Indirect Sourcing Category Manager – MRO & Packaging

Company Description

The Indirect Sourcing Category Manager is an individual contributor who will lead Strategic Sourcing activities for North America. Managing a complex portfolio of goods & services, providing strategic thought leadership, lead Internal Relationship Management, and support Supplier Relationship Management activities within the MRO & Secondary Packaging categories. This category represents, conservatively, $70M of spend.

In this position you will work closely with business stakeholders across all the Fortune Brand operating companies to understand business needs and develop/execute sourcing strategies to reduce total cost of ownership by leveraging world-class negotiation skills, tools, and processes. This position will develop strong cross-functional working relationships while executing value-driven projects and implementing best practices. The Category Manager will work closely with Operations and Finance across the organization.

Job Description

• Partner with key stakeholders and senior leadership to understand strategic direction, business objectives, supply requirements, and priorities in order to develop and execute effective sourcing and demand management strategies
• Build and manage overall project pipeline through category expertise and stakeholder collaboration and buy-in
• Overall responsibility for developing, communicating, and implementing sourcing strategies for assigned categories
• Achieve stakeholders’ business objectives using best practice to effectively capture value (i.e. cost improvements, supplier consolidation, cost avoidance, process improvements, risk mitigation)
• Develop and maintain deep subject matter expertise and industry knowledge within the established portfolio set to provide insights that influence actionable outcomes, driving best practices through cross-functional engagement
• Negotiate supplier agreements with the appropriate commercial, legal, and risk considerations
• Drive the use of new and existing supply market data sources in conjunction with best practices to improve current and long-term performance
• Ensure stakeholders, team members, and suppliers are in compliance with all FBIN policies and procedures

Qualifications

• Fluent in English with a command of reading comprehension and writing
• Bachelor's degree
• A minimum of 5 years experience in sourcing MRO / industrial supplies, PPE, consumables, pallets, shrink/stretch wrap and more
• Deep understanding of best-in-class procurement practices including extensive end-to-end experience in Sourcing process, Negotiations, Supplier Analysis, Industry Analysis, and RFx expertise
• Experience with Agile business methodology a plus
• Able to travel globally as required, est. 10-15%
• A self-starter who can prioritize tasks, manage deadlines, navigate and be successful in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment
• Extremely customer-focused and takes the time to understand business needs
• Exceptional strategy development, interpersonal, consultative, presentation, relationship building, leadership, organizational, written and verbal skills
• Strong contract negotiations skillset, including the redlining and partnering with Legal
• Strong project management and analytical skills that include the ability to work independently and lead teams on large cross-functional projects
• Ensures accountability; holds self and others accountable to meet commitments
• Demonstrate a strategic business mindset, organizational savvy, and balance multiple stakeholder interests simultaneously
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills with the ability to exercise mature judgement
• Cultivates innovation; introduces new, creative ideas and ways of looking at problems while encouraging diverse thinking
• Strategic Mindset; prepares for the future and creates competitive and breakthrough strategies connected to the vision
• Ability to lead others in decision-making processes and influence others at all levels of the organization
• Knowledgeable or able to quickly learn and apply agile methodologies
• Empowers others to safely fail quickly, learn, and grow