Ralph Lauren Category Purchasing Manager, Global Purchasing

Company Description
Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands. At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.

Position Overview
The Manager, Global Category Purchasing Operations is responsible for coordinating and supporting the operational execution of Global Category Purchasing activities across all categories. The role drives reporting, execution tracking, process consistency, and business visibility to help ensure effective execution of category strategies.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities
1. Category Planning & Execution Support · Coordinate purchase planning calendars, milestones, and governance reviews. · Maintain planning tools, templates, and reporting. · Support consistent application of purchase planning methodologies across categories. · Monitor adherence to planning processes and identify improvement opportunities. 2. Allocation & Capacity Planning Support · Consolidate allocation recommendations from Category Leads. · Support allocation analysis against supplier capacity and sourcing strategies. · Monitor allocation shifts and identify potential risks. · Support scenario planning and multi-source balancing exercises. 3. Purchase Plan Execution & Tracking · Track execution of approved purchase plans across categories. · Monitor milestones, deliverables, and key actions. · Escalate execution risks and delays. · Provide visibility to progress against category commitments. 4. Systems, Data & Process Management · Support governance and adoption of o9, GFE, PLM, and SAP processes. · Monitor data quality and system compliance. · Coordinate system updates and process improvements. · Support technology enhancements and automation initiatives. · Drive consistent process execution across categories. 5. Category Operations Support · Coordinate and support Category Associates across categories. · Promote standard ways of working and share best practices. · Support workload balancing and resource planning. · Ensure consistency in execution, tracking, and reporting. 6. Supplier Capability, Equal Product & Gold Standard Tracking · Maintain supplier capability scorecards and development tracking. · Monitor Equal Product and Gold Standard initiatives. · Track capability gaps and progress against development plans. · Prepare updates and materials for capability review discussions. · Support supplier capability development activities across categories. 7. Analytics, Reporting & Business Insights · Maintain category and function-level dashboards. · Consolidate KPI reporting across categories. · Support scenario modeling and decision preparation. · Provide insights on lead time, quality, allocation performance, supplier performance, purchase plan execution, and category capability development. 8. Continuous Improvement & Simplification · Identify opportunities to remove complexity and improve processes. · Support AI, automation, and workflow improvement initiatives. · Reduce manual work and improve operational efficiency. · Promote adoption of standardized global practices. · Support continuous improvement initiatives across the GCP organization.

Experience, Skills & Knowledge
Success Profile · Experience in sourcing, planning, product management, purchasing operations, supply chain execution, or related business operations. · Strong understanding of purchase planning, allocation management, supplier performance tracking, product data, and business systems. · Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills. · Ability to manage multiple priorities across categories and functions. · Strong communication, coordination, and follow-through skills. · Detail-oriented with a focus on execution, visibility, and process discipline. · Ability to identify risks, track key initiatives, and drive operational consistency across the organization.#LI-CE1