Category Manager (Remote - United States)

Solventum is a new healthcare company with a long legacy of solving big challenges that improve lives and help healthcare professionals perform at their best. At Solventum, people are at the heart of every innovation we pursue. Guided by empathy, insight, and clinical intelligence, we collaborate with the best minds in healthcare to address our customers’ toughest challenges.

About the role

As a Category Manager, you will manage the commercial, strategic, and tactical operational relationships with contract manufacturing suppliers to ensure product availability through developing and maintaining a competitive supply base for Solventum.

Responsibilities

• Manage and partner with suppliers to develop business relationships that deliver effective operational control to agreed performance levels across service, cost, quality, and working capital through contractual agreements, periodic business reviews, and scorecards.
• Identify, lead, and implement solutions to complex and multifaceted situations, including contract negotiations, category strategies, supplier management, internal and external sourcing decisions, and dual-sourcing strategies.
• Engage key affiliates across Supply Chain Management, Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Finance, Business Teams, Regulatory, and other functions to ensure timely issue resolution and successful completion of strategic business initiatives.
• Develop continuous supply chain improvement practices to enhance value and performance through lead time reductions, increased supply chain agility, capacity optimization, cost reduction initiatives, and risk assessment and mitigation activities.
• Lead and support, as needed, the RFP/RFQ process, contract negotiations, benchmarking activities, make-versus-buy evaluations, should-cost analyses, total cost analyses, supply chain mapping efforts, and New Product Introduction initiatives.
• Manage one or more procurement processes as a Subject Matter Expert within the Purchased Finished Goods team, including make-versus-buy evaluations, sub-tier supplier management and consolidation efforts, and programmatic savings stage-gate transitions.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or higher (completed and verified prior to start).
• Seven (7) years of experience in a third-party supply chain and/or category management environment, including experience managing and developing supplier relationships and negotiating contracts.

Skills

• Experience resolving complex supply chain issues involving multiple stakeholders through negotiation, problem-solving, and decision-making activities.
• Experience communicating and collaborating with stakeholders at multiple levels of an organization.
• Experience applying knowledge of Supply Chain Finance, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), product validation requirements, or regulatory expectations.
• Experience successfully collaborating with internal and external stakeholders on complex projects.
• Project management experience managing timelines, resources, and risk (across various functional area stakeholders e.g., influencing without authority) to ensure projects deliver desired expectations with respect to completion and cost targets.

Work Arrangement

Remote in the United States (preferred Eagan, MN or San Antonio, TX). Travel may include up to 10% domestic or international. Must be legally authorized to work in the country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status).

Pay

The expected compensation range for this position is $125,600 - $172,700, which includes base pay plus variable incentive pay, if eligible. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant knowledge, training, skills, work location, and/or experience.

Benefits

This position may be eligible for a range of benefits including:

• Medical, Dental & Vision
• Health Savings Accounts
• Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Disability Benefits
• Life Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits
• Paid Absences
• Retirement Benefits

Additional information is available at: Solventum Total Rewards.