Commodity Manager - The Toro Company

The Toro Company; Minnesota; Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Onsite fitness facility

Volunteer hours (20 per year)

Onsite café / Caribou Coffee

Dress for your day

Job summary

The Toro Company, a Bloomington, MN-based leader in landscaping equipment, is seeking a Category Manager I to lead the sourcing team and drive category strategies that reduce total cost of ownership. You will cultivate strategic supplier relationships and implement continuous improvement projects across ISC.

Ideal candidates hold a bachelor’s degree in SCM/engineering, 6+ years sourcing experience, and strong communication skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferred in Supply Chain Management, Operations or Engineering.
• 6+ years sourcing experience or relevant education normally gained by completing degree in supply chain or operations related field.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to interact with stakeholders at all levels.
• Highly self-motivated, able to work under pressure, manage multiple objectives, meet deadlines.
• Proven ability to analyze situations and take effective actions.
• Excellent computer skills including Microsoft Suite, MRP/ERP experience.
• Ability to maintain composure during rapidly changing situations.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute cost reduction strategies to reduce TCO through cross-functional collaborations and supplier partnerships.
• Maintain and present category strategy to sourcing leadership.
• Coordinate and implement supply agreements, LTAs, warranty agreements, and collaborations.
• Lead cost negotiations and contract implementations with strategic suppliers.
• Track and reconcile material price variants to ISC and Finance leadership.
• Support TTC Digital Transformation objectives and ERP processes.

Skills

Communication

Analytical thinking

Self-motivation

Multitasking

Teamwork

MS Office / ERP

Education

Bachelor’s degree in SCM/Operations/Engineering

Tools

SAP

MRP/ERP systems

Microsoft Excel

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 in the Twin Cities to build a career.

The Category Manager I is a highly visible and impactful sourcing team leader, collaborating with multiple positions both within and outside the Integrated Supply Chain (ISC) to help achieve its goals of Operational Excellence and Sustainability. The Category Manager I’s major responsibilities are the development, implementation, and execution of category strategies to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO). The Category Manager I will also be responsible for cultivating, managing, and maintaining strategic supplier relationships, as well as implementing and maintaining continuous improvement projects. The Category Manager I position is a valuable strategic role within the global sourcing department, contributing significantly to the long-term goals as well as day-to-day operations.

What Will You Do?

• Develop and execute cost reduction strategies to reduce TCO through cross-functional collaborations and supplier negotiations/partnerships.
• Maintain and present category strategy to sourcing leadership.
• Coordinate and implement supply agreements, Long Term Agreements (LTA), Warranty Agreements, and collaborative partnerships.
• Serve as an internal resource and liaison to other areas within the organization regarding supplier capabilities, technologies, market conditions, and business risk/opportunities.
• Manage supplier performance through various metrics such as on-time delivery (OTD), supplier report cards, and quality notifications (QN).
• Lead cost negotiations, payment term discussions, and contract implementations with strategic suppliers.
• Track, report, and reconcile all material price variants (MPV)/purchase price variants (PPV) to ISC and Finance leadership.
• Effectively communicate with internal and external customers on all aspects of category.
• Support escalation process by engaging suppliers as well as TTC manufacturing facilities.
• Develop and implement lean strategies that align with TTC Operational Excellence and Sustainability goals through methods such as KanBan, Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), stocking agreements, etc.
• Support TTC Digital Transformation objectives.
• Support multiple areas of the parts procurement process within TTC’s MRP/ERP system.
• Provide direction and support to team regarding category strategy.
• Confidently present to all organization levels within the company.
• Ability to troubleshoot issues of varying complexity as they arise.
• Lead & support various intradepartmental process improvement projects.
• All other tasks and projects as assigned.

Dimensions

• Able to travel both domestically and internationally, approximately 10-20%.
• Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard and mouse, and to handle other computer components.

What Do You Need?

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferred in Supply Chain Management, Operations or Engineering
• 6+ years sourcing experience or relevant education normally gained by completing degree in supply chain or operations related field.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to professionally interact with internal and external stakeholders at all levels in the organization.
• Highly self-motivated, ability to work under pressure, manage and prioritize multiple objectives concurrently, attend to details, and meet deadlines in a dynamic environment.
• Proven ability to analyze situations and accurately take effective actions.
• Excellent computer skills including Microsoft Suite, MRP/ERP experience required.
• Ability to maintain composure during rapidly changing situations, remaining focused on the relevant objective.
• Capacity to work independently as well as within a team-oriented, collaborative environment.
• Understanding of manufacturing processes, cost drivers, and market dynamics for assigned commodities.

Preferred

• Experience in Castings and Metal Components category preferred.
• Supply Chain Management certification, or ability to achieve, preferred.
• SAP® experience preferred.

What Can We Give You?

At The Toro Company, we are always working to make sure our employees know just how valued they are. In addition to a competitive salary, an affordable and top tier medical/dental/vision plan, 401k, and many other great benefits -The Toro company offers employees at our Bloomington, MN HQlocation a variety of perks, including:

• Dress for your day - We know you're more productive when you're comfortable, which is why TTC employees are encouraged to take advantage of our casual, corporate environment.
• Location – Conveniently located near both St. Paul and Minneapolis, we are centrally located for most commuters!
• Food - Take advantage of our onsite café, which serves both breakfast and lunch. With a Caribou Coffee attached, you can grab a snack and a coffee at any time during your day.
• Wellness - The Toro Company’s HQ offers complimentary use of our onsite fitness facility to employees. In addition to physical wellbeing, TTC offers a variety of mental health and financial health resources to all employees.
• Volunteerism - The Toro Company is proud to provide employees 20 hours of paid time to volunteer in the community.
• Summer Hours – Enjoy a flexible schedule during the summer! By working a little more during the first few days of the week, TTC employees at our Bloomington HQ are able to start their weekends early and leave by noon on Friday.
• Flexible Work Arrangements – This team is currently implementing a hybrid work schedule. The opportunity to collaborate in a hybrid way, with some time spent in office and some from home, has promoted team building and flexibility.
• Competitive Salary – The pay range takes into account skills, experience, education, and location. It is not common to be hired at or near the top of the range; compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the annual pay range is between $85,000 - $115,000 . Cash compensation is one piece of our competitive total rewards package. You may be eligible to participate in an incentive program, which rewards employees based on individual and organizational performance. Eligibility and award amounts are determined by company policy and performance metrics. If you need to, you can access your pay early with the dailypay app.

At The Toro Company, we are committed to fostering a secure and trustworthy recruitment experience for our applicants. Recruitment fraud is a growing concern for job seekers, so please be aware that throughout our recruitment process, you’ll never be required to pay any fees or disclose personal financial details when applying to TTC opportunities. All legitimate job opportunities must be applied for directly through our official careers page at jobs.thetorocompany.com or via Workday, our applicant tracking system.

The Toro Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants based on merit and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, military service, or other non-merit factors. We are committed to creating a welcoming environment for all employees.