Global Category Strategy & Sourcing Leader; Joint Venture

Strategic Category & Sourcing Manager (New Joint Venture)

3M announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Bain Capital to form a new Joint Venture which will combine Scott Safety and Madison Fire and Rescue. 3M's deep expertise and track record in the safety industry combined with Bain Capital's capability to integrate businesses, accelerate growth and drive synergies make this an ideal partnership.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

The successful candidate may be employed by 3M prior to closing and the position is expected to transition to the Joint Venture following completion of the transaction. Role scope and timing are subject to business needs and successful transaction close.

This position provides an opportunity to transition from other private, public, government or military experience to a 3M career.

The Impact You'll Make in this Role As the Strategic Category & Sourcing Leader, you will lead the strategic direction, performance, and execution of both Direct Materials and Indirect Procurement sourcing activities within a highly regulated industry environment. In this role, you will provide leadership to Strategic Category & Sourcing Managers responsible for direct material categories supporting custom-designed products, as well as indirect spend categories including MRO, Fleet, IT, Capital Projects, R&D, and Energy.

You will be responsible for building and leading a high-performing sourcing organization that delivers cost competitiveness, strong supplier performance, supply continuity, commercial discipline, risk management, and operational support. Working closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, R&D, IT, Facilities, and other stakeholders, you will ensure sourcing strategies and supplier agreements support business objectives, new product introductions, and long-term growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Strategic Category & Sourcing Managers responsible for both direct material and indirect sourcing categories.
• Set strategic direction for category management and sourcing execution across direct and indirect spend areas.
• Ensure sourcing strategies align with business priorities for cost, quality, service, growth, supply continuity, and risk mitigation.
• Provide leadership on supplier strategy, supplier performance, sourcing execution, and business partnership across the sourcing organization.
• Oversee the negotiation, implementation, renewal, and extension of commercial agreements and contracts across direct and indirect categories.
• Ensure appropriate agreement coverage, contract governance, and commercial discipline are in place to support business continuity and risk management.
• Drive supplier performance improvement across quality, delivery, service, responsiveness, capacity, and cost.
• Lead sourcing support for new product introduction activities, including early supplier engagement, design for manufacturability alignment, plan for every part (PFEP), and supply chain readiness to support launch timelines.
• Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, R&D, IT, and Facilities teams to align sourcing strategies with business and operational requirements.
• Lead the identification and mitigation of sourcing risks, including supplier performance, capacity constraints, contract gaps, sole or single sourcing, raw material availability, inflation, and operational disruption.
• Establish strong governance for supplier management, sourcing execution, contracts, performance reviews, and continuous improvement.
• Use spend analysis, market intelligence, supplier benchmarking, and performance metrics to identify sourcing opportunities and improve competitiveness.
• Support supplier qualification, change management, and compliance with applicable regulatory, quality, legal, and corporate requirements.
• Build organizational capability in strategic sourcing, supplier management, negotiation, contracting, and stakeholder management.

Your Skills and Expertise

To set you up for success in this role from day one, 3M requires (at a minimum) the following qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or higher (completed and verified prior to start)
• Seven (7) years of experience in sourcing, category management, procurement, supply chain, engineering, manufacturing, operations, finance, or a related field in a private, public, government, or military environment
• Five (5) years' Experience leading people, including managers and/or professional individual contributors

Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:

• Experience leading both direct material and indirect sourcing or procurement organizations
• Experience supporting sourcing in a highly regulated industry environment
• Experience managing direct materials supporting custom-designed products or engineered components
• Experience overseeing indirect spend categories such as MRO, Fleet, IT,…