Global Category Manager

VIAVI Solutions; Pune District; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,500,000; Full time

Job summary

VIAVI Solutions in Pune, India is seeking a Category Manager to join the Global Indirect Sourcing & Procurement team. You will develop category strategies to drive cost reduction, manage supplier relationships, and lead negotiations.

The role requires a Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, business administration, or a related field, and 5+ years of procurement experience, with proficiency in ERP (Oracle) and AI-enabled analytics tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, business administration, engineering, or a related field.
• An advanced degree is a plus.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, or category management.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category strategies that optimize total cost of ownership, minimize risk, and drive continuous improvement.
• Develop and maintain category plans identifying opportunities for cost savings, operational efficiencies, risk mitigation, and supplier innovation, including AI-enabled procurement practices.
• Lead development of Statements of Work (SOWs) and performance-based contracts; drive cost reductions through negotiations and sourcing strategies.
• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks related to assigned categories, including single-source dependencies and compliance.
• Cultivate strategic supplier alliances and implement supplier performance management to ensure service delivery aligned with business objectives.
• Manage the entire contract life cycle, from drafting and negotiation to execution and renewal.
• Perform procurement reporting and analysis to support decision-making.

Skills

ERP systems (Oracle) experience

AI-powered procurement

Data literacy

Education

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, business administration, engineering, or related field

Advanced degree is a plus

Tools

e-sourcing tools

Procurement certifications (CPM, CPSM, CIRM, CPIM) a plus

Job description

Summary:

Reviews and analyzes purchase requisitions. Coordinates purchasing activities with manufacturing, planning and engineering departments to acquire inventory in a cost effective and timely manner. Processes purchase requisitions, purchase change orders and requests for quotes to suppliers. Responsible for procurement business system data input and integrity; creates and maintains bills of material and parts/commodities numbers in supply chain management or other enterprisewide systems. Participates in maximizing the procurement teams’ changes, part parameters; quote table maintenance, supplier database information, error report analysis, and part number/supplier code information. Performs cost analysis and volume planning for major commodities (e.g., materials, components, equipment and services). Monitors the cost, schedule and scope of assigned subcontracts to negotiate highest quality at best value. Develops new supply sources where vendors and suppliers are no longer competitive. May recommend cost saving proposals including make-versus-buy analysis or alternative sourcing. Interacts closely with suppliers and QA to resolve quality issues. Works with management to address all aspects of commodity management, including procurement support, commodity business plans, market trends assessment, pricing, and product availability. Requires domestic or global expertise of assigned commodities.

Duties & Responsibilities:

We are looking for a Category Manager become part of the Global Indirect Sourcing & Procurement team. We are looking for someone with strong leadership, collaboration, influencing and data literacy skills and the ability to utilize strong business acumen, and partner with internal stakeholders to drive efficiencies, reduce risk and cost for the category under management. They should be able to develop business cases, have good presentation skills and superior stakeholder communication skills, along with the ability to leverage data to drive stakeholder budgetary goals and future needs.

To help drive value with our internal stakeholders, requirements for this position include:

• Ability to develop and executing category strategies to drive cost reduction, operational efficiency, and business value
• Possesses deep understanding of industry and category trends, supplier dynamics, and emerging technologies and translates these into strategic procurement decisions
• Establishes a strong network and fosters collaboration with suppliers, internal stakeholders, and cross-functional teams

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, business administration, engineering, or a related field
• An advanced degree is a plus
• 5+ years of progressive experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, or category management

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Proficiency in ERP systems (Oracle) and e-sourcing tools
• Professional certification (CPM, CPSM, CIRM, CPIM) is a plus
• Experience identifying and mitigating supplier risk, including single source dependencies, financial instability and regulatory compliance
• Familiarity with AI-powered procurement and spend analytics tools (OAS, OBIEE, Tableau)

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category strategies that optimize total cost of ownership, minimize risk, and drive continuous improvement
• Develop and maintain category plans that identify opportunities for cost savings, operational efficiencies, risk mitigation, and supplier innovation, including AI-enabled procurement practices.
• Lead development of Statements of Work (SOWs) and performance based contracts; drive cost reductions through negotiations, value engineering, demand management, and alternative sourcing strategies
• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks related to assigned categories, including single source dependencies, supplier financial and regulatory compliance
• Cultivate strategic supplier alliances and implement supplier performance management to ensure service delivery aligned with business objectives
• Manage the entire contract life cycle, from drafting and negotiation to execution, compliance tracking and renewal
• Perform procurement reporting and analysis of management information to identify improvement opportunities and support decision-making
• Develop and maintain expert knowledge of global supply markets, competitors, and product and service innovations.