Category Manager - IT

Global Category Manager

The Global Category Manager is the strategic owner of an assigned category of spend, accountable for defining the global category strategy and delivering outcomes across value capture, stakeholder experience, and risk management. This role sets direction (the "WHAT") through category strategies, supplier portfolio and segmentation decisions, governance, and demand/value roadmaps, while enabling scaled execution (the "HOW") through Strategic Sourcing Managers and the Sourcing Center of Excellence (SCoE). Operating in a center-led 'one house' model, the Global Category Manager orchestrates cross-functional alignment, ensures consistent global standards with regional nuance, and drives measurable business impact for Applied Materials.

Key Responsibilities

• Global Category Strategy & Roadmap Ownership
• Define and maintain a multi-year global category strategy that aligns to Applied and GSP priorities, including clear goals, value levers, and execution waves.
• Establish category scope, taxonomy alignment, and a demand/supply perspective (demand signals, business requirements, supply market dynamics).
• Develop and refresh a category roadmap that sequences initiatives by impact, urgency, risk, and capacity, maintaining a forward-looking pipeline.
• Supplier Portfolio Strategy, Segmentation & SRM
• Own supplier portfolio design and segmentation (strategic, preferred, transactional) and define the engagement model for each segment.
• Lead strategic supplier relationship management (SRM) for priority suppliers: performance, innovation, commercial governance, and executive alignment.
• Drive supplier rationalization and consolidation opportunities that improve leverage, simplify operations, and reduce total cost of ownership.
• Business Partnership (BRM) & Stakeholder Governance
• Serve as a trusted advisor to business unit leadership; translate business objectives into category strategies and sourcing priorities.
• Lead category councils and governance forums (e.g., value/risk reviews, supplier performance reviews) to drive decisions, alignment, and accountability.
• Set stakeholder engagement rhythms and communication standards so the category experience is consistent across regions and teams.
• Value Capture, Financial Stewardship & Performance Management
• Define and govern the category value pipeline (initiatives, baselines, assumptions, milestones) and partner with Finance for validation and reporting.
• Establish outcome metrics beyond savings (service levels, speed/cycle time, quality, compliance, risk reduction, innovation) and monitor performance.
• Ensure sourcing and contracting approaches are aligned to approved category strategies and buying channel guidance.
• Risk, Resilience & Compliance Integration
• Integrate supplier risk considerations into category plans, including third-party risk management (TPRM) triggers and mitigation actions.
• Partner with Risk/TPRM, Legal, Privacy/Data Governance, and Compliance teams to ensure category decisions and supplier selections protect Applied.
• Proactively monitor supply market risks and translate signals into actions (dual sourcing, contract protections, contingency plans).
• Execution Orchestration Through Sourcing (One House Model)
• Translate strategy into sourcing wave plans and clearly defined playbooks/guardrails for Strategic Sourcing Managers and SCoE execution teams.
• Oversee implementation progress and remove barriers; ensure handoffs and workflow between Category and Sourcing are efficient and predictable.
• Continuously refine strategy based on execution learnings, market feedback, and data insights (strategy ? execution feedback loop).
• Capability Building & Change Leadership
• Champion standard ways of working, templates, and governance that reduce variability and improve speed and quality across the category.
• Support the talent pipeline by coaching and developing Strategic Sourcing Managers and SCoE practitioners; enable role clarity and development paths.
• Lead change initiatives within the category (process, tools, supplier operating models) and drive adoption through clear messaging and reinforcement.

Qualifications

• Required
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, Finance, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Demonstrated category management leadership: building and executing category strategies, supplier segmentation, and governance models.
• Strong commercial expertise: negotiations, contract strategy, and total cost/value analysis in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Proven ability to lead in a global, matrixed organizationdriving alignment across regions, functions, and senior stakeholders.
• Experience integrating risk and compliance considerations into supplier and category decisions.
• Preferred
• Experience in semiconductor or high-tech indirect categories (e.g., IT, facilities, technical services, labor/services) and global supplier ecosystems.
• Experience with structured category strategy programs, analytics-enabled decision making, and formal value capture governance.
• Professional certifications (e.g., CPSM, CIPS, CPM) and/or MBA/MS in a relevant discipline.
• Experience leading transformations (process standardization, operating model change, digital procurement tools) and scaling best practices.

Core Competencies (What "Great" Looks Like)

• Strategic thinking & roadmap design: turns business needs and market dynamics into a clear category plan and sequence of work.
• Business partnership: earns trust with executives; frames decisions, trade-offs, and value in business language.
• Supplier leadership: drives SRM rigor, performance, and supplier-led innovation; manages escalations effectively.
• Analytical leadership: uses data to prioritize, challenge assumptions, and quantify both cost and non-cost value.
• Governance discipline: establishes predictable cadences, decision forums, and accountability mechanisms.
• Change leadership: drives adoption of new ways of working and reinforces clarity of roles and handoffs.

Success Measures (Sample)

• Category outcomes: delivered and validated value aligned to targets (savings, cost avoidance, productivity, and/or risk reduction).
• Pipeline health: forward-looking, prioritized pipeline with clear owners, milestones, and predictable execution cadence.
• Supplier performance: improved supplier AQSCIR outcomes (assurance, quality, service, cost, innovation, relationship) and reduced critical risk exposure.
• Stakeholder experience: improved satisfaction and reduced friction through clear governance, communication, and faster cycle times.
• Operating model effectiveness: consistent strategy-to-execution flow and reduced rework/hand-off delays across Category, Sourcing, Contracting, and Ops.