Marketing & Communications Category Leader

Sterling Kohler; Wisconsin; On-site; USD 107,650 - 166,650; Full time

Job summary

Kohler is seeking a Category Leader – Marketing & Communications to shape sourcing strategies that support the brand, business priorities, and marketing execution. You will independently manage marketing and communications categories, partner with internal stakeholders and suppliers, and drive value across cost, service, quality, risk, and compliance.

This role owns category, procurement, contract, supplier, and budget results, collaborates with marketing, legal, privacy, and finance, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, marketing, operations, or a related field.
• 5+ years of relevant sourcing, procurement, category management, supplier management, marketing/communications operations, or related business experience.

Responsibilities

• Own delivery of defined procurement and category goals for marketing and communications categories, aligned to Kohler’s purchasing/procurement strategy and business priorities.
• Manage day-to-day supplier and contract relationships within established category and contract management plans, ensuring providers deliver required service levels, quality, compliance, and business value.
• Jointly with marketing stakeholders, develop clear specifications, success metrics, performance indicators, deliverable scope, and evaluation criteria for contracts across a portfolio of medium to large marketing and communication programs and projects.
• Collect and analyze supplier, market, spend, cost-driver, and performance data to inform sourcing recommendations, category improvements, and supplier decisions.
• Support competitive sourcing events, bid analysis, supplier selection, and negotiations to improve cost, service, innovation, risk mitigation, and total value delivered.
• Partner with marketing, communications, legal, privacy, risk, finance, and business stakeholders to understand needs, resolve issues, and promote alignment to category plans and procurement processes.
• Provide specialist guidance on procurement policies, supplier processes, contract requirements, and marketing/communications sourcing practices; escalate highly complex or contentious issues as appropriate.
• Monitor category performance, supplier performance, budget impacts, and value metrics; prepare clear updates and recommendations for stakeholders and senior sourcing leaders.
• Identify improvements to category plans, supplier coverage, sourcing processes, and stakeholder engagement practices to increase efficiency, compliance, and business impact.
• Maintain working knowledge of marketing and communications supplier models, pricing structures, digital ecosystem considerations, and industry trends to support sound business decisions.

Skills

Sourcing

Procurement

Category management

Supplier management

Marketing/communications operations

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, marketing, operations, or a related field

Job description

Kohler is seeking a Category Leader – Marketing & Communications to shape sourcing strategies that support the brand, business priorities, and marketing execution. You will independently manage marketing and communications categories, partner with internal stakeholders and suppliers, and drive value across cost, service, quality, risk, and compliance.

This role owns category, procurement, contract, supplier, and budget results, collaborates with marketing, legal, privacy, and finance, and