Category Manager-Indirect Purchasing

Why work for us?

At Saint-Gobain, our employees have pride in belonging to an organization whose culture is made up of these core values: Trust, Empowerment, & Collaboration. Our company encourages diversity and inclusion in all its forms while making the world a more beautiful and sustainable home.

What’s the Job?

This Category Manager owns and manages the North American purchasing strategy for assigned categories that fall within the scope of the Indirect Purchasing team supporting central business functions. In this capacity, the Category Manager is responsible for all aspects of category management for these strategic, indirect, and complex purchase categories across all business units in North America. This position engages with stakeholder teams at leadership levels to drive the purchasing activities for the benefit of the organization.

Indirect General Purchase spend categories include many sub-categories with diverse requirements across multiple business units and represents a significant opportunity for cost reductions and process improvements with a centrally managed approach.This position directs all sourcing bid activities, price negotiations and contract management for the assigned categories, which include purchasing for Human Resources and Communications, among others. This will involve researching the market, supplier base, developing the sourcing strategy, benchmarking and working with the business unit or functional stakeholders, leading the negotiations and final decision making. This position is responsible for achieving cost savings goals and process improvements to meet the needs of the business. As the leader for all purchasing functions for assigned categories, the Category Manager ensures that all related general purchases are made in compliance with corporate policies, publishes reports, and leads vendor management and value added/value engineered activities as applicable.

This individual will establish controls and procedures to minimize costs while being flexible to meet the needs of the internal and external customers. This individual will have responsibility for continuous improvement projects to ensure process agility and sustainability. This individual must be a proactive leader to identify opportunities and make recommendations and rapid decisions to achieve success.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Establish and lead cross-functional teams to develop, advocate, and implement best-in-class purchasing category strategies to achieve short and long-term objectives, working closely with related internal departments (e.g. HR, Communications) to ensure success.
• Develop, execute, and maintain sourcing activities that deliver the category strategy objectives: Identify spend, develop sourcing strategy, and lead all sourcing, supplier negotiations, contract negotiations, and supplier selection to optimize the value proposition and drive savings associated with the various categories of indirect spend for North American businesses utilizing the digital purchasing suite of tools.
• Facilitate a comprehensive contracting and contract management process to ensure a successful transition from the sourcing process to achieving the required business and functions needs; ensure all project documentation is maintained per policies.
• Develop and maintain ongoing KPI reports and regular, consistent stakeholder engagement for each assigned category; collect and manage data from external (suppliers) resources as well as other industry benchmarks and internal purchasing resources.Engage with stakeholders to support in supplier meetings to track service levels, compliance, and opportunities for improvements/incremental cost savings. Prepare and publish progress and periodic reports to management.
• Maintain an understanding of industry purchasing best practices, sustainability and technology trends and educate team members and business partners for indirect categories.
• Understand applicable company policy and ensure personal and team compliance including the purchasing policy and procedures.

Qualifications & Skill Requirements

• Curiosity and drive to challenge the status quo, foster innovations, and maintain a strong, collaboration network across the business. Strong stakeholder engagement skills and ability to align leaders from various functions around a common goal/objective.
• Excellent negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence all levels of employees and management, both inside the company and externally with suppliers.
• Business management skills including the ability to develop and execute strategy. Solid understanding of business disciplines and financials.
• Ability to make data-driven decisions or recommendations and align decisions with strategies. Considers the impacts of decisions on other parts of the organization.
• B.S. in purchasing, logistics, business, or similar is required. Master's degree in Business is preferred.
• 5-7 years of relevant experience in a manufacturing company/environment preferred.
• 3-5 years of experience in purchasing, sourcing, and procurement with a focus on indirect goods and services is highly preferred.
• Strong Microsoft Office suite skills. Strong systems aptitude and analytical skills required.
• Strong written & verbal communication skills, as well as effective presentation skills key to success.