Mutual Opportunities
Category Manager, Director
Boston, Massachusetts; Springfield, Massachusetts
Thank you to our employees for voting us one of the top places to work in Massachusetts for five consecutive years!
Overview
A career with us means you’ll work alongside exceptional people and be empowered to reach your professional and personal goals. Our employees are at the foundation of what enables MassMutual to deliver on our purpose to help people secure their futures and protect the ones they love.
We embrace the idea that we all are stronger and better through our support for one another. We strive to create a culture where employees feel valued and are celebrated for who they are.
“Since our founding in 1851, mutuality has put our policyowners at the center of everything we do. At our core, we’re a company of people helping people in their time of need, and that spirit extends to the culture we’ve built at our company. Our employees support and rely on each other each day, collaborating to deliver the best solutions for our customers and help millions more secure their future and protect the ones they love.”
Job Description
Category Manager, Director
Procurement
Full-Time
Boston, MA or Springfield, MA
The Opportunity
On the MassMutual Procurement team, we have a goal to enable MassMutual’s mission and vision by providing the right supplier solution at the right time. Our mission is to streamline the procurement process, align supplier partners to meet business needs and continuously increase the value provided to our policyholders. MassMutual is hiring experienced business professionals with substantial team-leadership experience in procurement, specifically Category Management. This role will lead a team of procurement professionals to support the initiatives of the assigned categories.
The Team
The team is comprised of seasoned, collaborative professionals with experience in procurement, category management, supplier management, and sourcing.
The Impact
- Responsible for the management of Category teams (5-8) comprised of experienced Category Managers.
- Team may engage in high dollar value deals (in excess of $1 million dollars), organizational M&A activity and high-level escalations. Team is also responsible for a wide range of portfolios.
- Responsible for setting goals and objectives for team, providing guidance and support and communicating job expectations.
- Leads Procurement work across assigned areas and supports the Head of Category Management.
- Execute complex category and supplier strategies aligned with business goals and budgetary targets.
- Drive key sourcing events and negotiations, leveraging the full suite of sourcing capabilities.
- Work with stakeholders to execute against the corporate strategy, providing key insight into 3rd party capabilities, and help align on company-wide supplier management strategies and industry trends.
- Work with sourcing professionals to set category baseline, conduct market analysis, RFIs, RFPs, etc.
- Act as liaison with stakeholders for specific category escalations including being accountable for category prioritization and pipeline management including serving as the supplier relationship champion and expert of strategic supplier relationships.
- Work hand in hand with business customers to understand requirements, requests and feedback on vendors to support selection.
- Handles complex long-term focused projects involving multiple disciplines or business units.
- Partner with Procurement and stakeholders to develop and execute supplier negotiations strategies to achieve the best value and least risk for the organization.
- Guide Procurement in preparation for and facilitating of contract negotiations and oversee the overall contracting process from a supplier experience and quality standpoint.
- Lead supplier onboarding and offboarding activities, including, but not limited to, coordinating supplier training, granting system access and ensuring that the supplier is familiar with main contacts.
- Ensures that services and products meet the strategic needs of stakeholders. Participates in the negotiation process of SLA agreements and ensures that contractual obligations are met.
- Pursues new supplier relationships, when necessary, seeks to achieve the most profitable service from suppliers. May initiate contract changes when required.
- Strengthen the process structure for Category management by improving standards and partnering with other Procurement functions to develop best practices.
- Mentor and/or direct less experienced managers or employees.
- Responsible for Procurement processes not limited to Product/Service Sourcing, Supplier Selection, Pricing/Terms Negotiation, Order Processing, Contract Administration, Supplier Performance Management, and Strategic Sourcing.
- Bring category subject matter expertise to optimize license structure across key 3rd party relationships, facilitating business growth while ensuring effective cost management.
- Determine and lead appropriate supplier specific ongoing monitoring plan (operational business review meetings, executive oversight meetings, issue management reviews, performance monitoring, contract management reviews, risk management reviews etc.)
- Lead investigations on all supplier issues by working with relevant internal stakeholders and help the supplier to resolve issues efficiently. Loop in appropriate MassMutual teams if risk profile or contract updates become necessary.
The Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree preferably in Finance, Supply Chain or related field
- 8+ years procurement and/or sourcing experience
- 5+ years people management experience or commensurate leadership experience
- 2+ years leading a Procurement team and/or function in financial services or similar industry/environment.
- 4+ years of Executive-level communication and presentation skills as well as listening skills enabling the stakeholders to align with our procurement best practices.
The Ideal Qualifications
- Strong financial acumen and understanding of how effective category management relates to company results.
- Strong influence skills to encourage leaders from across MassMutual towards positive supplier relationships and results delivery.
- Experience creating and leading category strategy.
- Possesses a strong understanding and prior working experience in supplier management activities including performance management (SLAs, KPIs etc.), relationship management, contracting and risk management.
- Experience negotiating agreements and managing complex vendor / client relationships.
What to Expect as Part of MassMutual and the Procurement Team:
- The desire to drive change and improvement in the procurement function supporting our mission to be a leading procurement organization
- Focused one-on-one meetings with your manager
- Access to mentorship opportunities
- Networking opportunities including access to Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, African American, women, LGBTQ, veteran and disability-focused Business Resource Groups
- Access to learning content on Degreed and other informational platforms
- Your ethics and integrity will be valued by a company with a strong and stable ethical business with industry leading pay and benefits
#LI-MM1
MassMutual is an equal employment opportunity employer. We welcome all persons to apply.If you need an accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us and share the specifics of the assistance you need.
MassMutual will accept applications on an ongoing basis until such time as a candidate has been offered employment. The job description includes the main duties of this position, which may evolve over time. You may be required to perform other duties not listed.
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment.
Salary Range: $137,800.00-$180,800.00
Hiring Process
Explore
Explore our open jobs by clicking 'search jobs' to find a position that aligns with your experience and skills. You may also consider joining our Talent Network.
Apply
Click the “apply” button on that job posting to complete and submit your application. Your application will be reviewed by a recruiter, which, due to the volume of applications received, may take some time as we carefully consider each application.
Screen
After your application has been reviewed, if you meet the qualifications for the role, a recruiter will reach out to you to start a conversation.
Interview
If you are invited for an interview, you will be scheduled to meet with the hiring manager and hiring team.
Offer
If you are extended an offer to join MassMutual and accept, your start will be contingent upon a satisfactory background check.
Hire
If you accept the offer, we will be so excited to welcome you to the MassMutual community!
If you need an accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us and share the specifics of the assistance you need.
By the numbers*
- 85% of employee respondents say they are proud to work at MassMutual
-
90
% of employee respondents say the work they do at MassMutual is meaningful - 85% of employee respondents say they feel encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things
*Source: 2025 MassMutual employee engagement survey
Award-Winning Culture
MassMutual is guided by a single purpose: We help people secure their future and protect the ones they love. As a company operated for the benefit of our members and participating policyowners, we are defined by mutuality and our vision to provide financial well-being for all Americans. It’s more than our company structure — it’s our way of life. We are a company of people protecting people. Our company exists because people are willing to share risk and resources and rely on each other when it counts.
We strive to build a thriving community where everyone is valued, included, and feels that they belong.
At MassMutual, we Live Mutual.
How We Work
MassMutual’s flexible workplace approach combines the importance of connecting in person and the flexibility of working remotely. Our hybrid model puts collaboration first with employees coming in at least three days per week to our spectacular campus settings and also enjoying the flexibility of remote Fridays, company-wide remote weeks, and a bank of flexible remote weeks to use throughout the year.
Benefits for the whole you (and your loved ones)
There’s more to your life than your job and there’s more to your aspirations than a paycheck. We take a holistic view of compensation and benefits that provides the flexibility to create a healthy balance in your life for work, family, and community. We offer the benefits you’d expect, like medical, dental, 401(k), and generous vacation time, but we also offer ones you might not expect, like three paid days for volunteering, a $1,250 annual Well-Being Wallet, and up to 320 hours of caregiver leave.
Explore some of our offerings below. Benefit details can be found here.
Why MassMutual?
Kevin
Compliance Consultant
Seth
Service Management Consultant
Kymberly
Head of Experience Journey Mapping
where we work
Springfield Office
1295 State Street, Springfield, MA
Boston Office
10 Fan Pier Blvd, Boston, MA
New York Office
2 Park Ave,
New York, NY
Virtual
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