Procurement Category Director

Schneider Electric is seeking a Procurement Category Director  to join the North America Procurement Organization. Responsible to build and lead our Regional Category Managers over Fabricated Components and Raw Materials. This organization defines, promotes, and ensures the deployment of the regional commodity strategies across five business units and 42 factories.

What will you do?

This role will lead the team in the Strategy and the Sourcing of Ferrous metals, stamping and fabrication for North America, with a strong focus on Sheet metal category. This leadership role is also responsible to collaborate globally with their peers on process, tools, best practices, and market analytics.

Strategy:

Successfully manage and lead a strong team to actively:

• Lead a team to conduct needs and market analysis for different Schneider entities in North America, segmenting category needs and identifying market trends
• Propose a list of strategic suppliers for geographic zones based on needs segmentation, and assess and mitigate supplier risks (quality, financial, supply, etc)
• Contribute to developing and deploying regional cost and scoring models, and dynamically optimize the supplier base.
• Accountable and ensure the development and implementation of the Sheet metal category strategies (1, 3, 5-year strategy)  to serve business objectives & company target in terms of sustainable, quality, resilient, innovation, digitization, cost effectiveness, transformations

Execution:

Successfully manage and lead a strong team to actively:

• Directly manage strategic suppliers, participate in key negotiations, and coach other purchasers in their negotiations and strategies
• Support the implementation of productivity on QVE (Quality Value Engineering) and CoS (Change of Supplier) and identify new savings opportunities with the cross functional team
• Schedule business reviews with strategic suppliers and involve the respective supplier leaders, with the director participating in key strategic supplier business reviews.
• Deploy and follow up on supplier development and improvement action plans
• Negotiate supplier framework agreements with the strategic suppliers under management
• Propose and align stakeholders on the changes to the Supplier Orientation Chart based on Category Strategy
• Lead sourcing and supplier qualification process for new supplier linked to the category

Performance Monitoring:

• Track the monthly Performance for the suppliers delivering to the region (Quality, Service, Productivity)
• Handle most critical escalation with Strategic suppliers

What qualifications will make you successful?

Experience managing a procurement organization from tactical to strategic and execution. Experience with developing and partnering with suppliers on volume growth. Ability to consistently demonstrate executive presence and to build the best team, foster great collaboration, empower growth and development while maintaining high levels of engagement.

This job might be for you if you fit the following requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Mechanical/ Industrial/Electronics Engineering, Supply Chain Management or related, required. Master’s degree, a plus
• Ability to speak and write in English fluently
• Minimum 10 years of Procurement, Purchasing, or Supply Chain experience, including managing category management teams.
• Required experience managing mechanical & raw material spend categories with knowledge of the Sheet metal market
• Prior work experience in electrical, industrial or automotive companies is desirable
• Strong negotiation skills with key suppliers and Schneider executives, ability to work in multicultural and cross-functional settings, and project management experience.
• Proficiency in successful procurement supplier negotiations, legal contracts, and risk management, with a results-oriented, proactive, and strategic approach to work.
• Leadership skills, strong communication, ability to work well independently and in a team, work under pressure, think strategically, solve problems, and deliver on time.

Why us?

At Schneider Electric we're committed to creating a workplace that gives you not just a job but a meaningful purpose in joining our mission to bring energy and efficiency to enable life, progress and sustainability for all.

We believe in empowering our team members to reach their full potential, fostering a sense of ownership in their work.

We embrace inclusion as a fundamental value, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued. We value differences, and welcome people from all walks of life. We believe in equal opportunities for everyone, everywhere.

If you want to be part of a company where your contributions truly matter, where you are empowered to make a difference and where inclusivity is valued, we would love to hear from you.

Discover your Meaningful, Inclusive and Empowered career at Schneider Electric.

€34.2bn global revenue
12% organic growth
135 000 employees in 100 countries
#1 on the Global 100 World’s most sustainable corporations

You must submit an online application to be considered for any position with us. This position will be posted until filled

Schneider Electric aspires to be the most inclusive and caring company in the world, by providing equitable opportunities to everyone, everywhere, and ensuring all employees feel uniquely valued and safe to contribute their best.

We mirror the diversity of the communities in which we operate and we ‘embrace different’ as one of our core values. We believe our differences make us stronger as a company and as individuals and we are committed to championing inclusivity in everything we do. This extends to our Candidates and is embedded in our Hiring Practices.

You can find out more about our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion here and our DEI Policy here

Schneider Electric is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is our policy to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities in the areas of recruiting, hiring, training, transferring, and promoting all qualified individuals regardless of race, religion, color, gender, disability, national origin, ancestry, age, military status, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other legally protected characteristic or conduct.