Sr. Category Manager – Packaging

Owens & Minor; Richmond (VA); Remote; USD 115,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits on day one

Educational assistance

Employer-paid life insurance and short

Voluntary supplemental programs

Adoption and parental leave

HSA and 401(k)

Paid holidays and leave

Well-Being programs

Job summary

Owens & Minor is seeking a Global Category Manager – Packaging to lead a worldwide sourcing plan spanning all packaging tiers with a $100 MM spend scope. The role operates in a center-led hybrid model, driving value through cost optimization, contractual rigor, and cross-functional collaboration across R&D, Marketing, and Operations.

You will oversee category strategy development, supplier diversification, sustainability goals, and governance while managing a team of packaging spend

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Packaging Engineering, Business, or related analytic discipline.
• 10+ years of global procurement experience managing complex packaging portfolios.
• Understanding of packaging processes and advanced sourcing methodologies.
• Experience with should-cost modeling and index-based contract mechanics.

Responsibilities

• Develop a 12–36 month global packaging category strategy.
• Lead cost analytics, should-cost modeling, and TCO initiatives.
• Negotiate index-linked agreements and manage supplier performance KPIs.
• Collaborate with Marketing, R&D, Operations, and Quality for governance.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Data-driven decisions

Analytical skills

ERP systems

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in supply chain, packaging, business

Master's degree preferred

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Coupa

Ariba

Rosslyn

Job description

Owens & Minor is a global healthcare solutions company providing essential products, services and technology solutions that support care delivery in leading hospitals, health systems and research centers around the world. For over 140 years, Owens & Minor has delivered comfort and confidence behind the scenes, so healthcare stays at the forefront, helping to make each day better for the hospitals, healthcare partners, and communities we serve. Powered by more than 14,000 teammates worldwide, Owens & Minor exists because every day, everywhere, Life Takes Care™.

Global Reach with a Local Touch

• 140+ years serving healthcare
• Over 14,000 teammates worldwide
• Serving healthcare partners in 80 countries
• Manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Honduras, Mexico, Thailand and Ireland
• 40+ distribution centers
• Portfolio of 300 propriety and branded product offerings
• 1,000 branded medical product suppliers
• 4,000 healthcare partners served

Benefits

Comprehensive Healthcare Plan

• Medical, dental, and vision plans start on day one of employment for full-time teammates.

Educational Assistance

• We offer educational assistance to all eligible teammates enrolled in an approved, accredited collegiate program.

Employer-Paid Life Insurance and Disability

• We offer employer-paid life insurance and disability coverage.

Voluntary Supplemental Programs

• We offer additional options to secure your financial future including supplemental life, hospitalization, critical illness, and other insurance programs.

Support for your Growing Family

• Adoption assistance, fertility benefits (in medical plan) and parental leave are available for teammates planning for a family.

Health Savings Account (HSA) and 401(k)

• We offer these voluntary financial programs to help teammates prepare for their future, as well as other voluntary benefits.

Paid Leave

• In addition to sick days and short-term leave, we offer holidays, vacation days, personal days, and additional types of leave – including parental leave.

Well-Being

• Also included in our offering is a Teammate Assistance Program (TAP), Calm Health, Cancer Resources Services, and discount programs – all at no cost to you.

The compensation for this position will be $115,000 - $150,000 annually. The exact compensation will vary by experience, education and location.

SUMMARY

The Global Category Manager – Packaging is a strategic leadership role accountable for developing and executing a 12–36 month worldwide sourcing plan spanning all packaging tiers managing $100 MM in spend. Within a center-led hybrid model, the position drives negotiating power, designs index-based contracting frameworks, and shapes long-term market positioning across the portfolio. This role establishes commercial guardrails for packaging development in close collaboration with R&D and Marketing, optimizing total cost and protecting brand standards, while safeguarding manufacturing locations from commodity price volatility through disciplined, centralized oversight.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Category Strategy: Develop and deliver a robust, clear and aggressive 12–36 month global category strategy covering flexible, rigid, corrugated, labels, and tertiary packaging. Takes innovation, supply chain resilience, supplier relationships, and commodity volatility to deliver 4-5% cost savings to enable clear commercial advantage.
• Specification Optimization: Proactively works with Marketing and R&D to enhance cost leverage, operational efficiency, and sustainability outcomes before finalization.
• Contracting & Negotiation: Structure and enforce transparent, index-linked agreements, separating material inputs from conversion costs using market benchmarks.
• Cost & TCO Management: Lead value creation through advanced total cost modeling, incorporating yield, throughput, transportation efficiency, and disposal impacts.
• Market Insight & Margin Protection: Track raw material trends (pulp, films, resins, and inks) to secure advantageous forward positions and prevent unjustified cost pass-throughs.
• Supplier Strategy & Continuity: Expand and diversify the supplier network to strengthen resilience, reduce risk exposure, and ensure consistent supply.
• Cross-Functional Governance: Align with Marketing, R&D, Operations, and Quality to maintain centralized commercial control while enabling seamless execution at site level.
• Sustainability Leadership: Drive adoption of recycled content, lightweighting,and simplified material formats to meet ESG objectives without erodingprofitability. Lead a 1-2 person team of packaging adjacent supply spend
• Team Leadership: Lead and coach regional procurement resources, ensuringstrong execution of sourcing strategy an1–2-person engagement.
• Cost Analytics: Build robust total cost models, should-cost models and LPPmodeling techniques incorporating yield, scrap, freight, and quality toidentify, dimension and deliver on savings opportunities.
• Executive Communication: Prepare concise, insight-rich updates for seniorleadership on market dynamics, supplier performance, and risk posture. Leadsenior leader level communication on commodity market impacts, mitigationstrategies, and procurement-driven savings opportunities to deliver businessvalue.
• Performance Management: Enforce supplier KPIs covering quality, delivery,emissions, and competitiveness through disciplined tracking systems.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCERequired:

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Packaging Engineering, Business, or arelated highly analytical discipline. (Master’s degree preferred).
• 10+ years of progressive, global procurement experience, with a proven trackrecord managing highly complex packaging portfolios in the FMCG, chemical,or manufacturing sectors.
• Deep, structural understanding of packaging manufacturing processes(extrusion, blow molding, corrugation, printing), raw material indexmechanisms, and advanced strategic sourcing methodologies.
• Advanced capability in should-cost modeling, tooling analysis, and indexbasedcontract mechanics.

Preferred:

• Master degree in supply chain management, business, packaging engineeringor in related analytical discipline.
• Multilingual capabilities (e.g., Mandarin, Thai) to facilitate seamlessnegotiation and management within the APAC hub.
• Strong negotiation, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the abilityto influence stakeholders at all levels.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, &ABILITIES

• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills, with proficiency in dataanalysis and reporting.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to synthesize disconnected macroeconomic eventsand consumer trends into a cohesive, global sourcing blueprint.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Relentless focus on quantitative evidence overqualitative vendor narratives
• Experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle) and e-procurement tools (e.g.Coupa, Ariba, Rosslyn, others)
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fastpacedenvironment.
• The ability to adapt to changing situations, new information, and unexpectedchallenges.
• APICS or ISM certification (e.g., CPIM, CPSM) is a plus.

ADDITIONALREQUIREMENTS

• Preferred location: Atlanta, GA; Richmond, VA and US based remote work
• Ability to travel up to 10%.
• No environmental hazards indicated for this classification.
• Remote/Hybrid flexibility offered. The role requires regular alignment withglobal time zones to effectively manage the direct report in Thailand and interface with the global supply base.

Owens & Minor is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, religion, disability, age, status as a veteran, or any other status prohibited by applicable national, federal, state or local law.