Category Manager

Ripple Talent; Huntersville (NC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Ripple Talent is seeking a Category Manager to lead strategic sourcing and category management for our rigid packaging manufacturing platforms. You will drive value creation through cost reduction, risk mitigation, and supplier performance improvements across direct and indirect spend.

You will develop multi-year category strategies, run negotiations, build should-cost models, and partner with operations and engineering to align procurement with plant needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of procurement or strategic sourcing experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience managing indirect and packaging-related spend categories.
• Strong negotiation, contract management, and supplier management skills.
• Advanced analytical capabilities (Excel, spend analysis tools, ERP systems).
• Ability to travel to manufacturing sites and suppliers as needed.
• Experience in rigid packaging, plastics, or industrial manufacturing, preferred.
• Prior experience in a private equity–owned or highly cost-focused environment, preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute multi-year category strategies aligned with cost-reduction and margin-improvement objectives.
• Identify and deliver year-over-year savings through sourcing events and supplier initiatives. Act as key first line contact with suppliers in negotiations, risk management and day-to-day activities.
• Build should-cost models and market intelligence to support negotiations and development of annual budget. Provide inputs to annualized cost reductions to customers.
• Lead supplier selection, qualification, and consolidation initiatives across assigned categories.
• Negotiate master supply agreements, pricing structures, rebates, working capital programs (terms optimization & inventory programs) and SLAs.
• Manage supplier performance using Scorecards & KPIs focused on cost, quality, delivery, and service.
• Partner with suppliers on continuous improvement, innovation, and risk mitigation.
• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, and Finance to align sourcing strategies with plant needs.
• Support new product introductions, plant expansions, and capital projects from a sourcing perspective.
• Drive standardization of materials, suppliers, and specifications across multiple facilities.
• Own spend analysis and category reporting, ensuring transparency and tracking of savings vs. targets.
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies, contracts, and internal controls.
• Support integration efforts for acquisitions, including supplier onboarding and spend rationalization as well as realization of procurement synergies.

Skills

Negotiation

Contract management

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Excel

ERP systems

Job description

The Category Manager leads strategic sourcing and category management for selected categories across a rigid packaging manufacturing platform. This role is responsible for value creation (e.g. driving cost reduction, risk mitigation, working capital improvements and overall supplier performance) across direct and indirect spend categories.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Cost Management

• Develop and execute multi-year category strategies aligned with enterprise cost-reduction and margin-improvement objectives.
• Identify and deliver year-over-year savings through sourcing events, supplier management initiatives (e.g. negotiations, specification optimization, and demand management, etc.). Act as key first line contact with suppliers in negotiations, risk management and day-to-day activities.
• Build should-cost models and market intelligence to support negotiations and development of annual budget. Provide key inputs to develop and implement annualized GPI (general price increase) to customers.
• Lead supplier selection, qualification, and consolidation initiatives across assigned categories.
• Negotiate master supply agreements, pricing structures, rebates, working capital programs (terms optimization & inventory programs) and service-level agreements.
• Manage supplier performance using Scorecards & KPIs focused on cost, quality, delivery, and service
• Partner with suppliers on continuous improvement, innovation, and risk mitigation

Operational & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, and Finance to align sourcing strategies with plant needs
• Support new product introductions, plant expansions, and capital projects from a sourcing and supplier perspective
• Drive standardization of materials, suppliers, and specifications across multiple facilities

Governance, Analytics & Process Improvement

• Own spend analysis and category reporting, ensuring transparency and tracking of savings vs. targets
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies, contracts, and internal controls
• Support integration efforts for acquisitions, including supplier onboarding and spend rationalization as well as realization of procurement synergies

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or related field
• 5+ years of procurement or strategic sourcing experience in a manufacturing environment
• Proven experience managing indirect and packaging-related spend categories
• Strong negotiation, contract management, and supplier management skills
• Advanced analytical capabilities (Excel, spend analysis tools, ERP systems)
• Ability to travel to manufacturing sites and suppliers as needed
• Experience in rigid packaging, plastics, or industrial manufacturing, preferred
• Prior experience in a private equity–owned or highly cost-focused environment, preferred
• Familiarity with multi-plant sourcing strategies and post-acquisition integration, preferred

Ripple Talent is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity and prohibit discrimination and unlawful harassment in the workplace. All applicants will receive consideration for employment based upon their qualifications without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, National Guard or veteran status, disability, or any other protected status under federal, state, or local law. We welcome and encourage applicants with disabilities to contact our team for assistance during the application and hiring process. We are committed to expanding accessibility and making reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable law.