Sourcing Category Specialist - PCBA

Forj Medical; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Health, dental, vision

401K plans

Annual bonus program

Job summary

Forj Medical in Minnesota is seeking a Category Specialist to analyze data, identify trends, and develop sourcing strategies for PCBA purchasing and related categories. You will partner with suppliers and internal teams to drive value, time-to-market, and cost efficiency.

The role emphasizes strategic relationship building, negotiation, and contract management in a fast-growing medical device environment. You will lead supplier assessments, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement initiatives

Qualifications

• 5+ years of strategic relationship building, with emphasis in customer/supplier management.
• 2+ years of strategic supply chain experience, including development and execution of sourcing strategies.
• 2+ years of negotiation experience with emphasis in contracts, purchasing, or sales.
• Knowledge and experience with Lean concepts and driving operational excellence, with lean certifications being a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Engineering, Business, or Equivalent encouraged.

Responsibilities

• Analyze demand/forecast and submit, update, expedite purchase orders for assigned purchasing activities.
• Supports new and transfer in programs through requests for quotes/proposals, evaluating the quotes, negotiating costs/terms, and selecting reporting the most qualified result.
• Fosters relationships with suppliers to achieve better pricing and quality of services.
• Lead the contract review and associated negotiations with suppliers encompassing key Terms & Conditions on Quality, Supply Chain & operational objectives.
• Develop and implement the roadmap to drive cost reduction with suppliers and meet strategic, operational, and financial performance targets.
• Optimal selection of vendors and technologies in line with time to market expectations, category sourcing strategies and cost targets.
• Act as the liaison between Procurement, Program Management, Customers, Engineers, and Suppliers and drive visibility and alignment linked to time to market, target costs, introduction of new platforms and technologies, supplier selection, risk mitigation through NPI till launch and sourcing strategies.
• Proactively manage supplier risk while engaging with cross functional teams to evaluate and improve supplier performance with a focus on supplier development.
• Support Quality Management on Audits and Assessments of new and existing suppliers.
• Review Bill of Materials against IHS BOM Intelligence reports to improve BOM health and purchasing strategies of long-lead time/end-of-life/obsolete components.
• Develop and implement lean processes, as required.
• Become the subject matter expert and act as an escalation point for internal stakeholders regarding suppliers in assigned categories.

Skills

Strategic relationship building

Supply chain experience

Negotiation

Lean concepts

Autonomy

Education

Bachelor's degree in supply chain management

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Business

Job description

Exceptional People. Hard Problems. Meaningful Careers. Big Impact.

Nowhere else can you touch as many life-changing medical technologies. At Forj Medical, we work side by side with more than 100 medical device companies from startups to global giants to bring life-enhancing technologies to market. Working with us means solving hard problems with extraordinary people in a collaborative work environment. Join us.

Job Summary

The Category Specialist analyzes data and insights to identify industry and customer trends, devises long-term strategies for product categories, develops transfer strategies for existing and incoming programs, acts as an escalation contact for their product categories, and fosters relationships with suppliers. This position will directly support sourcing efforts in the categories it manages, as well as PCBA purchasing.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

• Analyze demand/forecast and submit, update, expedite purchase orders for assigned purchasing activities - leveraging advanced communication skills to support both customers and production.
• Supports new and transfer in programs through requests for quotes/proposals, evaluating the quotes, negotiating costs/terms, and selecting reporting the most qualified result.
• Fosters relationships with suppliers to achieve better pricing and quality of services.
• Lead the contract review and associated negotiations with suppliers encompassing key Terms & Conditions on Quality, Supply Chain & operational objectives.
• Develop and implement the roadmap to drive cost reduction with suppliers and meet strategic, operational, and financial performance targets.
• Optimal selection of vendors and technologies in line with "time to market" expectations, category sourcing strategies and cost targets.
• Act as the liaison between Procurement, Program Management, Customers, Engineers, and Suppliers and drive visibility and alignment linked to time to market, target costs, introduction of new platforms and technologies, supplier selection, risk mitigation through NPI till launch and sourcing strategies.
• Proactively manage supplier risk while engaging with cross functional teams to evaluate and improve supplier performance with a focus on supplier development.
• Support Quality Management on Audits and Assessments of new and existing suppliers.
• Review Bill of Materials against IHS BOM Intelligence reports to improve BOM health and purchasing strategies of long-lead time/end-of-life/obsolete components.
• Develop and implement lean processes, as required.
• Become the subject matter expert and act as an escalation point for internal stakeholders regarding suppliers in assigned categories.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• The ideal candidate will be self-motivated with a bias for action. Must be able to interpret existing processes/relationships and transform into desired results through autonomous critical thinking. Coming with a day-one and enduring culture of integrity and dedication to success. Ability to work with minimal oversight and interact at all levels of the organization. Veterans are highly encouraged to apply.
• Understanding and adaptability to work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, and growing company, where processes and customer requirements evolve.
• 5+ years of strategic relationship building, with emphasis in customer/supplier management.
• 2+ years of strategic supply chain experience, including previous experience in the development and execution of sourcing strategies.
• 2+ years of negotiation experience with emphasis in contracts, purchasing, or sales.
• Knowledge and experience with Lean concepts and driving operational excellence, with lean certifications being a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Engineering, Business, or Equivalent encouraged. Candidates with alternate education/experience translations encouraged to apply.

Compensation

• The expected starting salary for this position is $90,000 to $110,000 depending on qualifications. As part of your overall rewards, we offer a comprehensive benefits program.

EEO Statement

Forj Medical provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Employment Requirement

Must be authorized to work in the United States.

Compensation And Total Rewards Package

The salary range for this position is outlined below under "Job Details" and is dependent upon the individual's skills, experience, qualifications, and applicable employment laws. Beyond base salary, Forj offers a competitive Total Rewards Package. We offer health, dental, vision, 401K plans, and time off programs. You may also be eligible to participate in an annual bonus program which depends on various factors, including, individual and organizational performance.