Category Manager – III

Jobtailor; Illinois; On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor in Illinois is seeking an experienced Category Manager for industrial manufacturing. You will lead strategic sourcing, develop category strategies to optimize cost, quality and delivery, and align cross-functional teams across global facilities.

Responsibilities include negotiating supply agreements, conducting spend analyses, leading RFQs/RFPs, and driving continuous improvement with internal stakeholders. Domestic/international travel ~25% is expected.

Qualifications

• BA/BS in engineering or supply chain; business/industrial field acceptable.
• At least 5 years as a Category Manager in industrial manufacturing.
• Experience with suppliers/customers; willing to travel ~25%.
• Experience sourcing in low-cost regions and globally.
• Proven change management and stretch-environment success.

Responsibilities

• Define category strategies to optimize cost, quality and delivery.
• Plan, organize, direct, control, and communicate strategic sourcing activities for BU products and assigned commodities.
• Align cross-functional sourcing, engineering, technical support, product management, and operations groups.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to identify, screen, and qualify strategic suppliers.
• Negotiate and draft supply agreements covering terms, deliveries, price, currency, and inventory levels.
• Drive spend analysis and cost-saving initiatives for projects.
• Lead supplier screening and selection; manage RFQs/RFPs and contracts.
• Analyze market and delivery conditions and prepare market analysis reports.
• Report on KPIs and present strategic sourcing plans, activities, and progress.

Skills

Strategic Sourcing

Supplier Relationship Management

Cost Optimization

Change Management

Market Analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Supply Chain

Tools

Category Strategy Development

Spend Analysis

Total Cost of Ownership

Negotiation of Supply Agreements

Project Management

Job description

• Maintain the highest level code of conduct and ethics
• Create and implement category strategies to optimize cost, quality and delivery
• Manage complex multi-year customer/supplier relationships aligned to front-end portfolio strategies
• Plan, organize, direct, control, and communicate strategic sourcing activities for BU products and assigned commodities
• Align cross-functional supply, engineering, technical support, product management, and operations groups
• Conduct brainstorming sessions at Zurn Elkay facilities to identify strategic commodities and deployment priorities for cost-saving initiatives
• Provide oversight to sourcing/project managers on project deployment with internal and external stakeholders
• Collaborate with stakeholders to identify, screen, and qualify strategic suppliers
• Work with global facilities to create regional and global material cost savings funnels aligned with commercial strategies and financial targets
• Drive spend analysis and countermeasures for projects falling short of plan
• Apply total cost of ownership understanding
• Assess process improvements, influence change, and drive innovation and continuous improvement
• Collaborate with global business units on RFPs and RFQs and lead supplier screening and selection
• Negotiate and draft supply agreements covering payment terms, deliveries, price, freight, currency exchange, commodity fluctuation, and inventory levels
• Analyze market and delivery conditions and prepare market analysis reports
• Report on agreed-upon KPIs and present strategic sourcing plans, activities, and progress

Requirements

• BA or BS degree preferably in Engineering or Supply Chain competency; minimum in a business/industrial related field
• At least 5 years of experience as a Category Manager in an industrial manufacturing environment with experience in an Engineering, Supply Chain, or similar position
• Proven success of strategically working with suppliers or customers
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally ~25%
• Experience sourcing in low-cost regions
• Experience working with multiple locations globally
• Proven success in a change management and “stretch” environment

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in strategic sourcing, supplier relationship management, and cost optimization within an industrial manufacturing context. Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive continuous improvement initiatives while managing complex projects and negotiations.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Strategic Sourcing
• Supplier Relationship Management
• Cost Optimization
• Change Management
• Market Analysis

Hard Skills

• Category Strategy Development
• Spend Analysis
• Total Cost of Ownership
• Negotiation of Supply Agreements
• Project Management

Soft Skills

• Collaboration
• Communication
• Influencing Change
• Problem Solving

Industry Keywords

• Industrial Manufacturing
• Supply Chain Management
• RFPs
• RFQs
• Low-Cost Region Sourcing