Lead Category Manager

L3Harris Technologies; Palm Bay (FL); On-site; USD 88,000 - 187,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and disability insurance

401(k) match

Flexible spending accounts

EAP

Education assistance

Parental leave

Paid time off

Company-paid holidays

Job summary

L3Harris Technologies seeks a Category Lead in Palm Bay, FL or other U.S. locations to drive multi-year category strategies for rare earths and critical minerals, optimizing cost, quality, service, and risk across the supply base for space and mission systems.

The role requires serving as category SME, leading sourcing strategy, supplier performance, and risk mitigation while partnering with engineering, R&D, quality, legal, and operations to enable product roadmaps and resilient supply chains.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 9 years of relevant experience; or graduate degree with 7 years; or 13+ years in lieu of a degree.
• Experience in Category Management and Strategic Sourcing; FAR/DFARS knowledge preferred.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and manage multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute multi-year category strategies focusing on rare earths and critical minerals.
• Lead category SME activities, aligning sourcing with business objectives and product roadmaps.
• Monitor market conditions, geopolitical risks, and trade regulations affecting supply chains.
• Drive supplier diversification, negotiations, and long-term agreements to strengthen resilience.
• Collaborate with engineering, R&D, quality, legal, and operations to support innovation and NPIs.

Skills

Analytical skills

Negotiation

Cross-functional leadership

Forecasting

Demand planning

Supplier capacity alignment

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Graduate Degree

Job description

L3Harris is dedicated to recruiting and developing high-performing talent who are passionate about what they do. Our employees are unified in a shared dedication to our customers’ mission and quest for professional growth. L3Harris provides an inclusive, engaging environment designed to empower employees and promote work-life success. Fundamental to our culture is an unwavering focus on values, dedication to our communities, and commitment to excellence in everything we do.

L3Harris is the Trusted Disruptor in defense tech. With customers’ mission-critical needs always in mind, our employees deliver end-to-end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains in the interest of national security.

Job Title: Lead, Category Manager

Job Code: 41141

Job Location: Palm Bay, FL OR Rochester, NY OR Wilmington, MA OR Chantilly, VA OR Colorado Springs, CO OR Fort Wayne, IN OR Camden, NJ OR Greenville, TX

Job Schedule: 9/80 (Every other Friday off)

Job Description:

L3Harris is seeking a Category Lead to join our Space and Mission Systems Category Management Team. The Category Lead is responsible for developing and executing multi-year category strategies that optimize cost, quality, service, supply continuity, and compliance across assigned commodities. This role serves as the category subject matter expert, leading sourcing strategy development, supplier performance, and risk mitigation while partnering cross-functionally to support business objectives, technical requirements, and product roadmaps. A key aspect of this role is identifying, assessing, and mitigating countries of origin (COO), rare earth element (REE), critical mineral, geopolitical, and regulatory risks to strengthen enterprise supply chain resilience.

Essential Functions:

• Develop and execute multi-year category strategies focusing on rare earths and critical minerals to drive cost reduction, supply continuity, risk mitigation, and compliance
• Serve as the category SME, partnering with internal stakeholders to align sourcing strategies with business objectives, technical requirements, and product roadmaps
• Monitor market conditions, supplier capabilities, geopolitical risks, trade regulations, and emerging technologies to inform category strategy and sourcing decisions
• Lead supplier diversification, strategic negotiations, and long‑term agreements to strengthen supply resilience and maximize enterprise value
• Influence cross‑functional teams and suppliers to drive design‑to‑value ideation, joint process improvement, and enhanced innovation
• Develop market insights through research and data, industry developments, supply/demand dynamics, emerging technologies, and leading‑edge practices
• Drive supplier risk management, traceability, and due diligence to ensure compliance with sourcing restrictions, import/export controls, and regulatory requirements
• Manage strategic supplier relationships, performance reviews, and escalations to improve accountability, quality, service, and delivery
• Apply procurement levers and analytics such as supplier rationalization, should‑cost modeling, make‑vs.-buy, and inventory optimization to deliver value
• Partner cross‑functionally with engineering, R&D, quality, legal, and operations to support innovation, NPI execution, and overall category performance
• Assess supplier and platform risks, develop appropriate contingency plans, and drive inclusion into the overall decision‑making process

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of 9 years of prior relevant experience; Or, Graduate Degree and a minimum of 7 years of prior related experience; Or, in lieu of a degree, a minimum of 13 years of prior related experience

Preferred Additional Skills:

• Strong analytical, negotiation, communication, and cross‑functional leadership skills
• Ability to influence without direct authority and manage multiple strategic priorities simultaneously
• Experience working with forecasting, demand planning, and supplier capacity alignment processes
• Comprehensive knowledge of Category Management and Strategic Sourcing processes
• Experience in the Aerospace & Defense (A&D) industry preferred, with specific FAR/DFARS experience
• Self‑managed/motivated – ability to independently set priorities and meet commitments, with a desire to continuously improve
• Ability to influence without direct authority and manage multiple strategic priorities simultaneously
• Strong interpersonal and planning skills to lead change through influencing abilities
• Ability to coordinate across commodities and segments

In compliance with pay transparency requirements, the salary range for this role in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington, and the Greater D.C. area, Denver, or NYC areas is $100,500-$186,500. The salary range for this role in Colorado state, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York state, Cleveland Ohio, Vermont, and Virginia is $87,500-$162,500. This is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as final offer amount may vary based on factors including but not limited to experience and geographic location. L3Harris also offers a variety of benefits, including health and disability insurance, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, EAP, education assistance, parental leave, paid time off, and company‑paid holidays. The specific programs and options available to an employee may vary depending on date of hire, schedule type, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

The application window for this requisition is anticipated to close October 16, 2026.

L3Harris Technologies is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. L3Harris is committed to treating all employees and applicants for employment with respect and dignity and maintaining a workplace that is free from unlawful discrimination. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or other related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, characteristic or membership in any other group protected by federal, state or local laws. L3Harris maintains a drug‑free workplace and performs pre‑employment substance abuse testing and background checks, where permitted by law.

Please be aware many of our positions require the ability to obtain a security clearance. Security clearances may only be granted to U.S. citizens. In addition, applicants who accept a conditional offer of employment may be subject to government security investigation(s) and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

By submitting your resume for this position, you understand and agree that L3Harris Technologies may share your resume, as well as any other related personal information or documentation you provide, with its subsidiaries and affiliated companies for the purpose of considering you for other available positions.

L3Harris Technologies is an E-Verify Employer.