Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field required.
- Coursework or foundational knowledge in procurement, manufacturing, or operations is preferred.
- Professional certifications (or progress toward) such as CIPS, CPSM, CSCP, or equivalent are an advantage.
Experience
- 3–5 years of experience in procurement, sourcing, supply chain, or operations, preferably within a manufacturing or industrial environment.
- Experience supporting direct materials sourcing activities, including RFQs, supplier data analysis, and contract administration.
- Exposure to spend analysis, cost breakdowns, and price variance analysis for direct materials.
- Familiarity with supplier performance metrics such as quality, delivery, cost, and capacity.
- Experience working with cross-functional teams such as Engineering, Operations, Quality, and Finance.
- Basic understanding of supply markets, commodity trends, and cost drivers for direct materials.
- Experience using ERP systems (e.g., Oracle) and e-sourcing tools.
- Ability to manage multiple initiatives, track actions, and support global or regional projects.
Key Responsibilities – Global Category Support Manager
Category Strategy & Governance
- Support Global Category Managers in the development, deployment, and maintenance of global category strategies.
- Ensure consistent application of category governance, policies, and sourcing methodologies across regions.
- Monitor compliance with global procurement standards and support audit readiness.
Data, Analytics & Reporting
- Collect, analyze, and consolidate global spend, market, and supplier data to generate actionable insights.
- Develop and maintain category dashboards, KPIs, and performance reports.
- Support cost savings tracking, value realization, and financial reporting in collaboration with Finance.
Supplier & Performance Management
- Support supplier performance management processes, including scorecards, reviews, and improvement plans.
- Coordinate global supplier information, contracts, and risk data.
- Assist in identifying supplier consolidation, innovation, and risk mitigation opportunities.
Sourcing & Project Support
- Provide end-to-end support for global sourcing initiatives, RFx processes, and negotiations as required.
- Coordinate cross-regional sourcing projects and ensure alignment of timelines, deliverables, and stakeholders.
- Track project milestones, savings, and benefits realization.
Process & Continuous Improvement
- Drive standardization and continuous improvement of category management processes and tools.
- Identify best practices and enable knowledge sharing across regions and categories.
- Support the implementation and optimization of procurement systems and digital tools.
Stakeholder Collaboration
- Act as a key liaison between global category teams, regional procurement, and cross-functional partners (e.g., Finance, Supply Chain, Quality, Legal).
- Support communication, training, and change management related to category initiatives.
Market & Risk Intelligence
- Monitor market trends, commodity movements, and supply risks relevant to assigned categories.
- Support scenario analysis and contingency planning for global categories.
