OPT Category Manager Jobs
Category Manager jobs are a strong fit for F-1 OPT students with backgrounds in supply chain, business analytics, or marketing. Most roles qualify as specialty occupations for H-1B visa sponsorship, and employers in retail, e-commerce, and CPG regularly hire OPT candidates with STEM OPT extensions available for quantitative-focused positions.
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AWS Infrastructure Services owns the design, planning, delivery, and operation of all AWS global infrastructure. In other words, we’re the people who keep the cloud running. We support all AWS data centers and all of the servers, storage, networking, power, and cooling equipment that ensure our customers have continual access to the innovation they rely on. We work on the most challenging problems, with thousands of variables impacting the supply chain — and we’re looking for talented people who want to help.
You’ll join a diverse team of software, hardware, and network engineers, supply chain specialists, security experts, operations managers, and other vital roles. You’ll collaborate with people across AWS to help us deliver the highest standards for safety and security while providing seemingly infinite capacity at the lowest possible cost for our customers. And you’ll experience an inclusive culture that welcomes bold ideas and empowers you to own them to completion.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a dynamic, growing business unit within Amazon.com that provides a broad set of infrastructure services including computing power, storage options, networking and databases available on demand. We are the leader in cloud computing and our pioneers are embracing innovation, building the future, and making history! The Infrastructure team provides AWS and Amazon.com with the compute, network and data center capacity that are the foundations of the retail and cloud business.
Amazon is seeking a motivated and data-driven category manager to support the Americas data center operations space. The candidate should have strong supply chain and procurement skills, analytical and financial acumen, communication capabilities and a hands-on passion to dive-deep into processes used in our data center operations network. Additionally, candidate must have proven skills in managing large-scale supply chain and procurement improvement projects.
As a Category Manager, you will create and implement sourcing strategies for at least one services category and collaborate with internal business partners and suppliers to drive efficiencies, reduce risks, and costs for Amazon. You will develop mechanisms and metrics to hold suppliers accountable for performance and delivery. You will drive results through methods that include competitive bidding, negotiating, and analyzing data and market trends for your category.
The ideal candidate thinks long term, drives multiple initiatives, communicates appropriately and influences customers and suppliers at all levels. You will be collaborative, but also work with significant autonomy. To be successful in this role you will be highly analytical; think strategically and globally; exhibit curiosity and learning drive; have a sense of urgency to meet customer timelines, succeed in a fast-paced environment; and have a high level of customer focus and business judgement. It will be critical to embrace and model Amazon’s Leadership Principles and have an entrepreneurial spirit.
A successful candidate will demonstrate:
- Proven experience driving large-scale process improvements resulting in measurable value
- High attention to detail including proven ability to manage multiple, competing priorities simultaneously
- Ability to think strategically and execute methodically
- Demonstrated ability to influence teams to adopt change utilizing smart technologies
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment where ambiguity exists and continuous innovation is desired
- Committed to learning and expanding professional and technical knowledge
- Demonstrated analytical, financial and quantitative skills and ability to use hard data and metrics to back up assumptions and develop business cases
- Willingness to roll up your sleeves and do whatever is necessary; general manager / owner mentality
- Demonstrated ability to dive deep in understanding the product, our business, and the competitive landscape
- Ability to see ahead comprehensively and devise a strong plan of action, and ensure execution happens on time, every time
- Ability to get things done and produce conclusive, measurable results within time commitments
- Strong influencing skills
A day in the life
About AWS
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. We pioneered cloud computing and never stopped innovating — that’s why customers from the most successful startups to Global 500 companies trust our robust suite of products and services to power their businesses.
Inclusive Team Culture
Here at AWS, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to celebrate our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon (gender diversity) conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness.
About the team
Why AWS
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. We pioneered cloud computing and never stopped innovating — that’s why customers from the most successful startups to Global 500 companies trust our robust suite of products and services to power their businesses.
Diverse Experiences
Amazon values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying.
Work/Life Balance
We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve in the cloud.
Inclusive Team Culture
Here at AWS, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon (gender diversity) conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness.
