Senior Category Manager IT – Core Platforms / Technology in Utrecht

By ensuring that 13.7 million customers and 47,000 partners benefit from a retail tech platform powered by the best technology, sourced on the most competitive terms. In this high-impact role, you will act as a strategic partner to senior stakeholders within the IT domain, providing direction and advice on complex sourcing, commercial and supplier decisions, all while managing an increasingly complex supplier portfolio and growing technology spend.
Whether it concerns business-critical software, security, network, telecom, datacentre, hosting and infrastructure hardware, your decisions will help determine how quickly we can innovate and grow. In an industry where technological advantage often makes all the difference, you will build and manage partnerships that keep our platform future-proof.
The biggest challenge You will operate in a highly complex and rapidly evolving procurement area, characterized by critical IT suppliers and multiple dependencies, complex contracts, and high financial stakes. How do you negotiate with niche tech suppliers while simultaneously exploring strategic alternatives? How do you balance enterprise stability while also being commercially competitive? The challenge goes far beyond delivering direct cost savings.
You need to understand technology roadmaps, avoid vendor lock-in, and create opportunities for innovation within stringent compliance frameworks. With AI and cloud services evolving rapidly, you also need to make decisions today that will continue to deliver value in the long term. Success requires more than smart contract management. Your goal is to strengthen our strategic position for the long term.
What will you do as Senior Category Manager IT? You will act as a strategic business partner for the Product & Tech domain. It is an autonomous, high-impact position in which you develop and continuously refine procurement strategies that make a measurable contribution to achieving bol's technology ambitions.
This position requires you to engage with stakeholders at different levels of seniority to influence strategic decisions through specialist expertise and commercial judgment, rather than through hierarchical authority. Your mandate includes contract negotiations but extends far beyond them. You will dive deep into technology trends, understand and interpret stakeholder roadmaps, and translate market insights into strategic opportunities.
Whether it involves decreasing our risk on certain suppliers, sourcing new software capabilities, or replacing legacy core technology, you identify opportunities where others see only complexity.
Developing and continuously refining procurement strategies across the core technology portfolio including cyber security, network, telecom, data centre, hosting and infrastructure hardware
Leading complex negotiations with suppliers
Advising leadership on procurement and supplier risks
Identifying innovation opportunities across the technology ecosystem
Managing critical supplier relationships in collaboration with our vendor management team
Creating value through innovation, risk reduction and commercial optimisation
Why you can make the difference You combine 5+ years of technology procurement experience with the confidence to challenge established ways of working. You have a proven track record of successfully negotiating complex, high-value contracts and understand that in technology procurement, leverage, market knowledge and timing are critical to success.
You speak "tech" fluently, from software architecture to API pricing, while always keeping a sharp eye on the commercial perspective.
What sets you apart is your ability to operate autonomously while maintaining a clear view of operational realities. You are decisive and know when to elevate, but you also recognize when a more collaborative approach will lead to a better outcome. Your communication skills enable you to engage just as comfortably with engineers discussing technical specifications as with executives making critical financial decisions.
Where you'll be working You will become part of the NFR (Not For Resale) Procurement team, bol's strategic procurement engine. Our culture is direct, results-oriented, and data-driven. We value smart solutions over hierarchical processes. You will work closely with the cluster lead on Product&Tech and with Product & Tech as your primary stakeholder, you will be right at the heart of our technological transformation.
Something for you Commercial strategist: You negotiate at the sharpest level and know how to turn technology dependencies into win-win deals
Innovation enabler: You see procurement as a lever for technological advantage, not simply as a means to reduce costs
Portfolio orchestrator: Comfortable managing a complex supplier portfolio with multiple critical dependencies? That's where your strengths come into play
Nothing for you Lone ranger: You prefer to operate solo instead of in a broader team
Tech tourist: You have little interest in understanding the technology behind the products and services you procure
Yes-person: You feel uncomfortable with tough external negotiations or challenging stakeholders internally
We take pride in our B Corp certification and strive for continuous improvement every day. Our annual bonus is tied to sustainability goals, and we are committed to equality and equal opportunities for all.
Perks of having a blue heart 29 days: to recharge
Travel costs: Public transport, car, parking & charging covered
Pension plan: 75% premium covered
Annual bonus: Based on sustainability goals