Category Specialist Leader - Erlanger, KY

ADM; Erlanger (KY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 129,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with matching

Paid time off

Tuition assistance

On-site wellness center

LinkedIn Learning

Job summary

ADM in Erlanger, KY seeks a Category Specialist Leader to drive raw material onboarding and supplier documentation for NA Nutrition. You will lead cross-functional teams, manage AS400 workflows, and accelerate approvals to support customer launches.

The role requires strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills, with a focus on governance, data accuracy, and process improvements across Quality, Regulatory and Operations. This is an on-site role at ADM facilities.

Qualifications

• 4-year University degree in a business-related field or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years in procurement, project management, supply chain or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated capacity to excel in a fast-paced, multi-task work environment.
• Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills.
• Proven ability to work effectively in a team-based environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead New Vendor/Raw Material workflows from initiation to completion, ensuring accuracy of required documents.
• Manage AS400 workflows to secure timely POs for launches.
• Drive category priorities and escalate issues to resolve delays.
• Coordinate documentation collection across cross-functional teams (R&D, Regulatory, Quality).
• Lead Raw Material Workflow Priority meetings and implement improvements to reduce timelines.
• Oversee inactivation and mass replacement workflows for approvals.
• Handle vendor setup and AS400 file maintenance for materials.
• Track workflow speed and bottlenecks with tracking mechanisms.
• Maintain raw material docs databases for NA Nutrition sites and coordinate uploads.

Skills

Leadership

Organization

Coordination

Cross-functional

Problem-solving

Communication

Time management

Professionalism

Escalation

Education

Bachelor's degree in business

Tools

AS400

SharePoint

Power BI

Job description

112502BR

Job Description

Category Specialist Leader – Erlanger, KY

The Procurement Category Specialist Leader is a key role within Procurement, reporting to the NA Sr. Manager of Supplier Documentation Governance. The role leads raw material approval activities supporting North America Human Nutrition including a focus on the Colors business. Responsibilities include the acceleration of raw material approval by ensuring timely and accurate supplier documentation, setting priorities, achieving goals, and resolving escalations. This position collaborates closely with cross functional entities including Quality, Regulatory, Operations and external suppliers while promoting consistent processes, compliance and strong execution across the business.

KEY SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Leadership, coaching, teamwork, and a collaborative style
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail
• Coordinate and drive execution among team members
• Cross-functional interaction and consensus building, influencing without direct authority
• Problem-solving and critical thinking with an eye for continuous improvement opportunities
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Results oriented, proactive, and responsive to time-sensitive demands
• High level of professionalism and alignment to ADM values
• Escalation and conflict resolution

DESCRIPTION OF WORK PERFORMED OR SUPERVISED

• New Vendor/Raw Material, Second Source and New/Revised Formula Raw Material Workflows from initiation to completion. This includes gathering, reviewing, and confirming accuracy and completeness of required documents for workflow approvals.
• Manage Workflow process in AS400 (system) to ensure timely POs for customer launches.
• Drive excellence in raw material category specialist priorities, escalating as needed for resolution, responding to internal customer inquiries, and providing regular status updates.
• Coordinate documentation collection, review, management and workflow completion among cross-functional teams (e.g. R&D, Regulatory, and Quality). This work includes strong collaboration with third party document retrieval contractors.
• Lead cross-functional Raw Material Workflow Priority meetings. Identify and implement continuous improvements to minimize timelines from commencement to close.
• Raw Material Inactivation and Mass Replacement workflows for all approval stages.
• Vendor/supplier set-up and name/address and/or distributor change workflows and AS400 vendor file maintenance.
• Utilize workflow tracking mechanisms to measure speed of workflow completion and bottlenecks.
• Lead, upload and maintain all related raw material document databases (including Open Text and Trace Gains or similar data base) for NA Nutrition Sites. This includes the document coordination of acquiring, reviewing, classifying, and uploading vendor and raw material documentation.
• Request, manage, and track samples as needed for QC workflow review and approval.
• Raw material scouting and sourcing (RFX process) support when required, delivering options for new innovation or replacement raw materials.
• Lead and manage procurement support for sales requests.
• Support category management when necessary. This includes supplier communication and coordination of critical work to secure raw material.

REQUIREMENTS

• 4-year University degree in a business-related field (e.g. Supply Chain, Management, or Data Analytics) or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years in procurement, project management, supply chain or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated capacity to excel in a fast-paced, multi-task work environment
• Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills
• Proven ability to manage effectively within a team-based work environment
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders & colleagues
• Highly proficient in computer processes, Microsoft Office tools including Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook.
• Experience with AS400, SharePoint, and Power Bi a plus.
• Position requires sitting for prolonged periods of time & heavy computer and phone use.

ADM requires the successful completion of a background check.

REF:112502BR

Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Hourly and salaried non-exempt employees will also be paid overtime pay when working qualifying overtime hours.

If hired, employees will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base pay (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

The pay range for this position is expected to be between:

$70,400.00 - $128,900.00

Salaried Incentive Plan

The total compensation package for this position will also include annual bonus

Benefits and Perks

Enriching the quality of life for the world begins by taking care of our colleagues. In addition to competitive pay, we support your diverse needs with a comprehensive total rewards package to enhance your well-being, including:

• Physical wellness – medical/Rx, dental, vision and on-site wellness center access or gym reimbursement (as applicable).
• Financial wellness – flexible spending accounts, health savings account, 401(k) with matching contributions and cash balance plan, discounted employee stock purchasing program, life insurance, disability, workers’ compensation, legal assistance, identity theft protection.
• Mental and social wellness – Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Colleague Giving Programs (ADM Cares).

Additional benefits include:

• Paid time off including paid holidays.
• Adoption assistance and paid maternity and parental leave.
• Tuition assistance.
• Company-sponsored training and development resources, such as LinkedIn Learning, language training and mentoring programs.

*Benefits may vary for bargained locations, confirm benefit eligibility with your recruiter.

#IncludingYou

Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging are cornerstones of ADM’s efforts to continue innovating, driving growth, and delivering outstanding performance. We are committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce and create welcoming, truly inclusive work environments — environments that enable every ADM colleague to feel comfortable on the job, make meaningful contributions to our success, and grow their career. We respect and value the unique backgrounds and experiences that each person can bring to ADM because we know that diversity of perspectives makes us better, together.

We welcome everyone to apply. We are committed to ensuring all qualified applicants receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, disability, religion, national origin, language, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, sexual orientation, age, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law

About ADM

At ADM, we unlock the power of nature to provide access to nutrition worldwide. With industry-advancing innovations, a complete portfolio of ingredients and solutions to meet any taste, and a commitment to sustainability, we give customers an edge in solving the nutritional challenges of today and tomorrow. We’re a global leader in human and animal nutrition and the world’s premier agricultural origination and processing company. Our breadth, depth, insights, facilities and logistical expertise give us unparalleled capabilities to meet needs for food, beverages, health and wellness, and more. From the seed of the idea to the outcome of the solution, we enrich the quality of life the world over. Learn more at www.adm.com.

Req/Job ID:

112502BR