Category Management Specialist-Packaging & Specialty Materials

Category Management Specialist

At Medtronic you can begin a life-long career of exploration and innovation, while helping champion healthcare access and equity for all. You'll lead with purpose, breaking down barriers to innovation in a more connected, compassionate world.

The Category Management Specialist is a key contributor within Medtronic's Global Materials & Contract Manufacturing organization. In this role, you will help shape and execute category strategies, manage inflationary pressures, drive cost‑savings initiatives, support contract negotiations, and enable pan‑Medtronic category management processes. Your work will directly influence cost, continuity of supply, and supplier performance across the enterprise.

At Medtronic, we bring bold ideas forward with speed and decisiveness to put patients first in everything we do. In-person exchanges are invaluable to our work. We're working a minimum of 4 days a week onsite as part of our commitment to fostering a culture of professional growth and cross-functional collaboration as we work together to engineer the extraordinary. 

Our team culture is grounded in the principle of "Lead from Every Seat." Regardless of level or title, everyone is expected to be bold, curious, accountable, and proactive in tackling challenges and bringing forward solutions. The successful candidate will be comfortable working both independently and collaboratively, will build trust with cross‑functional and external partners, and will confidently influence decisions through strong insights, clear communication, and disciplined execution.

As a Category Management Specialist, you will:

• Support Supplier Relationship Management
• Strengthen supplier relationships while partnering closely with internal stakeholders
• Actively engage suppliers to support performance, alignment, and issue resolution
• Unlock Category Strategy Through Execution
• Execute category strategies and convert implementation plans into business results.
• Support strategy development and execution across defined sub‑categories and initiatives.
• Turn Market Intelligence into Advantage
• Monitor market intelligence and industry trends to anticipate risks and opportunities.
• Convert insights into proactive, actionable sourcing strategies.
• Manage Inflation and Drive Savings
• Negotiate supplier price changes and tariff requests using data‑driven insights and category strategies to limit inflationary impact.
• Engage suppliers and Medtronic stakeholders to unlock process, technical, and commercial savings levers
• Enable High Impact Negotiations
• Support negotiations by preparing RFx packages, cost models, and negotiation strategies.
• Participate in supplier discussions and ensure commercial commitments translate into year-over-year performance improvements.
• Lead Continuous Improvement & Strategic Initiatives
• Develop and deploy standard work, drive continuous improvement and strategic initiatives, and apply benchmarking and industry best practices to enhance category performance.
• Lead and manage cross‑functional initiatives, preparing and delivering clear updates on progress, risks, and results to stakeholders.
• Support Risk, Compliance & Resiliency
• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks (capacity, financial, geopolitical, regulatory)
• Ensure supplier adherence to regulatory and quality requirements
• Support ESG and sustainability objectives

Must Have: Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain plus a minimum of 2 years of sourcing experience, or an advanced degree with 0 years of experience

Nice to Have

• Direct sourcing experience, preferably within complex, global supply chains
• Experience developing and analyzing detailed cost models, with strong financial acumen
• Experience reviewing, drafting, and negotiating commercial and legal agreements in partnership with Legal
• Demonstrated project management, supply chain, or engineering experience within a large, multi-plant organization
• Proven ability to influence and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels of the organization
• Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and concisely
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with a track record of translating data into actionable insights
• Experience leveraging AI-enabled and agentic tools to improve sourcing, analysis, or decision-making processes

For Baccalaureate degrees earned outside of the United States, a degree that satisfies the requirements of 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(h)(4)(iii)(A) is required.

Physical Job Requirements

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this position, but they are not an exhaustive list of all the required responsibilities and skills of this position. 

The physical demands described within the Responsibilities section of this job description are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. For Office Roles: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to be independently mobile. The employee is also required to interact with a computer, and communicate with peers and co-workers. Contact your manager or local HR to understand the Work Conditions and Physical requirements that may be specific to each role.

U.S. Work Authorization & Sponsorship

At Medtronic, we are committed to fostering an environment where employees can thrive and make a meaningful impact. In alignment with our enterprise-wide workforce planning approach, U.S. work authorization sponsorship (H-1B, TN, J, etc.) is offered exclusively for Principal-level roles and above, where specialized expertise aligns with long-term business needs. Roles below the Principal level require candidates to possess unrestricted U.S. work authorization at the time of hire and for the duration of employment.

Join us in our mission to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life—where your unique background and perspective are valued.

Medtronic offers a competitive Salary and flexible Benefits Package

Salary ranges for U.S (excl. PR) locations (USD):$66,400.00 - $99,600.00This position is eligible for a short-term incentive called the Medtronic Incentive Plan (MIP).The base salary range is applicable across the United States, excluding Puerto Rico and specific locations in California. The offered rate complies with federal and local regulations and may vary based on factors such as experience, certification/education, market conditions, and location. Compensation and benefits information pertains solely to candidates hired within the United States (local market compensation and benefits will apply for others).

The following benefits and additional compensation are available to those regular employees who work 20+ hours per week: Health, Dental and vision insurance, Health Savings Account, Healthcare Flexible Spending Account, Life insurance, Long-term disability leave, Dependent daycare spending account, Tuition assistance/reimbursement, and Simple Steps (global well-being program).

The following benefits and additional compensation are available to all regular employees: Incentive plans, 401(k) plan plus employer contribution and match, Short-term disability, Paid time off, Paid holidays, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Employee Assistance Program, Non-qualified Retirement Plan Supplement (subject to IRS earning minimums), and Capital Accumulation Plan (available to Vice Presidents and above, or subject to IRS earning minimums).

Regular employees are those who are not temporary, such as interns. Temporary employees are eligible for paid sick time, as required under applicable state law, and the Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Please note some of the above benefits may not apply to workers in Puerto Rico.

Further details are available at the link below:

Medtronic benefits and compensation plans

We lead global healthcare technology and boldly attack the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions.Our Mission — to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life — unites a global team of 95,000+ passionate people. We are engineers at heart— putting ambitious ideas to work to generate real solutions for real people. From the R&D lab, to the factory floor, to the conference room, every one of us experiments, creates, builds, improves and solves. We have the talent, diverse perspectives, and guts to engineer the extraordinary.

Learn more about our business, mission, and our commitment to diversity here.

It is the policy of Medtronic to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation