Sr. Category Manager

Senior Category Manager – Direct Materials

Senior Category Manager – Direct Materials Tarkett North America | Corporate Sourcing THIS IS A REMOTE ROLE.

The Senior Category Manager – Direct Materials is a key leadership role within Tarkett North America’s Corporate Procurement organization. This position is responsible for developing and executing commercially competitive category management and sourcing strategies across Tarkett’s North American operations, and owns Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for a portfolio of the company’s most critical direct material categories. Categories managed include PVC resin, Plasticizers, Fillers, Recycled PVC, PVB, Dispersions, and Adhesives, with potential expansion into Additives and other Chemicals based on business need and demonstrated capability.

This individual will set the strategic direction for supplier relationships across the managed portfolio, holding suppliers accountable for cost performance, quality, supply assurance, service levels, and ongoing continuous improvement. Working through cross-functional teams (CFT), the Senior Category Manager partners closely with plant leadership, R&D, Quality, Operations, Planning, Finance, and senior executives to enhance value delivery through data-driven strategies, strong governance, disciplined negotiation, and creative problem-solving.

The role leads each category through the full TCO sourcing process — from planning and strategy development through sourcing, contracting, supplier qualification, and ongoing performance management — delivering high-impact initiatives that improve operational efficiency, drive structural cost savings, and support Tarkett’s strategic and sustainability objectives.

• Develop and execute multi-year category strategies for PVC, plasticize rs, fillers, recycled PVC, PVB, dispersions, and adhesives that optimize cost, quality, supply assurance, risk, and sustainability performance.
• Lead the full category lifecycle using Strategic Sourcing process — from business case development and market analysis through strategy execution, contracting, and ongoing supplier management.
• Drive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by applying market intelligence, cost modeling, should-cost analysis, and competitive benchmarking.
• Build and maintain feedstock-to-material cost models (e.g., ethylene/EDC/VCM linkages for PVC; oil and oleochemical linkages for plasticize rs) to validate supplier pricing and support fact-based negotiation.
• Negotiate complex supply agreements — pricing, commercial terms, volume commitments, capacity guarantees, and continuity provisions — that secure long-term value and mitigate supply risk.
• Lead Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) for strategic suppliers, including joint business plans, innovation pipelines, and continuous improvement programs.
• Manage the day-to-day relationship and overall performance of managed suppliers, holding them accountable to SLAs, KPIs, and cost targets.
• Develop and manage category KPIs (cost, quality, service, delivery, safety, productivity) and supplier scorecards to ensure measurable value delivery.
• Analyze market and cost-driver dynamics — capacity, feedstock, logistics, trade policy, and regulatory shifts — to anticipate changes in raw material economics and develop mitigation strategies.
• Reduce single-source exposure through dual sourcing, qualified alternates, and regional supply options; maintain category risk assessments and business continuity plans.
• Lead cross-functional stakeholder teams (Operations, R&D, Quality, Finance, Planning, Sustainability) to align sourcing strategies with business goals and secure organizational buy-in.
• Partner with R&D and Quality on material qualification, specification changes, formulation alternatives, and new product introduction (NPI) sourcing support.
• Advance Tarkett’s circularity and sustainability objectives through recycled PVC and post-industrial/post-consumer content sourcing, supplier carbon and EPD data collection, and lower-impact material alternatives.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Planning on inventory strategy, working capital, minimum order quantities, lead times, and…