Category Associate — NPI & Sustaining Sourcing

About Pierce, An Oshkosh Company At Pierce Manufacturing, we build trucks that protect people and communities around the world. To our team, there is no room for anything less than providing the absolute best. Since 1913, building truck bodies on Model T Ford chassis in an old converted church has evolved to creating highly customized, carefully designed and engineering pumpers, aerials, tankers and rescue units that have no equal. Today, you'll find more than 30,000 Pierce apparatuses on the road that are making a difference in people's lives, every day. To us, every step in the process of building our trucks is personal. From innovation and expertise, to the customization and service. Our trucks are designed to perform under the toughest conditions.

About the role

The Category Associate is an entry-level role within the Strategic Supply Chain organization that supports sourcing activities associated with new product development, engineering changes, and product launches. This role works with Engineering, Program Management, Operations, Category Management, Purchasing, and suppliers to help ensure new and changed components are appropriately sourced and available to support prototype and production requirements. The Category Associate will gain experience across the sourcing process by supporting requests for quotation, supplier coordination, engineering changes, purchase order activities, and supply chain readiness. This role provides an opportunity to build foundational knowledge of strategic sourcing, supplier management, and cross-functional supply chain processes.

Responsibilities

• Review Engineering Change Notices (ECNs) to identify sourcing requirements, potential supply chain impacts, and required ERP updates for new or changed components.
• Support sourcing activities for new and modified components, including preparing and issuing Requests for Quotation (RFQs), collecting supplier responses, comparing quotations, and providing information to support supplier selection decisions.
• Coordinate communication between Engineering and suppliers to help clarify technical requirements, drawings, specifications, and manufacturability questions.
• Support sourcing activities for components requiring capital tooling or non-recurring engineering (NRE), including gathering supplier quotations, coordinating reviews, and assisting Category Management with purchase order and commercial activities.
• Monitor supplier lead times and sourcing milestones and communicate potential risks or delays that could impact prototype, product development, or production requirements.
• Partner with Engineering, Operations, Quality, Program Management, Category Management, Purchasing, and suppliers to coordinate sourcing activities and support successful product introductions.
• Organize and prioritize assigned sourcing activities, maintain appropriate documentation, track open actions, and communicate status, issues, and risks to appropriate team members.
• Develop working knowledge of Category Management strategies, sourcing processes, supplier capabilities, and applicable ERP systems and tools.
• Identify opportunities to improve sourcing processes, workflows, or data accuracy and support cross-functional teams in implementing improvements and changes.
• Assist with maintaining accurate supplier, sourcing, and component information within applicable systems and tools.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, Engineering, or a related field; ORAn equivalent combination of education and experience.Ability to travel 10–20%.

Skills

Internship experience or previous experience in supply chain.Category sourcing experience within the manufacturing industry.Ability to effectively communicate.Ability to work in a team environment.Strong organizational skills with exceptional follow through and attention to detail.Strong time-management and prioritization skills, able to multi-task and prioritize competing requirements and meet deadlines.Ability to work in a fast-paced environment where requirements are constantly changing.Experience and proficiency with various web-based software applications including Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, etc.

Pay

Pay Range $57,600.00 - $90,400.00 The above pay range reflects the minimum and maximum target pay for the position across all U.S. locations. Within this range, individual pay is determined by various factors, including the scope and responsibilities of the role, the candidate's experience, education and skills, as well as the equity of pay among team members in similar positions.