Mgr Category Procurement

Pretzels, Inc; Hershey (PA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The Hershey Company is seeking a Category Manager to lead category strategy, supplier relationships, and value delivery for high-spend categories. You will drive sustainability, risk management, and continuous improvement across procurement programs.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years in strategic sourcing, RFPs and contract negotiations, with strong data analytics and Excel/SAP skills. This role requires collaboration with Supply Chain, R&D and Manufacturing to unlock value and improve costs.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in procurement or supply chain with category management experience.
• Experience leading RFPs and contract negotiations.

Responsibilities

• Lead category strategy, supplier segmentation and spend analytics to drive value.
• Develop multi-year roadmaps for continuous improvement, sustainability and supply resilience.
• Manage supplier relationships and negotiations to secure favorable terms.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enable innovation and cost savings.

Skills

Category management

Supplier relationship management

Data analytics

Strategic sourcing

Contract negotiations

Microsoft Excel

SAP

RFP management

Education

Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, economics or related field

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Job description

Note: If you apply for a role at Hershey through our career’s website, we may use technologies that use automation to filter your candidacy based on objective criteria. We also use AI-enabled tools that help us facilitate the selection of our future Hershey talent. These tools may help with activities such as matching and scoring candidates to roles based on requirements and scheduling interviews. These systems process only the information you provide in your application, including your resume, work history, education, and responses to screening questions. While these technologies assist with certain steps in our recruitment process and may provide recommendations, all final decisions, including those affecting whether candidates advance to subsequent stages in the applicant process, are made by our talent acquisition teams with meaningful human review and independent judgment. Depending on your location and the specific role you apply for, additional disclosures about our use of AI in recruitment may be provided to you separately.

Mgr Category Procurement

Posted Date: Aug 21, 2026

Requisition Number: 129509

Why Hershey

At The Hershey Company, our culture is rooted in purpose and inspired by Milton Hershey’s enduring vision that business should create opportunity for others. Through our commitment to corporate philanthropy, we create positive impact by supporting communities, helping children thrive, and operating as a business for good. This includes our deep and long standing partnership with Milton Hershey School, where we invest in education, workforce readiness, and hands on engagement to help students succeed beyond the classroom. Supported by strategic grantmaking, product donations, cross brand collaboration, and strong employee volunteerism, Hershey offers a place to work where making a difference—locally and globally—is part of how we do business every day.

Job Overview

Position is responsible for the category management, supplier relationship management, value delivery, sustainability & resiliency of their assigned categories of $100M+ in spend and team of 1-3 direct reports.

What will you do?

Category Management

• Lead the development and management of category strategy, strategic sourcing plans and execution to ensure supply resilience, BCPs, multi-year roadmap for Continuous Improvement, innovation and sustainability to unlock values, deliver competitive advantages and proactively support business needs
• Strategy includes, but not be limited to, Supplier Segmentation, SWOT analysis, Should Cost Model, Industry Benchmarking, Strategic considerations for the category alternative options and qualification, sustainable sourcing all integrated into strategic sourcing plans
• Refresh category strategy at least once every 12-months to ensure competitive advantage for the Hershey Company in each market and meets the most recent business needs & requirements
• Utilize data and tech including but not limit to spend analytics to identify areas of sourcing/savings opportunity in assigned categories.

Risk Management, Financial Plan Budgeting And Deliver Finance Plan

• Risk management strategies development based on market dynamics analysis, supply and demand data, historical & current trends etc. Secure approval from CCC and lead flawless execution to bring competitive advantages to the Hershey Company’s total cost of ownership, cost visibility and manage prices fluctuations
• Build forecast for annual budgeting and strategic budgeting plans for the category leverage the market trend & information
• Leverage data & tech to drive efficiency and advance the analytical capabilities

Supplier Management & Development

• Implement supplier relationship management program and manage contract negotiation. Collaborate with supplier executives to obtain preferential business terms and performance for the Hershey Company
• Build regular meeting and governance cadence to manage the engagement and deliver contractual commitments.
• Identify and activate benefits beyond contractual commitments.
• Manage supplier performance issues and challenges with potential exit plans due to loss of business, performance or other risks.
• Collaborate with cross-functional team on new supplier identification, development and qualification.
• Routinely pursue knowledge of relevant industries market trends and technology improvements. Use current information in evaluation of suppliers' capabilities and to determine potential uses of other alternatives to improve cost and performance

Stakeholder Management And Collaborations

• Lead the partnership with Supply Chain, R&D, Manufacturing, and other appropriate departments to identify and lead innovation sourcing and continuous improvement such as cost savings, quality improvements, alternate supplier qualifications, supplier diversity, and working capital improvement.
• Minimize supplier proliferation and drive key Supply Chain 2.0 deliverables

Qualifications

Experience:

• Agile and flexible to changing demands and workload to ensure timely results.
• Strategic mindset - Translates information and data into recommendations and actions. Sets strategic goals based on insights and with key deliverables and clear business benefits.
• Experience with strategy, analytics, technology solutions or application of AI, and project management
• Strong experience of leading RFP and conducting contract negotiations
• Demonstrated knowledge of procurement and supply chain management principles
• Ability to collaborate and influence internal and external stakeholders
• Strong written and verbal skills with demonstrated experience communicating with business stakeholders and suppliers
• Ability to work effectively and productively in a team environment.
• Willingness and ability to learn at a challenging pace and in a changing environment.
• Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and SAP
• Regional travel in NA requirement could reach 25%
• 5-7 years knowledge/relevant experience in materials management, sourcing or procurement and related supply chains.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, Business, Economics or related field of study, or equivalent experience, required.
• Experience in Consumer Packaged Goods and sourcing of both direct and indirect materials/services is preferred

Minimum Education & Requirements

5+ years

The Hershey Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The policy of The Hershey Company is to extend opportunities to qualified applicants and employees on an equal basis regardless of an individual's race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other categories protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

The Hershey Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Minority/Female/Disabled/Protected Veterans.

You may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our online application process as a result of a disability.

You can request an accommodation via phone or email.

To request an accommodation via phone, please call [phone] and leave a voicemail with your contact information. You may also email a request for accommodation to [e-mail]. Please be sure to include “Accommodation Needed” in the subject line. This will ensure that your email is routed to the appropriate contact who will handle your request.

Nearest Major Market: Harrisburg