Mentorship and Career Growth
We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- 5+ years of procurement, supply chain, inventory management, contract management, lease administration or operations experience
- 5+ years of relevant strategic sourcing including vendor negotiations, global contract management, process improvement, operational and financial analysis experience
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Finance, or a related technical field
- Experience in procurement, supply chain, inventory management, contract management, lease administration or operations
- Experience in strategic sourcing including vendor negotiations, global contract management, process improvement, operational and financial analysis
- Experience with data analysis tools such as Advanced Excel, SQL, Tableau, Python
- Experience in global supply chain management, managing cross-functional teams in a fast-paced consumer electronics product company
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- 4+ years of program, project, product management, or leading a product implementation process experience
- Master's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Computer Science, or a related field
- Experience in program, project, product management, or leading a product implementation process
- Experience in data centers, infrastructure service providers, or related technology companies
Amazon is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.
Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.
The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.
LOCATION
USA, VA, Herndon - 79,500.00 - 139,100.00 USD annually
DESCRIPTION
AWS Infrastructure Services owns the design, planning, delivery, and operation of all AWS global infrastructure. In other words, we’re the people who keep the cloud running. We support all AWS data centers and all of the servers, storage, networking, power, and cooling equipment that ensure our customers have continual access to the innovation they rely on. We work on the most challenging problems, with thousands of variables impacting the supply chain — and we’re looking for talented people who want to help.
You’ll join a diverse team of software, hardware, and network engineers, supply chain specialists, security experts, operations managers, and other vital roles. You’ll collaborate with people across AWS to help us deliver the highest standards for safety and security while providing seemingly infinite capacity at the lowest possible cost for our customers. And you’ll experience an inclusive culture that welcomes bold ideas and empowers you to own them to completion.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a dynamic, growing business unit within Amazon.com that provides a broad set of infrastructure services including computing power, storage options, networking and databases available on demand. We are the leader in cloud computing and our pioneers are embracing innovation, building the future, and making history! The Infrastructure team provides AWS and Amazon.com with the compute, network and data center capacity that are the foundations of the retail and cloud business.
Amazon is seeking a motivated and data-driven category manager to support the Americas data center operations space. The candidate should have strong supply chain and procurement skills, analytical and financial acumen, communication capabilities and a hands-on passion to dive-deep into processes used in our data center operations network. Additionally, candidate must have proven skills in managing large-scale supply chain and procurement improvement projects.
As a Category Manager, you will create and implement sourcing strategies for at least one services category and collaborate with internal business partners and suppliers to drive efficiencies, reduce risks, and costs for Amazon. You will develop mechanisms and metrics to hold suppliers accountable for performance and delivery. You will drive results through methods that include competitive bidding, negotiating, and analyzing data and market trends for your category.
The ideal candidate thinks long term, drives multiple initiatives, communicates appropriately and influences customers and suppliers at all levels. You will be collaborative, but also work with significant autonomy. To be successful in this role you will be highly analytical; think strategically and globally; exhibit curiosity and learning drive; have a sense of urgency to meet customer timelines, succeed in a fast-paced environment; and have a high level of customer focus and business judgement. It will be critical to embrace and model Amazon’s Leadership Principles and have an entrepreneurial spirit.
A successful candidate will demonstrate:
- Proven experience driving large-scale process improvements resulting in measurable value
- High attention to detail including proven ability to manage multiple, competing priorities simultaneously
- Ability to think strategically and execute methodically
- Demonstrated ability to influence teams to adopt change utilizing smart technologies
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment where ambiguity exists and continuous innovation is desired
- Committed to learning and expanding professional and technical knowledge
- Demonstrated analytical, financial and quantitative skills and ability to use hard data and metrics to back up assumptions and develop business cases
- Willingness to roll up your sleeves and do whatever is necessary; general manager / owner mentality
- Demonstrated ability to dive deep in understanding the product, our business, and the competitive landscape
- Ability to see ahead comprehensively and devise a strong plan of action, and ensure execution happens on time, every time
- Ability to get things done and produce conclusive, measurable results within time commitments
- Strong influencing skills
A day in the life
About AWS
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. We pioneered cloud computing and never stopped innovating — that’s why customers from the most successful startups to Global 500 companies trust our robust suite of products and services to power their businesses.
Inclusive Team Culture
Here at AWS, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to celebrate our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon (gender diversity) conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness.
About the team
Why AWS
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. We pioneered cloud computing and never stopped innovating — that’s why customers from the most successful startups to Global 500 companies trust our robust suite of products and services to power their businesses.
