Category Manager

Position: Category Manager - United States
Location(s):
Rochester Hills, Michigan Company:
Molex Career Field:
Procurement & Sourcing Job Number: 192729

Apply:  Job As Category Manager, Non-Metallics, you will support the North America region and the global procurement strategy for non‑metallic materials used across Molex’s worldwide businesses. This role plays a critical part in enabling cost competitiveness, supplier resilience, and scalable growth by aligning sourcing strategy with engineering, manufacturing, and business priorities.

You will be part of a highly matrixed global environment, partnering across cross functional teams and regional stakeholders to drive total cost of ownership (TCO) improvements, elevate supplier performance, and embed best in class procurement practices. This role, managing one direct report, requires strong strategic thinking, influence without authority, and the ability to lead complex change initiatives.

Our Team You will join Molex’s Global Procurement organization, partnering closely with category leaders, business procurement teams, engineering, operations, quality, and supply chain leaders across regions. Our team works collaboratively across Molex divisions and Koch entities to create value through principled decision-making, global alignment, and continuous improvement.

This role offers meaningful exposure across the enterprise and the opportunity to shape how Molex sources and manages critical direct materials on a global scale.

What You Will Do Category Strategy & Value Creation Support the development and execution of global category strategies for nonmetallic materials aligned with Molex and business unit objectives

Identify and close supply base gaps, including development of regional (local-to-local) sourcing strategies where appropriate

Define category taxonomy, baselines, and analytics to support total cost of ownership (TCO) improvements

Identify and deliver cost reduction and cost avoidance opportunities while balancing quality, service, and risk Supplier & Stakeholder Leadership Lead supplier strategies, including selection, portfolio optimization, and relationship management

Establish long-term relationships with suppliers and support Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) initiatives with strategic and business critical suppliers.

Negotiate and align supplier portfolios that meet strategic, technical, and commercial needs

Serve as a trusted partner to engineering, operations, and business leaders, influencing decisions through data and insight

Global Alignment & Collaboration Drive cross regional collaboration and adoption of category strategies across Molex businesses

Partner with procurement leaders across Molex divisions and Koch entities to identify synergies and best practices

Governance, Risk & Continuous Improvement Monitor market dynamics, supplier performance, and risk across regions

Ensure compliance with Molex policies and relevant regulatory, quality, and environmental standards

Lead category related projects and continuous improvement initiatives across the enterprise

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)
Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, engineering, finance, or a related field5+ years of experience in direct material procurement or sourcing within a manufacturing or industrial environment2+ years of experience owning category management activities, including category strategy development, supplier negotiations, and spend or portfolio decisions

Demonstrated leadership through mentoring others, guiding cross functional‑ teams, or leading initiatives Ability to work effectively in a global, matrixed organization and influence across functions

Global travel (up to ~30%)What Will Put You Ahead

Experience with non-metallic categories:  Rubber Seals, Film, Tape, Foam,…