Category Manager – MRO Global Category Lead

Infosys Portland; Paris; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Infosys Portland is seeking an experienced MRO Category Lead to drive category strategy and governance for FMCG/CPG manufacturing clients. The role demands deep subject matter expertise, cross‑regional collaboration, and a proven track record of delivering cost savings.

You will lead category teams, engage stakeholders at executive level, and shape supplier programs, terms, and SLAs across geographies, contributing to transformation and value creation.

Qualifications

• Approximately 8–10 years of category management experience in the MRO space.
• Business or Engineering degree; dual degree is a plus.
• Professional certifications CPSM, CPSD, CIPS, PMP preferred.
• Experience with spend analysis, total cost of ownership (TCO), and contract closure.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management across geographies.

Responsibilities

• Set overarching MRO category and sourcing strategy for the engagement, aligning strategy with delivery.
• Lead, direct, and develop regional delivery teams (category managers, sourcing specialists, buyers).
• Establish governance cadences, escalation paths, and steering forums with stakeholders.
• Develop and execute category strategies for MRO aligned with business goals.
• Negotiate terms, pricing, SLAs, and MSAs with suppliers.
• Drive cost savings, cost avoidance, and value creation metrics.

Skills

Category management

Stakeholder engagement

Negotiation

Strategic leadership

Sourcing strategy

Education

Business or Engineering degree

Tools

CPSM

CPSD

CIPS

PMP

Job description

Infosys Portland is a specialist procurement and supply chain professional services firm, operating across strategy, operating model design, managed services and digital enablement. We combine deep advisory expertise with practical delivery, working with complex organisation globally to solve high impact commercial and supply chain challenges.

As part of the Infosys group, we combine the independence and depth of a specialist consultancy with the scale, capability and investment of a global organisation — our consultants are trusted advisors with specialist depth.

The Role

The MRO Category Lead will bring deep subject matter expertise and is seen as thought leader in the Category Management of the MRO Category. This individual will have the capability to conceive, initiate, develop, communicate, and manage the execution of an MRO category strategy in the FMCG/CPG/Manufacturing domain. They will need to demonstrate and display history of development and implementation of an MRO Category Strategy with multiple strategic initiative delivering quantifiable benefits. Additionally, the MRO Category Lead will have extensive experience in business stakeholder engagement and a consultative approach to drive transformation of the MRO category in a client environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Governance

• Set overarching category and sourcing strategy for the engagement, ensuring alignment between strategy and delivery
• Lead, direct, and develop regional delivery team (category managers, sourcing specialists, buyers), setting priorities and removing blockers
• Establish governance cadences, escalation paths, and steering forums to keep engagement on track and stakeholders aligned

Category Strategy & Spend Management

• Develop and execute category strategies for MRO aligned with business and operational goals
• Drive category plan alignment across the regions ensuring seamless integration of category-led, proactive-regional, local or reactive (eg contract renewals) events
• Manage end-to-end category lifecycle, including spend analysis, and total cost of ownership (TCO) optimization, working in close proximity with the client and cooperation with the CAPEX category manager
• Identify opportunities for consolidation, standardization, and preferred supplier programs across sites
• Negotiate commercial terms, pricing models, service levels (SLAs), and master service agreements (MSAs)
• Drive continuous improvement, cost reduction, and cost avoidance initiatives with services suppliers

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Serve as the senior point of contact and strategic business partner to the client, building trust and managing expectations at leadership level
• Represent delivery status, risks, and value creation to client executives and internal leadership
• Deliver and report annual cost savings, cost avoidance, and value creation metrics
• Leverage should-cost models, rate benchmarking, and market analytics

Qualifications

• Approximately 8-10 years’ experience in handling category management activities in the MRO space
• Business or Engineering school graduate is a must, dual degree is a plus
• Professional certification (CPSM, CPSD, CIPS, PMP) preferred
• Exposure in drafting category strategy, sourcing planning, business case creation, sourcing execution and contract closure
• Demonstrated experience with maintenance and services procurement in multiple geographies
• Experience working with global, regional and local suppliers at different levels, within multiple geographies
• Very good communication skills
• Transformation mindset with ability to identify improvement opportunities
• Highly organized, proactive, and goal‑oriented
• High integrity, attention to detail, and strong prioritization skills