Sr. Strategic Sourcing Category Manager

Kroger; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Kroger is seeking a senior procurement leader to build strong relationships with internal business stakeholders and jointly develop category strategies, proactively identifying opportunities to deliver best value and meet savings targets.

You will partner with the director to set vision, performance metrics and strategy for categories, and communicate to all stakeholders while ensuring the team achieves savings targets and compliance with policies.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to establish category management strategies and sourcing capabilities.
• Experience building and executing category strategies to deliver savings.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and relationship-building across levels

Responsibilities

• Category Management: build relationships to influence total category spend.
• Strategic Sourcing: drive continuous improvement and adopt new processes.
• Contract Management: support contract lifecycle management and SRM.
• Procurement Process: ensure compliance with sourcing policies.
• Talent Management: supervise, coach, and collaborate with HR on talent planning.

Skills

Stakeholder collaboration

Cross-functional leadership

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Retail, CPG, or related disciplines

MBA or Master’s degree

CPM/CPSM, CSCP or equivalent certification

Tools

e-sourcing tools

Job description

Build strong relationships with internal business stakeholders to jointly develop category strategies, proactively identifying opportunities and projects to deliver best value to Kroger and achieve savings targets. Partner with director to set vision, performance metrics, and strategy of categories and communicate to all stakeholders while ensuring team achieves the savings targets. Demonstrate the company’s core values of respect, honesty, integrity, diversity, inclusion, and safety.

Responsibilities

• Category Management:
• Build strong business relationships allowing sourcing to increase its influence over total category spend
• Provide category and market expertise to create a strategic portfolio of initiatives to achieve savings targets
• Support definition of category strategies and manage different stakeholders through execution of project lifecycle to address obstacles
• Develop an effective framework to govern strategy, project pipeline and measure performance
• Strategic Sourcing:
• Drive continuous improvement to create efficiencies and enhance level of skills and capabilities of the team
• Provide guidance to introduce new procurement processes and technologies to become more effective and compliant to internal policies
• Contract Management:
• Provide expertise to support all activities related to contract lifecycle management (CLM)
• Support escalation process as needed to resolve any compliance issues
• Manage supplier relationships at a national level and work with business to make sure all SRM activities are executed effectively
• Lead supplier finance and discounting programs with a focus on improving work capital, cash flow, interest payable, and gross margins
• Procurement Process:
• Maintain knowledge of other initiatives in the company that may affect category performance
• Champion compliance to all sourcing policies with internal business stakeholders and internal teams
• Talent Management:
• Supervise and coach direct reports in the performance of their duties: complete performance reviews and provide feedback to direct reports
• Collaborate with HR on the planning, attraction, selection, retention, and development of the team to ensure availability of the required talent
• Must be able to perform the essential functions of this position with or without reasonable accommodation

Qualifications

Minimum

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Retail, CPG, or related disciplines
• 10 years’ experience within the pertinent category
• Deep procurement experience with proven ability to establish category management strategies, sourcing capabilities including business processes improvement and use of e-sourcing tools
• Highly collaborative individual, who has proven ability to work cross functionally and build strategic/mutually beneficial relationships at all levels
• Ability to change the thinking of others in sensitive situations, without damage to the relationship, both internally and externally
• MBA or Master’s degree
• 7 Years of leadership/management experience in Supply Chain or Procurement
• CPM/CPSM, CSCP or equivalent certification