Strategic Marketing & Communications Category Lead

Kohler Co.; Kohler (WI); On-site; USD 107,650 - 166,650; Full time

Job summary

Kohler Co. is seeking a Category Leader – Marketing & Communications to shape sourcing strategies aligned with Kohler’s brand and priorities.

You’ll independently manage marketing and communications categories, partner with stakeholders, and drive value across cost, service, quality, risk, and compliance. You will own category plans, contract management, and supplier relationships, collaborating with marketing teams to develop specifications, success metrics, and evaluation criteria for programs

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, marketing, operations, or a related field.
• 5+ years of sourcing, procurement, category management, supplier management, marketing/communications operations, or related experience.
• Experience managing day-to-day supplier relationships, contract deliverables, sourcing activities, and stakeholder requirements within an established procurement or category management framework.
• Experience analyzing spend, supplier proposals, contracts, budgets, and market information to support sourcing recommendations and business decisions.
• Basic experience coordinating the work of others or providing guidance to junior associates, stakeholders, or project contributors preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own delivery of defined procurement and category goals for marketing and communications categories, aligned to Kohler’s purchasing/procurement strategy and business priorities.
• Manage day-to-day supplier and contract relationships within established category and contract management plans, ensuring providers deliver required service levels, quality, compliance, and business value.
• Jointly with marketing stakeholders, develop clear specifications, success metrics, performance indicators, deliverable scope, and evaluation criteria for contracts across a portfolio of medium to large marketing and communication programs and projects.
• Collect and analyze supplier, market, spend, cost-driver, and performance data to inform sourcing recommendations, category improvements, and supplier decisions.
• Support competitive sourcing events, bid analysis, supplier selection, and negotiations to improve cost, service, innovation, risk mitigation, and total value delivered.
• Partner with marketing, communications, legal, privacy, risk, finance, and business stakeholders to understand needs, resolve issues, and promote alignment to category plans and procurement processes.
• Provide specialist guidance on procurement policies, supplier processes, contract requirements, and marketing/communications sourcing practices; elevate highly complex or contentious issues as appropriate.
• Monitor category performance, supplier performance, budget impacts, and value metrics; prepare clear updates and recommendations for stakeholders and senior sourcing leaders.
• Identify improvements to category plans, supplier coverage, sourcing processes, and stakeholder engagement practices to increase efficiency, compliance, and business impact.
• Maintain working knowledge of marketing and communications supplier models, pricing structures, digital ecosystem considerations, and industry trends to support sound business decisions.

Skills

Category management

Procurement

Supplier management

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Budgeting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, marketing, operations, or related field

Job description

Kohler Co. is seeking a Category Leader – Marketing & Communications to shape sourcing strategies aligned with Kohler’s brand and priorities.

You’ll independently manage marketing and communications categories, partner with stakeholders, and drive value across cost, service, quality, risk, and compliance. You will own category plans, contract management, and supplier relationships, collaborating with marketing teams to develop specifications, success metrics, and evaluation criteria for programs