About the position
The Marketing Category Manager is a key strategic leader responsible for optimizing Humana’s marketing procurement strategy. This role focuses on driving value and efficiency across strategic agency engagements, marketing technology, and data-driven campaign performance. By leveraging deep category expertise and market insights, this individual will collaborate with internal stakeholders to structure multi-year agreements, establish clear performance metrics, and ensure alignment with Humana’s business objectives. We thrive on curiosity, data-driven decision-making, and an entrepreneurial spirit—seizing opportunities, solving challenges proactively, and fostering long-term partnerships that enhance Humana’s brand and marketing effectiveness.
Responsibilities
- Support, develop and execute procurement strategies for agencies, ensuring alignment with Humana’s top marketing objectives and maintaining a preferred agency roster.
- Structure and negotiate multi-year agreements, incorporating rate cards, retainers, KPIs, and project-based scopes to drive cost efficiencies and accountability.
- Media planning, buying, and stewardship across all channels.
- Creative services, strategy, website development, SEO, and digital experience management.
- Performance marketing and media mix modeling across business lines (Retail, CenterWell, Humana Brand).
- Support and enable tier 2 and tier 3 subcontracted agency services with Humana’s internal agency.
- Lead the end-to-end RFP and negotiation process, maximizing value creation while mitigating financial and operational risks.
- Ensure agency and vendor contracts are structured to enforce supplier accountability, performance transparency, and continuous improvement.
- Analyze spend data, total cost of ownership (TCO), and market trends to drive informed procurement decisions.
- Act as the supply and sourcing relationship champion, leading a supply sourcing council ensuring seamless integration with procurement strategies and Humana’s business objectives with marketing teams, finance, and procurement.
- Develop and implement procurement governance frameworks, ensuring compliance with internal policies and industry best practices.
- Provide strategic guidance on budget planning, cost forecasting, and ROI analysis for marketing investments.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Marketing, or a related field.
- 3+ years of experience in procurement, sourcing, or supply chain management.
- Strong analytical and financial acumen, with the ability to assess procurement impacts on business performance.
- 2+ years of Category Management experience.
Nice-to-haves
- Project leadership experience, managing complex supplier negotiations and contracts.
- Understanding of marketing agency models, media buying structures, and performance-based contracting.
- Passion for continuous improvement, consumer experience, and driving marketing efficiency.
- Master’s degree (MBA, Supply Chain, or Marketing focus).
- Experience in marketing procurement, agency sourcing, or marketing technology procurement.
- Strong knowledge of digital marketing trends, media buying processes, and analytics-driven decision-making.
Benefits
- Medical, dental and vision benefits.
- 401(k) retirement savings plan.
- Time off (including paid time off, company and personal holidays, volunteer time off, paid parental and caregiver leave).
- Short-term and long-term disability.
- Life insurance.
