Strategic Category & Sourcing Manager-Direct (New Joint Venture)

About the role

The Strategic Category & Sourcing Manager - Direct Materials role is part of a new joint venture between 3M and Bain Capital, combining Scott Safety and Madison Fire and Rescue. This role will focus on developing and executing category strategies for assigned direct material spend areas within a highly regulated industry.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategic category plans for assigned direct material categories aligned with business priorities for cost, quality, growth, supply continuity, and risk mitigation.
• Lead sourcing initiatives including supplier identification, RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, negotiations, supplier selection, and implementation.
• Manage supplier relationships and serve as the primary sourcing lead for assigned suppliers and commodity areas.
• Negotiate pricing, commercial terms, and supply agreements to improve value, mitigate risk, and support business continuity.
• Conduct spend analysis, market intelligence, cost modeling, and supplier benchmarking to identify sourcing opportunities and strengthen category competitiveness.
• Partner with suppliers to improve quality, delivery, capacity, responsiveness, service, and cost performance.
• Audit supplier capabilities, manufacturing processes, technical competencies, capacity, and quality systems to support sourcing decisions and supplier development for custom-designed direct materials.
• Provide key support for new product introduction activities through early engagement on supplier selection, collaboration on design for manufacturability, development of a plan for every part (PFEP), and actions to ensure supply chain readiness in support of launch timelines.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, and Quality teams to support design for manufacturability, engineering changes, supplier readiness, qualification requirements, and new product launches.
• Identify and manage supply risks related to supplier performance, capacity constraints, sole or single sourcing, raw material availability, regulatory requirements, and business continuity.
• Lead supplier business reviews, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure suppliers meet applicable regulatory, quality, and corporate requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher (completed and verified prior to start)
• Five (5) years of experience in sourcing, category management, procurement, supply chain, operations, engineering, manufacturing, finance, or a related field in a private, public, government, or military environment

Qualifications

• Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:
• Experience managing indirect spend categories such as MRO, Fleet, IT, Capital Projects, R&D, Energy, Facilities, or site services
• Experience implementing, renewing, extending, and managing supplier agreements, service agreements, and commercial contracts
• Experience negotiating contracts, statements of work, and commercial terms
• Strong strategic sourcing, supplier management, and contract management skills
• Experience conducting spend analysis, supplier assessments, market analysis, and cost improvement initiatives
• Ability to manage a broad portfolio of suppliers and business stakeholders across multiple spend categories
• Experience working in a manufacturing or highly regulated environment
• Strong analytical, project management, and problem-solving skills
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with Operations, Engineering, Finance, IT, Facilities, and R&D teams
• Proficiency in Excel based data analysis
• Strong written and verbal communication skills