Senior Director, Category & External Manufacturing

Mars; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 154,000 - 211,000; Full time

Job summary

Mars Accelerator is seeking a Sr Director of Category Management & External Manufacturing in Chicago, IL. You will provide strategic leadership for all external manufacturing, sourcing, and supplier partnerships across the division and drive value through robust spend management.

You will lead a team, influence senior stakeholders, and shape procurement priorities to strengthen our competitive advantage and supply chain resiliency in a fast-growing snacking portfolio.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Finance, Engineering, or a related field.
• 12+ years of progressive procurement, sourcing, or commercial leadership experience.
• 5+ years of proven people leadership experience.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing sourcing strategies that deliver value through cost optimization, risk mitigation, and supplier-led innovation.
• Extensive experience leading complex commercial negotiations and managing strategic supplier and contract manufacturing relationships.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and drive alignment across cross-functional teams in a highly matrixed global organization.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen, with expertise in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), should-cost analysis, and value creation methodologies.
• (Nice-to-have) Direct experience leading complex external manufacturing networks and large-scale procurement transformation initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead and evolve the regional sourcing organization, providing strategic leadership and oversight for all Source-to-Contract activities across our External Manufacturing network.
• Define and execute regional sourcing strategies for External Manufacturing, Co-Packing, and selected raw material categories to deliver sustainable value, supply continuity, and cost competitiveness.
• Serve as a senior procurement leader and trusted business partner, building alignment with executive stakeholders on sourcing strategies and key investment decisions.
• Drive complex commercial negotiations and supplier strategies that enhance our competitiveness, innovation, resilience, and overall enterprise value.
• Champion talent development by providing matrix leadership, coaching, and strategic direction to a globally-based, high-performing sourcing community.
• Establish clear performance expectations and governance processes for suppliers, holding partners accountable for delivery against KPIs and business commitments.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration with Quality, Manufacturing, Planning, R&D, and Finance to align sourcing strategies with business requirements and network needs.
• Represent the Accelerator Division in enterprise governance forums and strategic supplier reviews, ensuring our divisional priorities are integrated into enterprise sourcing strategies.

Skills

Procurement leadership

Sourcing strategy

External manufacturing

Cross-functional influence

Negotiations

Financial acumen

Team leadership

Total Cost of Ownership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Finance, Engineering, or related field

Job description

Mars Accelerator is seeking a Sr Director of Category Management & External Manufacturing in Chicago, IL. You will provide strategic leadership for all external manufacturing, sourcing, and supplier partnerships across the division and drive value through robust spend management.

You will lead a team, influence senior stakeholders, and shape procurement priorities to strengthen our competitive advantage and supply chain resiliency in a fast-growing snacking portfolio.