Senior Category Manager

Responsibilities

• Develop and own category strategies that optimize cost, quality, delivery, and risk across assigned commodities.
• Lead supplier selection, negotiation, and contract management to ensure competitive and sustainable supply solutions.
• Collaborate with engineering, operations, and program management to align sourcing decisions with technical requirements and production schedules.
• Drive supplier performance management, including scorecards, business reviews, and corrective action plans.
• Identify and mitigate category risks related to capacity, single-source dependencies, quality, and long lead materials.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to support new product introduction, design-for-manufacturability, and cost reduction initiatives.
• Forecast and manage category demand in alignment with program milestones and inventory strategies.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts to strengthen supply chain resilience and operational efficiency.
• Support executive reporting with category insights, market intelligence, and strategic recommendations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or relevant field, or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience managing complex supplier relationships and negotiating high-value agreements.
• Experience supporting aerospace, defense, or similarly regulated hardware environments.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Leveling Expectations

• Senior Category Manager: All qualifications above plus 5–7 years of supply chain, sourcing, or category management experience.
• Lead Category Manager: All qualifications above plus 8-10 years of supply chain, sourcing, or category management experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in aerospace propulsion, precision machining, metallurgy, or high-reliability hardware supply chains.
• Familiarity with supply chain tools and systems such as ERP/MRP platforms, cost modeling, or supplier performance tools.
• Experience working in fast-paced, growth-stage, or hardware startup environments.
• Exposure to government contracting requirements (DoD, NASA).
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret category data and market trends.
• Master's Degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or relevant field.