Diverse Experiences
Amazon values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying.
Work/Life Balance
We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve in the cloud.
Inclusive Team Culture
Here at AWS, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon (gender diversity) conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness.
Mentorship and Career Growth
We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- 5+ years of procurement, supply chain, inventory management, contract management, lease administration or operations experience
- 5+ years of relevant strategic sourcing including vendor negotiations, global contract management, process improvement, operational and financial analysis experience
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Finance, or a related technical field
- Experience in procurement, supply chain, inventory management, contract management, lease administration or operations
- Experience in strategic sourcing including vendor negotiations, global contract management, process improvement, operational and financial analysis
- Experience with data analysis tools such as Advanced Excel, SQL, Tableau, Python
- Experience in global supply chain management, managing cross-functional teams in a fast-paced consumer electronics product company
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- 4+ years of program, project, product management, or leading a product implementation process experience
- Master's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Computer Science, or a related field
- Experience in program, project, product management, or leading a product implementation process
- Experience in data centers, infrastructure service providers, or related technology companies
Amazon is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.
Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.
The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.
LOCATION
USA, VA, Herndon - 79,500.00 - 139,100.00 USD annually
See all 130+ OPT Category Manager Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Category Manager Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Category Manager
Target employers with H-1B sponsorship history
Large retailers, e-commerce companies, and CPG firms like Target, Amazon, and Procter and Gamble have consistent H-1B visa filing records for category management roles. Prioritize these over smaller buyers where sponsorship infrastructure is less established.
Frame your analytics skills front and center
Category Managers who demonstrate proficiency in demand forecasting, pricing analysis, or SQL-based reporting are easier to sponsor under specialty occupation criteria. Quantitative skills also improve your odds of qualifying for a STEM OPT extension.
Clarify your OPT timeline early in interviews
Tell hiring managers your OPT end date and whether you qualify for a 24-month STEM extension. Knowing your full authorization window lets employers plan H-1B sponsorship around the next lottery cycle without feeling rushed.
Pursue roles with a defined degree requirement
Category Manager positions that explicitly require a bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, or a related field are far easier to sponsor. Avoid listings where any degree satisfies the requirement, as those may not qualify as specialty occupations.
Get your EAD card and I-20 paperwork current before applying
Employers will verify your work authorization before extending an offer. Having a current EAD, valid I-20 with OPT authorization, and a clear start date removes friction and signals you are ready to begin without administrative delays.
Use Migrate Mate to find OPT-friendly category management roles
Migrate Mate filters job listings by visa sponsorship willingness, so you can focus on employers already open to OPT candidates. Browsing by industry lets you target retail, grocery, or e-commerce firms with active category management hiring.
Category Manager OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Category Manager role qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B sponsorship?
Category Manager positions generally qualify as specialty occupations when the role requires a bachelor's degree in a specific field such as supply chain management, business administration, or marketing. Roles that rely heavily on data analysis or merchandising strategy are easier to support. Generic management titles where any degree suffices are harder to sponsor, so the job description wording matters significantly.
Can F-1 OPT students work as Category Managers without employer sponsorship initially?
Yes. Your F-1 OPT EAD card authorizes you to work for any U.S. employer in a role related to your degree, including Category Manager positions, without the employer filing any immigration petition. Sponsorship only becomes necessary when your OPT period ends and you need to transition to a longer-term visa such as the H-1B.
Do Category Manager jobs qualify for the STEM OPT 24-month extension?
It depends on your degree, not just the job title. If you hold a degree in a STEM-designated field such as statistics, operations research, or information systems, and your Category Manager role involves substantial quantitative work, your DSO may authorize the extension. A general business or marketing degree typically does not qualify, even if the role is analytical.
Where can I find Category Manager jobs that are open to OPT candidates?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for F-1 OPT and visa-sponsoring employers, so you can browse Category Manager listings filtered by sponsorship openness. This saves significant time compared to applying broadly and discovering late in the process that a company does not support work visa holders.
What industries hire Category Managers and regularly sponsor work visas?
Retail chains, grocery companies, e-commerce platforms, and consumer packaged goods manufacturers are the most active hirers of Category Managers and have established legal teams for H-1B sponsorship. Healthcare distributors and wholesale companies also hire for this role. Smaller specialty retailers may offer the title but lack the infrastructure to sponsor visa transitions reliably.