Category Specialist - The Toro Company

ttc; Perry (OK); On-site; USD 65,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The Toro Company is seeking a Category Specialist to strengthen supplier relationships, lead cost-reduction initiatives, and manage TCO analyses across ISC goals. You will work closely with engineers and procurement colleagues to negotiate favorable terms and implement long-term partnerships.

Travel up to 15% domestically and internationally where needed. This role offers exposure to strategic sourcing, continuous improvement projects, and potential advancement within the sourcing organization.

Qualifications

• Experience negotiating with suppliers and driving cost reductions.
• Ability to analyze total cost of ownership and present actionable guidance.
• Proven track record of cross-functional collaboration in ISC or sourcing.

Responsibilities

• Enhance supplier relationships to align with ISC goals.
• Support development and implementation of LTAs and partnerships.
• Lead category strategy, cost-reduction initiatives, and TCO analysis with cross-functional teams.
• Collaborate with Category Managers on negotiations and contracts.
• Drive supplier transitions and continuous improvement projects.
• Reconcile PPV and identify root causes to minimize variances.

Skills

Supplier relationships

Negotiations

Cost reduction

TCO analysis

Lean/process improvement

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of a school/employment or any other visa, regardless of expiration date, now or in the future.

Who Are We?

The Toro Company is a homegrown, Minnesota-based company that has been in business since 1914. We pride ourselves on providing world-class equipment to help maintain the environment that we love, while putting an emphasis on giving back to the communities that surround us. From residential lawns and gardens, to venues such as St Andrews Links and Target Field, we are a company with a global footprint and a passion for helping people beautify whatever landscape they may be in. With 100 years of operation under our belt and a healthy tenure, come find out what makes The Toro Company the best place to build a career.

The Category Specialist is an integral role in the sourcing department, often collaborating with every position within the Integrated Supply Chain (ISC) to help ISC achieve its goals of Operational Excellence and Sustainability. The Category Specialist's major responsibilities are reducing costs, cultivating strategic supplier relationships, improving quality and delivery metrics, supporting continuous improvement projects, and growing the skills and knowledge needed for advancement into a Category Management position and beyond. This role blends tactical and strategic capabilities, with a heavy focus on the strategic, within the global sourcing department and significantly impacts the day-to-day operations and the long-term strategic goals of The Toro Company (TTC). The Category Specialist role demonstrates the ability to lead key responsibilities and is deemed an expert in their role. This role is highly engaging and can also provide opportunities to explore additional future career paths within our dynamic Sourcing department.

What Will You Do?

• Enhance and grow supplier relationships through excellent communication to ensure the supplier's alignment with ISC's goals.
• Support development and implementation of supply agreements, Long Term Agreements (LTA), and collaborative partnerships.
• Execute category team's cost reduction strategy through supplier negotiations and partnership with cross functional teams. Complete and review total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis and provide guidance to category team and leadership.
• Lead, understand, and execute category specific strategy by using past experiences and drawing upon historical data to draw conclusions and pivot strategy within the category to align with ISC strategy.
• Collaborate and partner with Category Manager(s) in cost negotiations and contract implementation with strategic suppliers.
• Lead negotiations, develop and implement cost reduction initiatives of non-strategic spend suppliers.
• Research, identify and determine new suppliers that align with Toro values and select the best possible supplier for a part based on the supplier classification criteria set by category team's strategy.
• Lead and support supplier transitions. Participate and advise in supplier exit process standardization and continuous improvement projects.
• Analyze quote packages from suppliers using the TCO model with the support of the category team to select the appropriate supplier.
• Collaborate with engineering on strategic initiatives and ensure engineering change notices (ECN's/ECO's) are completed timely.
• Support category manager to reconcile monthly purchase price variance (PPV). Identify root cause for variances and improve controls to minimize those.
• Lead monthly reconciliation of PPV of 10-15% of category spend.
• Ability to troubleshoot unique issues that arise of moderate to advanced complexity.
• Drive continuous supplier lead time reduction. Assist Sourcing Specialist I, II, and manufacturing plants on supplier deliveries and escalations as required.
• Resolve invoice discrepancies and authorize payment on invoice holds as appropriate.
• Support sourcing finance by negotiating payment terms and promoting the supply chain finance program.
• Champion various intradepartmental process improvement projects including lean activities, productivity improvements, lead time maintenance and others as assigned, present to leadership.
• Support training and onboarding of new Sourcing Specialists while being an ongoing point of contact for assisting them in continued learning and troubleshooting.
• All other tasks and projects as assigned.

Dimensions:

Typical office environment as it pertains to lighting, temperature, and noise level when in administrative / operations offices.

Able to travel both domestically and internationally, approximately 15%.

Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard and mouse, and to handle other computer components.

What Do You Need?

To be considered for this role, an individual should meet the following minimal requireme