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Why UKG:

At UKG, the work you do matters. The code you ship, the decisions you make, and the care you show a customer all add up to real impact. Today, tens of millions of workers start and end their days with our workforce operating platform. Helping people get paid, grow in their careers, and shape the future of their industries. That’s what we do.

We never stop learning. We never stop challenging the norm. We push for better, and we celebrate the wins along the way. Here, you’ll get flexibility that’s real, benefits you can count on, and a team that succeeds together. Because at UKG, your work matters—and so do you.

About the Role:

UKG is seeking a Senior Technical Category Manager to serve as a strategic partner to stakeholders across Engineering, Product, Enterprise Services, and Cloud organizations. This individual will lead high-impact initiatives focused on vendor rationalization, negotiation, and spend optimization across a multi-million-dollar technology portfolio.

Operating with a high degree of independence and judgment, the Senior Manager will drive complex sourcing projects — from market research and category strategy development to supplier negotiations and software licensing evaluations. A key focus of this role will be optimizing SaaS investments by identifying opportunities to right-size or renegotiate existing agreements and leading RFP initiatives for legacy technologies to deliver greater scalability and cost efficiency.

This position plays a critical role in reducing supplier redundancy, improving commercial outcomes, and aligning technology spend with UKG’s financial and strategic objectives. The ideal candidate will bring deep knowledge of the SaaS market, exceptional stakeholder management skills, and a proven ability to influence change across diverse business functions.

Essential Functions:

• Support the management and optimization of a multi-million-dollar technology spend portfolio, driving value through strategic partnerships with key vendors.

• Build and nurture relationships with internal stakeholders to understand business priorities and inform technology sourcing strategies aligned with enterprise objectives.

• Partner with FP&A leadership to align technology investments and spending decisions with the company’s financial goals.

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for acquiring and optimizing enterprise software, cloud services, SaaS solutions, and hardware assets.

• Lead end-to-end software and services acquisition processes to achieve the lowest total cost of ownership through competitive sourcing events (RFx, reverse auctions, etc.)

• Identify and resolve breakdowns in communication, demand planning, or negotiation, ensuring timely execution across procurement and stakeholder teams.

• Serve as the primary relationship owner for a portfolio of strategic resellers and cloud service providers, fostering accountability and performance excellence.

• Negotiate and execute complex contracts in partnership with Legal, Finance, and Third-Party Risk teams to ensure compliance and mitigate organizational risk.

• Develop and implement market-based category strategies that reduce costs, eliminate redundancies, improve efficiency, and deliver measurable results through performance metrics and reporting.

• Proactively monitor SaaS market trends to uncover and capitalize on opportunities for cost optimization, renegotiation, or competitive sourcing events – consistently driving reductions in overall technology spend

About You:

Basic Qualifications:

+ Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or relevant certification (e.g., CPSM, CSCP, or equivalent) preferred.

+ 7–10+ years of progressive experience in technology sourcing, procurement, or supplier management, with a focus on enterprise SaaS.

+ Extensive experience negotiating, interpreting, and managing SaaS and software licensing agreements, including commercial and contractual terms.

+ Strong expertise in sourcing strategy, contract negotiation, and category planning, with a demonstrated track record of cost optimization and supplier performance improvement.

+ Deep knowledge of procurement best practices, market intelligence, and technology category management.

+ Proven ability to build and influence relationships across all levels of the organization and with external suppliers to drive alignment and strategic outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications:

+ Exceptional communication and analytical skills, with the ability to translate complex data and contract terms into actionable business insights.

+ Highly organized and adaptable, capable of managing multiple complex projects and workstreams in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.

Company Overview:

UKG is the Workforce Operating Platform that puts workforce understanding to work. With the world's largest collection of workforce insights, and people-first AI, our ability to reveal unseen ways to build trust, amplify productivity, and empower talent, is unmatched. It's this expertise that equips our customers with the intelligence to solve any challenge in any industry — because great organizations know their workforce is their competitive edge. Learn more at ukg.com.

Equal Opportunity Employer

UKG is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, disability, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories.

View The EEO Know Your Rights poster (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/EEOC\_KnowYourRights\_screen\_reader\_10\_20.pdf)

UKG participates in E-Verify. View the E-Verify posters here (https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/EVerifyParticipationPoster.pdf) .

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Disability Accommodation in the Application and Interview Process

For individuals with disabilities that need additional assistance at any point in the application and interview process, please email [email protected] .

The pay range for this position is $129,500 to $160,000, however, base pay offered may vary depending on skills, experience, job-related knowledge and location. This position is also eligible for a short-term incentive and a long-term incentive as part of total compensation. Information about UKG’s comprehensive benefits can be reviewed on our careers site at https://www.ukg.com/about-us/careers/benefits

It is the policy of Ultimate Software to promote and assure equal employment opportunity for all current and prospective Peeps without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, veteran status, and any other legally protected status entitled to protection under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws. This policy governs all matters related to recruitment, advertising, and initial selection of employment. It shall also apply to all other aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, compensation, promotion, demotion, transfer, lay-offs, terminations, leave of absence, and training opportunities.