Senior Category Manager

As a Category Manager Senior your goal is to lead category strategies for multiple purchase areas and/or of significant total spend across the enterprise. You'll lead strategic sourcing activities for assigned commodities by data gathering, identifying suppliers, quote preparation, supplier qualification, and gap analysis to make robust decisions regarding supplier selection and sourcing needs. Additionally, you'll manage supplier relationships and performance and identify cost reduction opportunities. #LI-MD1 #LI-Hybrid

You will do this by:

• Conducting supplier contract negotiations, supplier selection, and contract life cycle management
• Communicating expectations and results with suppliers
• Developing and executing sourcing and supplier management strategies to improve supply, cost, risk management, product development, and innovation
• Defining and communicating the category vision and expectations for suppliers and internal team members outlining performance and gaps to goals, and improvements to ensure business objectives are met
• Collaborating to resolve issues, execute projects, and grow the organization's category expertise
• Coaching and mentoring Category Analysts to develop their category-specific expertise
• Developing and maintaining effective business relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Managing and reporting on category annual operating planning cycle activities
• Assuring overall continuity of supply and active risk mitigation
• Working with plants to resolve quality, delivery, capacity and other issues as required
• Leading continuous cost reduction / value improvement activities by developing and executing projects, competitively quoting, conducting negotiations, and developing/executing cost models

The above statements are intended only to describe the general nature of the job and should not be construed as an all-inclusive list of position responsibilities.

You are the kind of person who is/has:

• ambitious and driven
• able to think strategically
• a strong and experienced negotiator

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Supply Chain Management or related field OR equivalent experience and education
• Minimum seven years of experience in purchasing or related field
• Proficiency with spreadsheet software
• Experience in metal commodities such as steel and aluminum preferred
• Experience with SAP preferred
• Expert in category strategy, strategic sourcing, supplier management, spend analysis, and contract negotiation skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for report writing, presentations and interactions with diverse groups of people inside and outside of the Company
• Ability to work in a team environment and to build and manage business relationships
• Project management experience
• Ability to lead sophisticated partnership arrangements
• Ability to influence stakeholders
• Process improvement and implementation

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Briggs & Stratton, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, provides innovative products and diverse power solutions to help people get work done. Briggs & Stratton is the world's largest producer of engines for outdoor power equipment, and is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of lithium-ion battery, standby generator, energy storage system, lawn and turf care products through its Briggs & Stratton, Vanguard, Ferris, Billy Goat, and Branco brands. Briggs & Stratton products are designed, manufactured, marketed and serviced in more than 100 countries on six continents.

Briggs & Stratton is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity. The Company conducts all employment practices without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran's status, pregnancy, genetic information, sexual orientation or any other basis prohibited by law. Briggs & Stratton also undertakes affirmative action to assure equal employment opportunity for minorities and women, for persons with disabilities, and for protected veterans.