Category Leader, Marketing & Communications

Category Leader, Marketing & Communications

Work Mode:

Onsite

Location: Onsite, four days per week - Kohler, WI

As the Category Leader – Marketing & Communications, you will play a key role in shaping sourcing strategies that support Kohler’s brand, business priorities, and marketing execution. In this role, you will independently manage assigned marketing and communications categories, partner with internal stakeholders and external suppliers, and help deliver strong outcomes across cost, service, quality, risk, compliance, and total value. You will own category, procurement, contract, supplier, and budget-related results within your area of responsibility while knowing when to escalate complex supplier, commercial, legal, or stakeholder matters for senior leadership guidance.

• Own delivery of defined procurement and category goals for marketing and communications categories, aligned to Kohler’s purchasing/procurement strategy and business priorities.
• Manage day-to-day supplier and contract relationships within established category and contract management plans, ensuring providers deliver required service levels, quality, compliance, and business value.
• Jointly with marketing stakeholders, develop clear specifications, success metrics, performance indicators, deliverable scope, and evaluation criteria for contracts across a portfolio of medium to large marketing and communication programs and projects.
• Collect and analyze supplier, market, spend, cost-driver, and performance data to inform sourcing recommendations, category improvements, and supplier decisions.
• Support competitive sourcing events, bid analysis, supplier selection, and negotiations to improve cost, service, innovation, risk mitigation, and total value delivered.
• Partner with marketing, communications, legal, privacy, risk, finance, and business stakeholders to understand needs, resolve issues, and promote alignment to category plans and procurement processes.
• Provide specialist guidance on procurement policies, supplier processes, contract requirements, and marketing/communications sourcing practices; escalate highly complex or contentious issues as appropriate.
• Monitor category performance, supplier performance, budget impacts, and value metrics; prepare clear updates and recommendations for stakeholders and senior sourcing leaders.
• Identify improvements to category plans, supplier coverage, sourcing processes, and stakeholder engagement practices to increase efficiency, compliance, and business impact.
• Maintain working knowledge of marketing and communications supplier models, pricing structures, digital ecosystem considerations, and industry trends to support sound business decisions.

• Marketing category expertise across creative, digital, PR, media, production, events, agency models, pricing, supplier landscape, and key cost drivers.
• Ability to connect marketing performance metrics, business outcomes, supplier value, and compliance considerations including data privacy, IP rights, and content usage.

• Lead sourcing and contracting processes with strong contract proficiency, including interpreting business, commercial, and legal terms for stakeholders at all levels.
• Build effective internal and external partnerships to gather requirements, align statements of work, and support project execution with marketing and communications stakeholders.
• Develop and execute negotiation strategies for marketing and communications engagements, balancing leverage, commercial terms, performance metrics, and total value.

• Own commitments, communicate proactively, and build trust with internal customers, stakeholders, and supplier partners.
• Work independently, ask clarifying questions, prioritize effectively, and manage work streams with urgency and accountability.
• Model sound judgment, continuous improvement, and a strong focus on doing what is right for Kohler.

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, marketing, operations, or a related field
• 5+ years of relevant sourcing, procurement, category…