Category Manager, Direct Materials

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Massachusetts.

📋 Description

• Create, implement, and carry out global sourcing strategies for packaging materials and associated supplier categories.

• Formulate and execute supplier agreements that facilitate business growth, enhance supplier performance, mitigate risks, and reduce total ownership costs.

• Oversee sourcing activities, supplier assessments, competitive bidding, benchmarking, and negotiations pertaining to packaging materials, components, tooling, specifications, and related supplier services.

• Collaborate with Packaging Engineering, Quality, Operations, Supply Planning, and Manufacturing teams to ensure packaging solutions fulfill quality, regulatory, capacity, service, and cost requirements.

• Build cooperative relationships with packaging suppliers and senior management teams.

• Hold suppliers accountable through business reviews, action tracking, scorecards, quality assessments, and corrective action plans.

• Guarantee availability of packaging materials, continuity of supply, and alignment with production schedules.

• Act as the escalation point for issues related to suppliers, capacity, service, quality, and shortages.

• Maintain a pipeline of opportunities for cost reduction, productivity enhancements, packaging improvements, supplier consolidation, and specification optimization.

• Propel projects aimed at enhancing gross margin, working capital, service reliability, lead times, packaging utilization, and operational resilience.

• Conduct cost/benefit analyses, should-cost modeling, supplier performance reporting, and packaging cost assessments.

• Identify packaging solutions that minimize waste, boost material efficiency, and align with sustainability objectives.

• Undertake additional duties and lead projects as necessary.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, operations, engineering, packaging science, or a related field.

• Over 8 years of relevant experience in leading procurement categories, including sourcing, negotiating, contracting, supplier management, packaging procurement, and project management.

• Prior experience in global strategic sourcing and supplier management for packaging materials utilizing strategic category management methodologies.

• Strong comprehension of packaging materials, conversion processes, tooling, specifications, supplier capabilities, quality requirements, and prevailing industry trends.

• Proven success in selecting suppliers and negotiating contracts for robust, scalable, cost-effective, and compliant packaging solutions.

• Demonstrated history of achieving measurable cost savings, productivity enhancements, and improvements in service levels.

• Experience with benchmarking, RFx processes, cost analysis, should-cost modeling, and supplier performance assessment tools.

• Strong interpersonal skills to influence and lead stakeholders and suppliers at senior management levels.

• Ability to prioritize tasks and operate efficiently in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with cross-functional teams and global supply chain partners.

• Proficient in Microsoft Windows and Office applications, especially Microsoft Excel.

• Excellent skills in supplier management, negotiation, collaboration, and interpersonal communication.

• Competence in contract development and analysis.

• Skills in supplier evaluation.

• Proficiency in price, packaging cost, and should-cost analysis.

• Strong communication and presentation abilities.

• Project management proficiency.

• Skills in risk management and business continuity planning.

• Expertise in market and packaging trend analysis.

• Strategic and long-term category planning skills.

• Financial analysis capabilities.

• Preferred experience in medical devices, regulated manufacturing, life sciences, packaging, or global manufacturing.

• Willingness to travel up to 20%.

🏝️ Benefits

• Eligibility for incentive compensation.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage.

• 401(k) plan with company matching contributions.

• Paid time off (PTO) policy.

• Additional employee wellness initiatives.

• 100% remote work options; hybrid on-site/virtual arrangements available as preferred.