Global Category Manager

1008 Johnson Controls Inc.; Glendale (CA); On-site; USD 104,000 - 156,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson Controls is seeking a Global Category Manager to lead strategic procurement across Electrical, Electro-Mechanical, and Electronics categories. You will own a substantial annual spend and work with Engineering, Operations, and Product Management to drive growth, supply continuity, and cost competitiveness.

The role emphasizes negotiation, analytics, and executive-level supplier engagement, with a focus on risk mitigation and long-term value creation for global products.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business, or Operations; MBA preferred.
• Strong commercial negotiation, contract management, and supplier relationship management skills.
• Experience leading complex global categories in a matrix organization.
• Advanced analytics and data-driven decision making.

Responsibilities

• Own a global category portfolio with large annual spend.
• Develop and execute global category strategies for growth and supply resiliency.
• Lead supplier selection, negotiations, and contract execution.
• Drive TCO optimization balancing quality, delivery, and risk.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives with Engineering, Operations, and Finance.

Skills

Analytical skills

Executive engagement

Negotiation

Presentation skills

Communication

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business, or Operations

MBA

Tools

Excel

Power BI

AI experience

Job description

Global Category Manager: The Global Category Manager (GCM) is a strategic procurement leader responsible for developing and executing global category strategies that enable Johnson Controls' accelerated growth, supply continuity, cost competitiveness, and supplier innovation agenda. Operating within the Global Procurement Direct Materials Category Management Tower, the GCM serves as the global owner for multiple critical direct material sub-categories across Electrical, Electro-Mechanical, and Electronics commodity portfolios, leading cross-functional initiatives across all Global Products businesses. This role is accountable for delivering category strategies that support growth demand, long-range business expansion, supplier capacity readiness, risk mitigation, total cost improvement, and operational excellence. The GCM partners closely with Engineering, Operations, Quality, Product Management, Finance, and regional procurement teams to ensure an unconstrained, competitive, and resilient supply base capable of supporting new product introductions and mass production requirements globally. The successful candidate combines deep category expertise, strong commercial acumen, executive-level supplier engagement capabilities, and a passion for driving transformational business results. The successful candidate combines deep category expertise, strong commercial acumen, executive-level supplier engagement capabilities, and a passion for driving transformational business results.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own a global category portfolio of $250M-$400M annual spend, supported by regional category managers and buyers.
• Develop and execute global category strategies that support business growth, new product roadmaps, cost competitiveness, and supply resiliency.
• Lead supply market intelligence, multi-year sourcing roadmaps, supplier capacity planning, localization, and risk mitigation initiatives.
• Drive category governance, preferred supplier strategies, and long-term supplier development plans to support unconstrained growth.
• Lead global sourcing events, supplier selection, commercial negotiations, and contract execution.
• Negotiate pricing, capacity reservation agreements, working capital improvements, inventory strategies, and long-term supply agreements.
• Optimize Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) while balancing quality, delivery, innovation, and risk.
• Deliver annual productivity, cost savings, and inflation mitigation targets through strategic sourcing and supplier optimization.
• Lead VA/VE, should-cost, design-to-cost, and specification improvement initiatives in partnership with Engineering and suppliers.
• Drive working capital improvements through payment term optimization and supply chain financing strategies.
• Serve as the executive commercial lead for strategic and preferred suppliers.
• Conduct executive business reviews, performance management, and supplier segmentation activities.
• Develop joint business plans focused on capacity expansion, innovation, quality, and long-term growth.
• Proactively manage supply risks related to capacity, quality, financial stability, compliance, and business continuity.
• Implement mitigation strategies including dual sourcing, supplier development, localization, inventory optimization, and capacity agreements.
• Lead critical supplier escalations and business continuity recovery actions.
• Partner with Engineering, Operations, Quality, Product Management, Finance, and regional Procurement teams to execute category strategies.
• Provide procurement leadership for NPI, supplier qualification, product lifecycle management, and supplier transitions.
• Align global category strategies with regional execution and business objectives.
• Manage the complete contract lifecycle, ensuring compliance, risk management, and continuity of supply.
• Maintain strategic contract coverage and adherence to procurement policies and ethical sourcing standards.
• Lead executive reviews, category performance reporting, and governance processes.
• Act as the global subject matter expert for assigned categories and supply markets.
• Influence senior leadership, cross-functional stakeholders, and supplier executives to achieve business objectives.
• Lead complex global initiatives that improve growth readiness, supply assurance, cost performance, and supplier competitiveness.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, innovation, and operational excellence.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business, or Operations; MBA degree preferred.
• Minimum 8-10 years of procurement/sourcing experience in large-scale, complex, or global categories—electronics, circuit protection, switchgear, drives, heat exchangers, compressors, fans, other electrical or electro-mechanical sub-categories.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex global categories and supplier networks.
• Proven success in developing category strategies and delivering measurable business results.
• Strong commercial negotiation, contract management, and supplier relationship management skills.
• Experience managing cross-functional initiatives in a global matrix organization.
• Strong analytical capabilities and proficiency with data-driven decision making.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel, Power BI, and procurement analytics experience.
• Applied AI experience preferred.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and executive engagement skills.
• Ability to travel up to 30% of time.

About You:

You think strategically while executing with urgency. You thrive in fast-paced, high-growth environments. You embrace a Kaizen mindset, relentlessly pursuing continuous improvement across cost, quality, delivery, supplier performance, and procurement processes. You are comfortable leading complex negotiations and influencing executive stakeholders. You proactively identify risks and develop solutions before issues impact the business. You balance commercial rigor with strong relationship-building skills. You are passionate about supplier partnerships, operational excellence, and continuous improvement. You measure success by enabling business growth, securing supply, and delivering sustainable value.

HIRING SALARY RANGE:

$104,000-156,000 (Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, location and alignment with market data.) This position includes a competitive benefits package. For details, please visit the About Us tab on the Johnson Controls Careers site at https://jobs.johnsoncontrols.com/about-us

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Johnson Controls International plc. is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a qualified individual with a disability or any other characteristic protected by law. To view more information about your equal opportunity and non-discrimination rights as a candidate, visit EEO is the Law. If you are an individual with a disability and you require an accommodation during the application process, please visit here.

Company Overview:

Johnson Controls: Enhancing the Intelligence of Buildings Your buildings have a purpose. They are places for people to live or work. Facilities for learning or healing. Venues for entertainment and shopping. Sites for the specialized storage of tangible goods or mission-critical data. Your buildings have a huge variety of functions; they are central to your mission. This is where Johnson Controls comes in, helping drive the outcomes that matter most. Through a full range of systems and digital solutions, we make your buildings smarter. A smarter building is safer, more comfortable, more efficient, and, ultimately, more sustainable. Most important, smarter buildings let you focus more intensely on your unique mission. Better for your people. Better for your bottom line. Better for the planet. At Johnson Controls, we’ve been making buildings smarter since 1885, and our capabilities, depth of innovation experience, and global reach have been growing ever since. Today, we offer the world’s largest portfolio of building products, technologies, software, and services; we put that portfolio to work to transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play.