Category Specialist

Job Responsibilities

• Develop and present business plans to partners and stakeholders for spend categories under areas of responsibility.
• Generate and implement Category strategies and Supplier Relationship Management programs consistent with the Air Liquide approved framework.
• Collaborate with Group Procurement on initiatives on an as-needed basis.
• Establish a supportive network with stakeholders in the business to remain connected on key issues.
• Cookordination and advance activities related to the annual planning process, working across various Procurement organizations and Operations.
• Support emergency preparedness and emergency response situations to promote the safety of Air Liquide employees, contractors, and customers as well as business continuity.
• Pioneer Strategic Sourcing events for categories that correspond to areas of responsibility.
• Follow outline “Blue Book” sourcing methodology.
• Work collaboratively within Supply Chain Operations Support, Purchasing Services, Strategic Initiatives, Partners and Stakeholders, Americas Clusters and Global Procurement Group.
• Meet with key customers routinely and proactively identify sourcing and contract value opportunities.
• Steward end-to-end sourcing and contracting process (including RFPs) for assigned commodities and services.
• Aid in contract start-up functions involving appropriate department managers.
• Participate in identifying emerging opportunities within the supply community.
• Evaluate existing contract relationships to identify savings realized, new savings opportunities, risk mitigation strategies, and other commercial terms enhancements.
• Leverage market intelligence to evaluate, negotiate, and steward annual price fluctuations.
• Leverage market intelligence to anticipate and act upon various supply chain challenges.
• Negotiate commercial terms for significant or aggregated project-based spend associated with managed categories.
• Idealistically, you bring experience in negotiating legal terms and conditions.
• Steward contract life-cycle for all Frame Agreements within area of responsibility.
• Utilize all Supply Chain technologies for Contract Management, SRM, and Spend Analysis.
• Understand the Hermes code structure, and quantify managed vs. unmanaged spend.
• Monitor, assess and adjust sourcing strategies based on supplier and market intelligence.
• Implement multiple strategies leveraging Total Cost of Ownership, Lease vs. Buy and Economic Value models.
• Nurture relationships with key customers to understand their service and commodity needs and implement strategies to maximize savings in the Capital Maintenance Plan, Expense Plan, and for emerging projects.
• Responsible for ensuring alignment with internal processes, including but not limited to, contract filing processes, bidding processes, and value creation reporting processes.
• Work closely with the Supplier Relationship Management Specialist for key suppliers under areas of responsibility.
• Build consistent, repeatable series of key performance indicators which can be used to gauge supplier performance and create actionable improvement plans.
• Facilitate periodic business reviews with key suppliers and foster action items that result from the meetings.
• Provide various reports as requested by manager.
• Partner with Legal to ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements, policies, and procedures, both internal and external, to Air Liquide.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, finance, accounting, or other business related fields.
• A minimum of 2-3 years experience in Supply Chain Management or related field.
• Candidates must have valid employment authorization in the U.S. and must not require visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in business, management, or related field.