Duties:

·         Provide leadership in identifying opportunities, defining strategies, and executing a strategic category plan for an assigned category;

·         Continuously monitor internal and external events (including market analysis) that impact assigned category and adjust strategies/plans accordingly (be a category expert);

·         Lead  cross-functional teams in support of the category plan objectives and strategies;

·         Coordinate supplier qualification process of existing and new product suppliers to improve performance and eliminate risk for company and its customers;

·         Lead key projects with the ability to develop, solicit, evaluate, negotiate and execute proposals/contracts for the requested spend categories;

·         Develop and present sourcing recommendations through the analysis of total requirements, including quality, total cost of ownership (TCO), availability and assurance of supply, etc.;

·         Proactively identify key business opportunities and challenges and develop/deliver effective solutions;

·         Manage strategic supplier performance and relationships through the use of contract administration tools,  metrics reporting, supplier performance scorecards, and business reviews;

·         Establish and execute supplier improvement projects within supply base to drive supplier performance improvements;

·         Continually monitor and mitigate supplier financial, production/capacity, quality, and other supply risks; 

Qualifications:

·         Bachelors Degree or equivalent from an accredited university;

·         7+ years experience in purchasing, category, commodity, supplier management OR equivalent combination of education and experience;

·         Prior experience purchasing, sourcing products, performing on-site supplier assessments and interfacing with outsourced manufacturing is required;

·         Experience utilizing financial and data-driven techniques to make decisions;

·         Proven experience negotiating with suppliers;

·         Excellent verbal and written communication skills;