Category Manager

Hitachi, Ltd.; Vadodara; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Hitachi Energy in Vadodara seeks an experienced supply chain leader to own the HBU category strategy, run RFx negotiations, and drive total cost of ownership improvements across the supplier base.

With 14+ years in procurement, a technical degree and fluent English, you will align with stakeholders, lead supplier qualification, monitor performance, and push cost reductions and risk mitigation while traveling up to 25–50%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, supply chain management, or related field.
• 14+ years in supply chain management, ideally in category management or strategic sourcing.
• Strong procurement principles and negotiation skills.
• Excellent analytical abilities to translate data into plans.
• Fluent in English; other languages are a plus.
• Willingness to travel up to 25–50%.

Responsibilities

• Analyze commodity spend, market dynamics, and price developments.
• Define, adjust, and improve the HBU category strategy using CIPS methodology.
• Lead supplier qualification, risk assessments, audits.
• Oversee supplier relationships and contract management including SLAs.
• Deliver regular reports on cost, quality, and delivery performance.

Skills

Negotiation

Communication

Analytical skills

Fluent in English

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

CIPS or ISM CPSM certification (advantage)

Job description

The opportunity:

Hitachi Energy uses a very high-end system for its control, protection and monitoring. This system is called as MACH. This computerized system is built with the state-of-the-art electronics, microprocessors and digital signal processors, connected by high performance industry standard busses and fiber optic communication links. They operate on very high standard application software designed by the control design team for which there is a need for experienced control system engineers.The system being continuously evolving, becoming more complex and customized, great deal of test & verification are required.

How you’ll make an impact:

• Analyze commodity spend, market dynamics, and price developments.
• Compare spend cost development versus market development on a total cost of ownership basis.
• As a spend owner, assess, define, adjust, and improve the HBU category strategy and plan using CIPS methodology, aligning with business needs and Hitachi Energy procedures and regulations.

Align the strategy with key stakeholders and communicate regularly.

• Execute and deliver on agreed strategy deployment actions, following up with responsible functions and other stakeholders.
• Align and deliver on HBU category targets for KPIs, focusing on cost, quality, and timely delivery.
• Regularly report on financial and supply performance.
• Regularly review the balance of demand versus supply for critical materials, taking measures to secure supply and anticipate changes or new requirements.
• Promote emerging market sourcing activities where they bring additional value.
• Mandate the Supply Quality & Development team in resolving supplier issues and hot topics.
• Collect detailed factory requirements.
• Run tender/order-specific RFx and negotiations as applicable.
• Negotiate spend for selected suppliers, allocate volume, and sign and monitor contracts, frame agreements, and service level agreements (SLAs)
• Provide input on price trends to BU Commodity Managers for commodity guidelines and HBU sales bidding processes.
• Distribute market allocation, pricing, lead times, MOQ (if applicable), and Terms & Conditions information to factories and relevant responsible persons, controlling its usage in local ERP systems.
• Improve tender and project material costing on demand or where appropriate.
• Promote cost breakdown analysis, should costing, and regular benchmarks.
• Approve contracts and purchase orders as per applicable CAT/LAT.

Supply Base Management

• Oversee supplier relationships with regular reviews of contract execution, supply performance, improvement activities, and future plans. Assign supplier account owners for the majority of the spend in the HBU.
• Lead supplier qualification, perform risk assessments, plan and assign audits to Supply Quality & Development Engineers.
• Evaluate, define, and monitor improvement measures for selected suppliers based on performance data, organizing or requesting resources accordingly.
• Act as the resolution owner for escalated topics as mapped in the escalation matrix.
• Identify and address performance hot spots, escalating with corrective and preventive measures.
• Manage claims to maximize compensation for Hitachi Energy.
• Research and scout new suppliers in collaboration with other functions (e.g., SQ, Engineering)
• Work closely with other functions to initiate, promote, and support project execution to bring value in total cost of ownership, risk mitigation, quality, cash, lead time, and material availability.
• Implement material cost-cutting and risk mitigation projects, preferably using the Dynamic Evolution methodology.
• Execute forward sourcing activities for R&D, DtV, New Product Introduction, product cost improvement projects, support technology transfer projects, footprint changes, and other agreed

Your background:

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
• 14+ years in Supply Chain Management, preferably in Category Management or Strategic Sourcing in multinational companies.
• Strong understanding of procurement principles and best practices.
• Proven ability to develop and execute procurement strategies.
• Excellent negotiation and communication skills.
• CIPS or ISM CPSM certification is an advantage.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to transform data into short and long-term plans.
• Fluent in English, with other languages being an advantage.
• Flexibility to travel up to 25~50%