Category Manager

Role Overview

• Owns and maintains a multi‑year category strategy aligned with business growth, product roadmaps, and manufacturing plans
• Defines supply market structure, sourcing models, and regional strategy
• Anticipates cost, capacity, or technology inflection points and positions the category accordingly
• Leads sourcing for strategically critical programs, including NPIs and major ramps
• Owns RFx processes and supplier evaluations based on TCO, scalability, quality, risk, and capability
• Makes clear, data‑backed sourcing recommendations with documented trade‑offs
• Owns category cost targets and long‑range cost roadmaps
• Drives structural cost reduction through: should‑cost models supplier productivity initiatives design‑to‑cost and specification influence
• Acts as the internal authority on category cost drivers and benchmarks
• Leads high‑value and high‑complexity negotiations, including: long‑term agreements capacity or volume commitments indexation and risk‑sharing mechanisms
• Ensures contracts balance commercial advantage with long‑term supplier sustainability
• Owns executive‑level relationships with strategic suppliers
• Leads supplier governance (QBRs, scorecards, escalation)
• Drives supplier development priorities aligned with future business needs
• Serves as the category risk owner
• Proactively identifies and mitigates: geopolitical and supply concentration risks financial or operational supplier risks
• Develops and executes mitigation strategies (dual sourcing, localization, exit plans)
• Acts as a trusted advisor to Product, Engineering, Manufacturing, Finance, and Strategy teams
• Influences decisions beyond sourcing, including design choices and footprint strategy

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with 8–12+ years of category or strategic sourcing experience or Master’s degree with 5–8+ years of progressive responsibility
• Strategic category management and global sourcing
• Contracting and complex commercial negotiations
• Cost modeling, TCO analysis, and financial acumen
• Supplier risk and performance management
• Executive-level written and verbal communication
• High degree of independence and accountability
• Comfort operating in international, cross-cultural environments

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Flexible working hours
• Professional development opportunities