Global Category Manager, Procurement AI Transformation (m/f/d)

<p><span>Xylem is a Fortune 500 global water solutions company dedicated to advancing sustainable impact and empowering the people who make water work every day.</span><span><span> As a leading water technology company with </span><span>23,000 employees</span><span> </span><span>operating</span><span> in over 150 countries, Xylem is at the forefront of addressing the world's most critical water challenges. We invite passionate individuals to join our team, dedicated to exceeding customer expectations through innovative and sustainable solutions.</span></span></p><p></p><p><b>The Role:</b></p><p>The Global Category Manager, Procurement AI Transformation, will lead the strategic sourcing, contracting, and <span>supplier-relationship</span> management of all AI-related products and services across Xylem. This role builds and manages the AI vendor ecosystem - driving innovation, cost efficiency, governance, and delivery excellence on AI use cases that accelerate Xylem’s digital transformation.</p><p></p><p>The position acts as the primary interface between Procurement, IT Business Relationship Management, and the Global AI Team, ensuring that supplier strategies and AI program objectives are tightly aligned.</p><p>The role works closely with the AI Navigator and AI Champion networks to ensure alignment between business-driven AI priorities and sourcing execution, enabling efficient scaling of vetted AI solutions across the enterprise.</p><p></p><p>The ideal candidate combines procurement expertise with strong AI fluency — understanding how artificial intelligence, data analytics, and digital platforms create business value. This person is curious, hands-on with emerging tools, and confident engaging both business and technical stakeholders to translate innovation into measurable impact.</p><p></p><p><b>Key Responsibilities: </b></p><p></p><p><b>Category Strategy &amp; Thought Leadership </b></p><ul><li>Develop and execute the global category strategy for AI vendors (software, services, data).</li><li>Lead sourcing projects, including market analysis, RFPs, supplier evaluation, and contract negotiation.</li><li>Support development and apply tailored procurement framework for AI: covering risk, IP protection, data privacy, and performance management.</li><li>Conduct supplier benchmarking and market intelligence to ensure competitiveness and innovation.</li><li>Establish framework agreements with key partners to enable scalable adoption.</li><li>Maintain a category innovation roadmap aligned with business priorities and emerging AI technologies.</li><li>Monitor total cost of ownership (TCO) and realized value from AI solutions</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Supplier &amp; Partner Management</b></p><ul><li>Build and maintain long-term relationships with strategic AI vendors and emerging innovators.</li><li>Co-develop, pilot, and scale AI solutions that support business priorities.</li><li>Track supplier KPIs and SLAs to ensure consistent delivery, compliance, and innovation.</li><li>Represent Procurement in supplier performance reviews and steering committees.</li><li>Run structured innovation reviews and capability assessments with suppliers.</li><li>Develop supplier maturity to meet enterprise-grade standards in security and compliance.</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Cross-Functional Collaboration &amp; Change Management</b></p><ul><li>Act as the Procurement lead for AI sourcing initiatives in collaboration with IT, AI CoE, Legal, Cybersecurity, and business stakeholders.</li><li>Collaborate with AI Navigators to operationalize vendor-provided AI solutions within the AI Tool Decision Tree process.</li><li>Align sourcing activities with AI governance, budgets, and business cases.</li><li>Partner with IT BRMs to forecast AI demand and integrate sourcing into project planning.</li><li>Promote AI sourcing best practices and enable knowledge sharing across functions.</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Program &amp; Performance Management</b></p><ul><li>Manage the lifecycle of AI vendor-supported programs, from pilot to global rollout, ensuring delivery on time, budget, and performance KPIs.</li><li>Track procurement KPIs for AI transformation (savings, time-to-contract, innovation contribution).</li><li>Provide reporting and insights on supplier performance, market trends, and risk.</li><li>Partner with Finance and stakeholders to measure ROI and realized value of AI initiatives.</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Governance &amp; Compliance</b></p><ul><li>Co-develop and implement governance frameworks for AI sourcing</li><li>Co-develop and document procurement policies, playbooks, and contract standards specific to AI.</li><li>Ensure compliance with contractual, data protection, and security requirements.</li><li>Collaborate with Legal and IT to evolve contract templates and sourcing playbooks in line with changing AI regulations and best practices.</li><li>Lead communication and training on AI sourcing guidelines and risk controls.</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Quali