Direct Category Manager - Power Systems

Job Description:

• As a Category Manager, you will drive procurement initiatives across your assigned commodities.
• In this strategic role, you will champion cost optimization, foster innovation, and support operational excellence in key categories.
• You'll leverage your expertise in category management, sourcing, and contract negotiation, working collaboratively across various teams to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Utilizing market intelligence and data-driven insights, you will enhance supplier performance, mitigate risks, and contribute significant value to the business.
• The Power Systems category includes electric motors, motor components, gas engines, transformers, and pumps.

Responsibilities:
Category Strategy & Planning

• Act as a trusted procurement advisor to teams across Operations, Engineering, and other departments, building strong partnerships and supporting business goals.
• Develop and execute multi-year category strategies for your assigned commodities..
• Leverage market intelligence, spend analysis, and supplier benchmarking to identify cost-saving opportunities, streamline vendor relationships, encourage innovation, and minimize risk.
• Understand, track, and forecast key cost drivers and global market factors for assigned commodities, including copper, electrical steel, rare-earth magnets (NdFeB), and cast housings.

Sourcing & Procurement Execution

• Manage full-cycle sourcing processes such as RFIs and RFPs, which encompass defining business needs, setting evaluation standards, recommending contract awards, and guiding suppliers through onboarding.
• Lead commercial negotiations encompassing pricing, service level agreements (SLAs), data privacy, intellectual property rights, and liability clauses.
• Identify and implement opportunities for strategic supplier rationalization, demand management, and cost avoidance.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as the primary procurement consultant for designated groups.
• Facilitate productive cross-functional collaboration and provide strategic guidance to promote alignment in sourcing strategies, supplier selection procedures, and contract negotiations.

Supplier & Contract Management

• Oversee and nurture supplier partnerships, ensuring compliance with service level agreements (SLAs), key performance indicators (KPIs), and regulatory requirements.
• Evaluate supplier manufacturing capabilities across key processes such as coil winding, lamination stamping, commutator/brush design, casting, machining, and motor assembly.
• Facilitate contract renewals and renegotiations to maximize cost-efficiency while mitigating commercial and legal risk.
• Monitor and report essential procurement metrics, including cost optimization (savings and avoidance), contract coverage, supplier performance, and adherence to project timelines.

Continuous Improvement

• Maintain awareness of emerging technology trends, industry standards, and innovations relevant to procurement and assigned categories.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• A minimum of eight years' experience in strategic sourcing or category management, preferably within direct commodities.
• Demonstrated success in negotiating complex contracts, managing vendor performance, and delivering measurable cost optimization.
• Adaptability to changing business conditions.
• Great project management and influence skills

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Economics, Supply Chain, MIS, or a related field required; MBA preferred.