Strategic Sourcing Associate

Ace Hardware; Oak Brook (IL); On-site; USD 88,000 - 111,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) matching

Health insurance

Vacation days

Company car

Job summary

Ace Hardware is seeking an Associate Category Manager to support strategic management of Supply Chain spend categories, driving sourcing initiatives and cost optimization. You will collaborate with internal partners to optimize decisions, manage supplier relationships, and strengthen spend governance while leveraging analytics and AI-enabled tools.

Ideal candidates have 3–5 years of sourcing or procurement experience, an undergraduate degree in a related field, and strong communication skills to

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant field.
• 3–5 years of sourcing, buying or procurement experience.
• Strong analytical, organizational and project management skills.
• Excellent written and interpersonal communication.

Responsibilities

• Partner with stakeholders on supply chain and distribution sourcing initiatives; align requirements and manage RFx events.
• Research suppliers, markets, and trends to support category strategies.
• Communicate business value and recommendations to drive informed decisions.
• Develop project summaries, reports, and sourcing documentation.
• Leverage procurement tech, data analytics and AI-enabled tools to improve research and recommendations.
• Support indirect procurement goals, including savings, spend under management and contract coverage.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Data analysis

Sourcing

RFx events

Procurement

Communication

Education

Undergraduate degree in Procurement/IT/Supply Chain/Finance

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Procurement software/tools

Job description

Ace Hardware is seeking an Associate Category Manager to support strategic management of Supply Chain spend categories, driving sourcing initiatives and cost optimization. You will collaborate with internal partners to optimize decisions, manage supplier relationships, and strengthen spend governance while leveraging analytics and AI-enabled tools.

Ideal candidates have 3–5 years of sourcing or procurement experience, an undergraduate degree in a related field, and strong communication skills to