Category Manager

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Defines, recommends and implements full category and supplier strategy with stakeholders in line with guidance and objectives of the business units and overall commercial team (sales, engineering, etc.)
• Builds strong and strategic supplier relationships
• Understands supplier market dynamics/intelligence and uses such as input into the strategy
• Writes, reviews, issues and evaluates Requests For Information (RFI), Requests For Quotation (RFQ), Requests For Proposal (RFP) or other source selection tools
• Works closely with engineering teams across MBI to develop product or system specifications to be used within source selection activities
• Drives supplier selection according to strategy, supplier base development, identification of new suppliers and results from RFI, RFQ, RFP or other procurement actions
• Summarizes, articulates, presents source selection recommendations and decisions to a variety of audiences
• Ensures alignment, anticipates changes, and drives activities based on supply market changes and recommendations of internal business partners
• Ensures and promotes co-operation and communication between internal stakeholders, across participating entities
• Drives selection of suppliers from list of recommended suppliers according to category strategy and recommendations of internal business partners
• Negotiates advantageous pricing and business terms with potential and actual suppliers culminating in the execution of supply agreements
• Initiates on-boarding of suppliers with MBI business units as required
• Able to interact with multiple Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to mine data, interact with suppliers, etc.
• Able to identify areas of risk within a specific supply chain or commodity group and is able to develop or recommend approaches to mitigate such risk
• Creates and updates supplier list according to category strategy
• Investigates, recommends and executes potential cost savings through alternative or current sources considering initiatives on savings, supplier performance, risk mitigation and supply base rationalization
• Creates and develops obsolescence targets based upon new product and new part integrations.
• Utilizes project tracking tools to ensure timely project execution
• Works as a member of a cross functional team
• Documents performance to action plans and timelines for assigned sourcing projects
• Issues Purchase Orders for samples and limited quantities of parts from potential new sources
• Drives the parts and process qualification in coordination with the Supplier Quality Team
• Facilitates communications between potential suppliers and internal teams
• Facilitates transition of supplier and/or part to purchasing team members (buyers)
• Other tasks as assigned

• Understanding of supply chain principles, processes and practices.
• Understanding of ERP/MRP and Inventory Control principles and concepts.
• Ability to assimilate requirements and communicate such to internal and external customers and suppliers.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills relating to cost analysis and management.
• Strong skills related to forward looking strategic deployment.
• Strong skills related to supplier relationship management activities and approaches.
• Excellent market / industry information analysis skills and knowledge of supply market.
• Ability to work with and lead individuals and teams at all organizational levels.
• Strong project management skills.
• Proficient in negotiations at numerous levels.
• Ability to read and interpret business documents, drawings and data.
• Ability to make calculations such as discounts, freight estimates, dimensional weight, invoices, and percentages.
• Knowledge of general business computer software and aptitude to learn new software applications.

• Bachelor's degree (BA) or equivalent from a four-year college or university in business, supply chain or related field preferred; or five years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Current Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM) accreditation, or equivalent, preferred
• Program management experience required.
• Supply chain experience within a fast paced, engineering driven manufacturing environment required.

• Strong communications skills in a variety of mediums.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical documents, reports, data, procedures, or governmental regulations in English.
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, electronic mail, work instructions and procedures, as examples, in English.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, suppliers, internal customers and other employees of the organization.
• Ability to effectively conduct meetings in person and with technology assistance.

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Ability to compute…