Category Manager, Indirect

About the role

The Category Manager performs purchasing and sourcing duties for Indirect Materials across all North America locations. Initially responsible for one or more designated areas such as MRO, Professional Services, Equipment Leasing, HR, and could expand to other areas as the business evolves.

Responsibilities

• Develops and implements sourcing strategies for North America, develops a multi-year savings pipeline, and leads initiatives to deliver annual savings, mitigate inflationary increases, forecast market trends, and support the annual budgetary process.
• Works collaboratively with business units, globally as needed, to create a strategic vision for the department and drive purchasing synergies to achieve cost savings across all business units and segments.
• Manages supplier performance, sourcing effectiveness, and communicates results to the business.
• Manages linkage to Business Unit Procurement activities to optimize opportunities.
• Leads negotiation efforts on purchase agreements and supplier contracts with a focus on achieving quality, delivery, cost containment, lead-time, and process improvement.
• Establishes low-cost sourcing and alternative sources for materials.
• Creates and implements feedback mechanisms to determine customer satisfaction levels; responds to issues and concerns and collaborates with teams in managing supplier relationships.
• Designs comparison models for index-based contracts.
• Conducts complex market and internal data analysis to ensure supplier performance.
• Properly reports progress of initiatives and resolves internal roadblocks, following internal escalation procedures when necessary to achieve budgeted savings.
• Leverages volume across major spend items to drive value to the highest possible level.
• Affirms supplier performance through assessments and evaluations, and manages performance improvement activities.
• Maximum 25% travel to build stakeholder relationships across North America sites.

Requirements

• Required: Bachelor’s degree in a business, finance, engineering, or supply chain. Preferred: Advanced degree/MBA.
• 8+ years experience in strategic sourcing, plant procurement, and supply chain management. Experience in the defined category is a plus.
• Expertise in contract and project management, financial analysis, and strong negotiation skills.
• Strong organizational skills, keen attention to details, and proficiency with Microsoft Office.
• SAP and Ariba knowledge preferred. Ability to communicate in multiple languages or have multiple country experiences is a plus.

Qualifications

• Ability to build strong relationships across company personnel and suppliers.
• Effective communication and presentation skills, including the ability to facilitate projects/initiatives.
• Ability to manage change effectively.

Skills

• Strategic sourcing and contract/project/supply chain management.
• Complex market and internal data analysis.
• Supplier performance assessment and improvement activities.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary and performance-based bonus plan.
• 401(k) & Retirement Savings plan, vacation, medical, dental, vision, life, disability, pet insurance, wellness plan, and generous paid maternity/paternity leave.
• Innovative benefits plan including: EAP, education assistance, parental leave, paid time off, company-paid holidays, and more.