Strategic Category Manager: Market Insight & Growth

Woodward HRT/MPC; Rockford (IL); On-site; USD 105,000 - 168,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Stock contribution

Tuition reimbursement

Paid holidays

Health insurance

Vacation/Sick Time

Job summary

Woodward is seeking a strategic Category Manager to lead market analysis, develop long-term category strategies, and manage supplier relationships across multi-site operations from Rockford, IL. This role focuses on driving profitability and competitive advantage in energy control solutions.

The position emphasizes cross-functional collaboration, budgeting oversight, and data-driven decision making to deliver value for customers and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Strong business acumen with ability to frame work in terms of business value.
• Experience using market research and spend analytics to guide decisions.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and executive presence across stakeholders.
• Ability to generate insights from data, knowledge, and research to drive actions.

Responsibilities

• Market Analysis and Research: analyze trends to identify opportunities and threats.
• Category Strategy Development: create strategies for long-term category performance and profitability.
• Project generation, scope definition and maturation: manage project pipeline and lifecycle.
• ASL Management: align suppliers into strategic categories and ensure completeness across sites.
• Financial Management: oversee budgeting, forecasting and profitability for categories.

Skills

Business Acumen

Intelligence Gathering

Executive Presence

Insight Generation

Project Management

Stakeholder Management

Strategic Thinking

Communication and Influence

Intellectual Curiosity

Value Orientation

Job description

Woodward is seeking a strategic Category Manager to lead market analysis, develop long-term category strategies, and manage supplier relationships across multi-site operations from Rockford, IL. This role focuses on driving profitability and competitive advantage in energy control solutions.

The position emphasizes cross-functional collaboration, budgeting oversight, and data-driven decision making to deliver value for customers and stakeholders.