Category Manager – Strategic Procurement
2 Days in Office | Exceptional Work-Life Balance | Stable Company | Outstanding Benefits
We are partnering with an extremely stable, long-established manufacturing company in Chicago to hire a Category Manager for its strategic procurement team.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys procurement and vendor negotiations but is looking for a company where they can build a long-term career without sacrificing work-life balance . The organization operates in an incredibly stable industry, and offers an outstanding culture, excellent benefits and tremendous flexibility.
The schedule is particularly attractive: only 2 days per week in the office , with significant flexibility to manage your work and personal life.
This is an individual contributor position with high visibility and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact across the organization.
What You'll Do
You'll take ownership of several important purchasing categories and work directly with business leaders and suppliers to improve pricing, service and overall value.
Responsibilities will include:
- Manage strategic sourcing across a variety of indirect spend categories .
- Negotiate with vendors to secure better pricing, terms and service.
- Lead RFPs, RFQs and other competitive sourcing initiatives.
- Identify opportunities for cost savings and cost avoidance .
- Evaluate suppliers and help determine the best partners for the business.
- Negotiate contracts, pricing structures and commercial terms.
- Develop strong relationships with vendors while holding them accountable for performance.
- Partner with Finance, Operations and other departments to understand purchasing needs.
- Analyze spending trends and identify opportunities to consolidate vendors or improve purchasing decisions.
- Use data and analytics to evaluate pricing, supplier performance and savings opportunities.
- Help improve procurement processes, reporting and technology.
- Monitor contracts and ensure negotiated terms are being followed.
- Support purchasing across areas such as facilities, maintenance, services, equipment and other non-production spending .
What They're Looking For
The ideal candidate is a strong negotiator who is analytical, confident and comfortable working with both vendors and internal leadership.
They would like someone with:
- Procurement, sourcing or category management experience in the manufacturing or industrial industries
- Experience negotiating with vendors and suppliers.
- Exposure to indirect purchasing such as services, facilities, MRO, equipment or CapEx.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to work with large amounts of purchasing data.
- Strong Excel skills; experience with reporting or analytics tools is a plus.
- The ability to identify savings opportunities and turn analysis into action.
- Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
- A bachelor's degree.
- Experience in an industrial, manufacturing or similarly complex environment is helpful but not required for the right person .
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