Category Manager

Job Description

Job Description

We are seeking a Category Manager to join the company, a premier supplier, in Memphis, TN, US, 38125 While working in this clean and climate-controlled facility you will have the opportunity to be directly involved in the evolution of the industry. Come work for a company that has been consistently recognized among the Best & Brightest Companies to Work For. Immediate interviews are available, apply today!

Shift:: 1st Shift - Monday - Friday (8AM - 5:00PM)

Brief about the role:

This role is responsible for supplier selection, implementation of the sourcing strategy and managing cost of operations within project scope, establishing standard costs; developing and executing cost reduction strategies; analyzing market and negotiating pricing; forecasting cost impacts; explaining price variances; leading all commercial negotiations with suppliers; contract management, and problem-solving supply issues and recommending actions. Maintains favorable relationships with cross-functional departments (manufacturing, finance, engineering).

Essential Functions

• Understand total spend, pricing structure, commercial terms and trends for raw materials, purchased finished products, and manufactured assemblies with a particular knowledge of market dynamics and supply chain in mechanical products.
• Identify and develop business cases for a healthy year-over-year cost reduction pipeline with suppliers through should costing, process improvement, and innovative strategies.
• Develop strategic component roadmaps, which include identifying and developing new suppliers for potential savings capture and new product development opportunities.
• Review product BOMs, technical drawings, and engineering specifications to determine strategic sourcing decisions and provide manufacturing readiness feedback.
• Develop risk mitigation measures to combat the continuous supply constraints
• Manage Purchase Price Variance (PPV) containment and avoidance solutions minimizing negative P&L impact while maintaining material availability to support manufacturing operations.
• Monitors overall supplier performance and develops & implements corrective action and recovery plans as required alongside Supplier Quality Engineering.
• Collaborate with various internal stakeholders including Engineering, Product Line Management, Project Management, Manufacturing, and Finance partners.
• Conduct and assess RFQs/RFPs/RFIs, negotiations, supplier evaluations, and determine supplier selection for direct spend on mechanical related categories.
• Support End of Life products and part legacy support workstreams with the development and execution of strategies to sustain operations and revenue expectations.
• Implement performance management processes, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) metrics, and measurement dashboards to ensure supplier performance and key initiatives.
• Provide strong commercial and technical direction within the mechanical categories by evaluating and guiding product strategy throughout the product development and manufacturing lifecycles.
• Driving savings cost analysis and working with the Finance team to deliver cost analysis and project management activities to track and support execution of savings initiatives.
• prioritizing tasks efficiently, and communicating complex matters to all levels of the business effectively.
• Manage procurement savings calculation and ensure compliance according to savings guidelines.
• Advocate on behalf of the PSM organization function with business units and operational partners to ensure support for core business objectives.
• Analyzing, selecting/recommending, approving, and auditing suppliers based upon supplier evaluation metrics relative to procurement, engineering, quality, and manufacturing requirements.

Skills Preferred:

• Expert understanding of strategic sourcing and procurement best practices, processes, procedures and strategies.
• Proven experience in catalog management, retail industry experience a plus.
• Strong leadership skills with a track record of managing and developing teams.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on operational execution.
• Ability to work with ambiguous data and transform it into a clear story for analysis and decision-making.
• Understand total spend, pricing structure, commercial terms, market influencers that impact materials or services, purchased finished products, and manufactured assemblies with a particular knowledge of market dynamics, cost drivers, and supply chain.
• Demonstrated negotiation skills including TCO approach.
• Experience with ERP systems, Spend Data Analytics & Reporting, eSourcing, eAuctions and contract management systems.
• Skilled at change management; well-honed “radar” for stakeholder management
• Proactive, dynamic, self-driven, able to achieve results utilizing data and collaboration as key tools of influence.
• Exceptional persuasion and interpersonal skills to interact with suppliers, business leaders, and all other internal stakeholders.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office; Oracle; Advanced Excel abilities (pivot tables, VLookup, macros, charting/graphing).
• High level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency to deliver results.

Required Experience:

• 10+ years of strategic sourcing, procurement, and relevant category experience in direct spend, focus on mechanical domains.
• Significant background with mechanical component demand-supply cycles with varied approaches in partnering with suppliers to ensure high demand-supply alignment in a volatile environment.
• Well-versed in TCO analysis to ensure data-driven analytics tied to component and supplier selection, in a product-based ecosystem.
• Ability to interact and negotiate with Key suppliers and internal stakeholders in complex and ever-changing environments.
• Must have the ability to demonstrate expertise across a complex set of mechanical spend categories, including knowledge of marketplace dynamics, supplier profiles, current events, and technical processes/capabilities.
• Experience with ERP systems, Spend Data Analytics & Reporting, eSourcing, and contract management systems required.
• An agile and strategic leader with proven results and the ability to collaborate across multiple business functions leveraging facts and data to influence.
• High level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency to deliver results.
• Proven track record in leadership roles within sourcing and procurement organizations and transformations
• Experience in the OEM, elevator industry, aerospace, oil & gas, or similar industries
• Must be willing to travel 10% or more as required including but not limited to any business-specific requirements for training or last-minute mitigation items.

Education Experience & Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree: Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or Business Administration is required; Master’s/MBA preferred.
• Certifications: Supply Chain Management, Purchasing, Six Sigma Green/Black Belt or PMP desired. -
• Expert understanding of purchasing policies, procedures, practices, and the value and use of procure-to-pay (P2P) digital platforms.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Power Point, Excel, Word, Visio), SAP, Oracle and/or Jaggaer.
• Deep understanding of strategic sourcing and procurement processes and strategies.
• Advanced understanding of mechanical supply landscapes, manufacturing, and product lifecycles.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and adapt to changing business needs and priorities.
• Ability to work with ambiguous data and transform it into a clear story used for analysis and decision-making.

The Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to creating an equitable and inclusive environment for all.

With almost four decades of experience as a proven industry leader, Acro continues to be consistently recognized among the Best & Brightest Companies to Work for in the United States. As an international professional services firm with deep expertise in consulting and staff augmentation offering a variety of solutions including MSP, VMS, RPO, HRO (and more), Acro operates across North America, Europe, and Asia from over 30 locations. Acro’s client portfolio includes some of the most well-known names in business and provides services across all verticals including technology, aerospace, energy, automotive, government, and manufacturing. To learn more, please visit

Company Description

With almost four decades of experience as a proven industry leader, Acro continues to be consistently recognized among the Best & Brightest Companies to Work for in the United States. As an international professional services firm with deep expertise in consulting and staff augmentation offering a variety of solutions including MSP, VMS, RPO, HRO (and more), Acro operates across North America, Europe, and Asia from over 30 locations. Acro’s client portfolio includes some of the most well-known names in business and provides services across all verticals including technology, aerospace, energy, automotive, government, and manufacturing. To learn more, please visit