Global Plastics & Tooling Category Lead

Abbott Laboratories; Illinois; On-site; USD 99,000 - 199,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) retirement plan with employer贡献

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Abbott Laboratories is seeking a Technical Category Manager, Plastics & Tooling, to develop global category strategies for plastic components, injection molding, and tooling. You will lead supplier strategy, drive tooling roadmaps, and align technical and commercial teams across Abbott.

The role partners with Engineering, R&D, Operations, and Procurement to drive NPI, sustainability initiatives, and supplier-enabled innovation, ensuring competitive performance and cost efficiencies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related technical discipline or equivalent.
• 7+ years of plastics engineering, injection molding, tooling, or procurement experience.
• Strong knowledge of injection molding processes and tooling economics.
• Understanding of polymer materials and manufacturing cost drivers.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives.
• Proven ability to develop and execute strategic category plans.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute global category strategy for plastic components, injection molding, tooling, and related technologies.
• Lead supplier strategy including market assessments, supplier selection, negotiation, contracting, performance management, and partnerships.
• Develop and implement an enterprise-wide tooling strategy and roadmap.
• Partner with Procurement, Engineering, R&D, Operations, Manufacturing, Supplier Quality, and suppliers to align requirements with business goals.
• Drive supplier innovation, DFM, and early supplier engagement for product commercialization and operational excellence.
• Support NPI and lifecycle initiatives by ensuring supplier readiness and tooling scalability.
• Achieve total cost of ownership improvements through resin optimization and tooling efficiency.
• Conduct supplier capability assessments and manufacturing reviews to inform decisions.
• Monitor industry trends to identify opportunities for innovation and competitive advantage.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives and communities of practice to promote technical excellence.

Skills

Plastics engineering

Injection molding

Tooling

Supplier management

Procurement

Category management

Cross-functional collaboration

Negotiation

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Plastics Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Materials Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Polymer Science

Tools

Moldflow

Mold design

Automation

DFM

Job description

Abbott Laboratories is seeking a Technical Category Manager, Plastics & Tooling, to develop global category strategies for plastic components, injection molding, and tooling. You will lead supplier strategy, drive tooling roadmaps, and align technical and commercial teams across Abbott.

The role partners with Engineering, R&D, Operations, and Procurement to drive NPI, sustainability initiatives, and supplier-enabled innovation, ensuring competitive performance and cost efficiencies.