Category Manager - Performance Chemicals

Eaton Group; Hengelo; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Flexible hybrid work

Career development

Job summary

Eaton is seeking a Category Manager for Performance Chemicals to drive category strategy across Western Europe. You will lead supplier negotiations, manage key contracts, and enable cross-functional collaboration to deliver value and cost improvements.

The role offers a hybrid work model with locations across Western Europe (Dublin and Budapest as primary hubs) and up to 25% regional travel. You will influence decisions at senior levels and shape procurement strategies globally.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (Supply Chain, Engineering, or Business Administration).
• 5–7 years in Supply Chain or Operations.
• 3+ years as Category Manager.

Responsibilities

• Establish procurement strategies to achieve cost, resiliency, and working capital improvements.
• Lead cross-business strategic initiatives to maximize supplier leverage and synergies.
• Negotiate and manage strategic supplier contracts and relationships.
• Ensure compliance with category strategies and SCM objectives.
• Develop category strategy, forecast trends, and assess market drivers.
• Advise leaders on optimal sourcing based on market intelligence.

Skills

Cost analysis

Negotiation

Supplier management

Stakeholder engagement

Global sourcing

Cross-functional leadership

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, or Business Administration

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Economics / MBA

Tools

Ariba RFQs

e-Auctions

Should-Cost analysis

Job description

Unlock Your Potential at Eaton: Where Diversity Drives Innovation. No matter where you come from, your aspirations matter to us. We believe in the power of different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds to ignite innovation and drive success. We're in the business of empowering people, and that includes you. Your journey here is not just about a job; it's about a shared vision for a brighter, more sustainable future.

We are seeking a Category Manager - Performance Chemicals to join our Global Purchasing Organization.

Our supply chain management team creates bottom-line impact by driving cost management and operational benefits. In this role, you will drive towards optimal conditions (cost, commercial, working capital, quality, delivery, resiliency, innovation, VAVE) for the business in the assigned categories within the Chemicals team by leveraging synergies across businesses and driving the “One Supply Chain” philosophy.

Within our supply chain, the Category Manager leads the development and deployment of the category strategy for Performance Chemicals for the Electrical business globally. This position develops the long-term category strategy, aligns the strategies with the enterprise roadmap, and develops and utilizes deep category expertise to understand the end to end supply chain and manage the supply base to deliver maximum enterprise value.

The Category Manager is responsible for building and maintaining strong relations with stakeholders and manages resource deployment of supporting functions to achieve the objectives. Cross-functional collaboration is critical to success, as is the ability to solve supply continuity challenges.

Making what matters work at Eaton takes the passion of every employee around the world. We create an environment where creativity, invention and discovery become reality, each and every day. It’s where bold, bright professionals like you can reach your full potential—and where you can help us reach ours.

Location: This role is open to candidates across multiple locations in Western Europe, with Dublin, Ireland and Budapest, Hungary being the primary hiring locations. The position offers a hybrid working model, combining office-based collaboration with flexible remote working options.

Travel: Up to 25% regional travel required.

Flexible hybrid working model.

Key Responsibilities:

• Establish procurement strategies leveraging Eaton's enterprise spend to achieve key functional metrics, including Cost Out, Resiliency, Supply Continuity, and Working Capital improvements aligned with business profit plans.
• Initiate, develop, and execute enterprise-wide strategic initiatives that drive cross-business synergies and maximize leverage across a streamlined network of global preferred suppliers.
• Negotiate, manage, and strengthen strategic supplier contracts and relationships.
• Establish, review, approve, monitor, and report compliance with category strategies and agreements in alignment with Eaton Supply Chain Management (SCM) objectives.
• Lead category strategy development by identifying innovative business solutions, forecasting trends, and evaluating economic factors, market drivers, and risk exposure.
• Advise business leaders on optimal sourcing strategies based on market intelligence, economic analysis, and category insights.
• Present procurement opportunities, planning tools, methodologies, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership in support of SCM objectives and cost reduction initiatives.
• Lead regional teams in achieving supply chain strategic and operational goals.
• Identify and implement innovative solutions to business challenges through individual leadership and cross-functional collaboration.
• Benchmark procurement processes and drive the adoption of best practices across Eaton's supply chain organization.
• Align corporate objectives, supplier diversity initiatives, and business unit strategic and financial plans while building strong stakeholder relationships across sites and functions.
• Lead Supplier Business Reviews with key strategic suppliers and execute annual negotiation plans for strategic spend categories.
• Drive Eaton's Global Procurement processes using tools and methodologies such as Ariba RFQs, e-Auctions, Should-Cost analysis, supplier events, and market intelligence.
• Collaborate closely with category suppliers and Eaton manufacturing facilities to ensure uninterrupted supply at the most competitive total cost.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, or Business Administration from an accredited institution.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Economics, and/or an MBA, is considered an advantage.
• Minimum 5–7 years of experience in Supply Chain or Operations.
• Minimum 3+ years of experience as a Category Manager.
• Experience purchasing chemicals is highly preferred.
• 3–5 years of negotiation experience in a global business environment.
• At least 5 years of accountability across multiple manufacturing facilities.
• Professional Supply Chain certification (e.g., CPM, CPIM) preferred.
• Strong expertise in cost analysis, including cost breakdowns, should-cost modelling, negotiations, and market benchmarking.
• Proven use of structured problem-solving methodologies such as 5 Whys and Fishbone Analysis to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead global supplier negotiations across organizations of varying size and complexity.
• Experience managing cross-functional projects and delivering measurable business outcomes, including cost savings, supply chain resiliency, and working capital improvements.
• Experience with performance chemicals, seals/rubbers, and commodity markets is an advantage.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage stakeholders at all organizational levels and across different cultures.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and drive results in a matrix environment.
• Proven track record of holding internal and external stakeholders accountable and driving performance improvements.

What we offer:

• Competitive compensation and benefits package
• Challenging projects in dynamic collaborative team
• Flexible working solutions
• We make your aspirations matter – Eaton encourages internal promotion, whenever possible
• We make your growth matter - We invest in our employees for the long term – not just with salary and benefits, but with ongoing learning and development opportunities made available through Eaton University
• We make your contributions matter - reliability, safety, efficiency, and sustainability are at the core of our dedication to improving people’s lives and the environment through power management technologies.
• We make your wellbeing matter – We put your health and safety first. Wellness at Eaton is more than a program, it’s about changing the environment by offering the right tools to help empower employees to make that happen.

All positions may require participation in video and in-person interviews as part of the hiring process. All candidates will be evaluated based on job-related competencies, and all candidates’ privacy rights and data security will be protected in accordance with applicable laws.

We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for job applicants and employees. Our recruitment processes use balanced selection criteria and avoid unlawful discrimination against applicants on the basis of their age, colour, disability, marital status, national origin, gender, gender identity, genetic information, race or racial origin, religion, sexual orientation or any other status protected or required by law.