strategic Roadmap: Design and execute multi-year category strategies for SaaS Cloud and Professional Services that anticipate global business growth and technology shifts.

• Change Management & Adoption: Orchestrate the transition when shifting to new suppliers or licensing models; act as a bridge between technical requirements and procurement outcomes to ensure seamless organizational buy-in.

• Commercial Intelligence: Navigate complex licensing models (per-user consumption-based and tiered) with major industry suppliers to drive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) reductions.

• Demand Management: Collaborate with technical leaders and business owners to forecast needs ensuring our procurement pipeline is driven by business utility rather than supplier-driven sales cycles.

Strategic Sourcing & Lifecycle Execution

• Proactive Lifecycle Management: Own the Intake-to-Contract pipeline maintaining a 24-month renewal look-ahead to maximize negotiation leverage and avoid emergency renewals.

• Process Transformation: Drive continuous improvement in procurement workflows; develop Technology Category Playbooks to standardize negotiation strategies and increase organizational agility.

• Supplier Partnership (SRM): Conduct Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) with Top Technology suppliers to ensure roadmap alignment performance accountability and value realization.

Contracting Risk & Governance

• Negotiation Leadership: Partner with Legal to navigate complex agreements; while Legal focuses on indemnity and liability you will own the commercial architecture focusing on AI use restrictions data privacy SLAs and exit strategies.

• Financial & Analytical Governance: Manage True-ups/True-downs and consumption-based modeling to mitigate overage risks and auto-renewal traps.

• Strategic Reporting: Integrate complex deal structures into concise data-driven decision memos for senior leadership highlighting fiscal impact risk profiles and strategic trade-offs.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Business Supply Chain Finance or a related field.

• 6 years of experience in procurement sourcing and contract management preferably in a technology category.

• Direct experience negotiating with Top enterprise technology suppliers (e.g. Oracle Salesforce AWS Google) known for complex and sophisticated commercial models.

• Deep understanding of modern software delivery. You should be fluent in various licensing models including seat-based consumption/usage-based and tiered bundles.

• Demonstrated ability to build consensus across cross-functional teams (Engineering Finance Information Security) and lead high-stakes supplier transitions through expert communication.

• Highly proficient in modeling consumption-based spend performing TCO analysis and creating what-if scenarios to support renewal strategies.

Tools and Resources

• Training and Development: During onboarding we focus on equipping new hires with the skills and knowledge for success through department-specific training. Continuous learning is a central focus at Appian with dedicated mentorship and the First-Friend program being widely utilized resources for new hires.
• Growth Opportunities: Appian provides a diverse array of growth and development opportunities including our leadership program tailored for new and aspiring managers a comprehensive library of specialized department training through Appian University skills based training and tuition reimbursement for those aiming to advance their education. This commitment ensures that employees have access to a holistic range of development opportunities.
• Community: Well immerse you into our community rooted in respect starting on day one. Appian fosters inclusivity through our 8 employee-led affinity groups. These groups help employees build stronger internal and external networks by planning social educational and outreach activities to connect with Appianites and larger initiatives throughout the company.

Benefits

Appian offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health wellbeing and financial future. Benefits may include health coverage Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with free mental health support life and disability insurance an Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP) a retirement/pension plan wellness dollars tuition reimbursement family-forming benefits and more. Benefits vary by countryplease ask your Talent Acquisition contact for details specific to the location you are applying to.

About Appian

Appian is a software company that automates business processes. The Appian AI-Powered Process Platform includes everything you need to design automate and optimize even the most complex processes from start to finish. The worlds most innovative organizations trust Appian to improve their workflows unify data and optimize operationsresulting in better growth and superior customer experiences. For more information visit . Nasdaq: APPN

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Appian is an equal opportunity employer that strives to attract and retain the best talent. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal state or local law.

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