Senior Manager, Category Procurement

Career Area:

Procurement

Job Description:

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.

When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other.  We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Our  Product Support and Logistics Division (PSLD)  is one of the most innovative divisions within Caterpillar. In PSLD, as within all of Caterpillar, our priority is our customers and helping them build a better world. We touch nearly every element of the services value stream from procurement to design and manufacturing to distribution. PSLD is responsible for Aftermarket Parts Distribution of Cat Parts, Integrated Logistics, segment Procurement and the design and manufacture of Wear Components (Undercarriage and GET) and Maintenance Components (Seals, Tubes & Hardware, Hose & Couplings, Fluids and Filters). 

We’re  committed  to our customers, who build a better world with our products, services, and solutions. We understand and show the value of why they should always choose us. We’re exploring new ideas and opportunities –  innovating  to discover the breakthroughs necessary for tomorrow’s growth.  

Through it all, we are  one team  – creating and delivering world-class components and solutions superior to the competition.  Learn more about the  Caterpillar Experience .

What You Will Do:
 

As the Senior Manager, Category Procurement you will manage strategic breakthrough categories to deliver year-over-year Quality Cost Logistics Development Manager (QCLDM) performance improvement and therefore create value through an improved supplier base.  Individual will serve as the industry expert for a particular category.  Deliver global leverage with local service excellence.  The Senior Manager, Category Procurement will collaborate with Site and Product Managers to create a competitive advantage for our customers and the enterprise by developing, optimizing, and integrating a world-class supply base, while delivering local service excellence.  Will also be responsible to be the category liaison with the corresponding Platform Purchasing Managers.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Will manage a high performing, multi-site-based team of supplier development engineers and purchasing professionals who will develop the supply base capable of meeting QCLDM requirements.
  • Reporting directly to this position are Buyers, Supplier Development Engineers, Advanced Purchasing Analysts, and Purchasing Analysts.
• Develop, mentor, and train personnel capable of delivering the Global Supplier Strategy for the assigned category.
• Adhere to the approved Performance Improvement Plan.  Identify performance gaps within the supply base and develop improvement plans for the identified gaps.
• Maintain the highest ethical and professional standards within this diverse global organization and recognize employee excellence.
• Through a strong knowledge of the category the incumbent will set and sustain the strategy.  Lead teams to fully understand the requirements and performance of the supply base.  Using a 6 Sigma Strategic Sourcing approach, the team will evaluate strategic options; decision a course of action and implement.
• The role will encompass managing suppliers delivering into many Caterpillar facilities.  The role will require a strong communicator capable of keeping the customer fully informed of progress and working closely with the customer to ensure all requirements are met.
• Utilizing the QCLDM supplier development and measurement tool the incumbent will ensure an ongoing improvement plan is in effect with key suppliers.  This will require relationship building at senior levels with the suppliers that encourage trust, professionalism, and continuous improvement.
• Cost Modeling, both geographic and component-based, will be used extensively and will require a strong knowledge of macroeconomics as well as component costing.
• Other duties as assigned by Caterpillar management from time-to-time.

What You Have:

• Effective Communications:   Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools, and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and need through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.  Reviews others’ writing or presentations and provides feedback and coaching.  Demonstrates both empathy and assertiveness when communicating a need or defending a position.  Communicates well downward, upward, and outward.
• Negotiating:   Knowledge of successful negotiation concepts and techniques; ability to negotiate successfully across the organization and with external vendors and clients in a constructive and collaborative manner.  Successfully completes significant negotiations, both internal and external.  Protects own position, while demonstrating wiliness to achieve win-win.
• Business Intelligence:   Knowledge of business intelligence; ability to utilize business processes and technologies for gathering, storing, analyzing, and providing access to data that helps the organization make better business decisions.  Develops processes for transforming aggregate data into useful business information.  Analyzes BI gained from multiple and diverse environments.  Evaluates key benefits, drawbacks, and rationale for existing BI activities.
• Category Management:   Knowledge of category management within an organization’s goods and services sector; ability to use this knowledge to analyze and improve the end-to-end procurement process and maximize business profitability.  Analyzes recent trends and developments related to category management and procurement and discusses future implications.  Formulates a procurement strategy that utilizes the benefits of category management to streamline the procurement process and maximize business profitability.  Oversees the category management processes for all categories and provides technical guidance during implementation.
• Supplier Management – MFG:   Knowledge of processes and methods to effectively manage business relationships and transactions with suppliers of raw materials or product components; ability to apply related knowledge, experience, and skills into real practice.  Monitors supplier performance; works to resolve discrepancies between performance and agreements.  Builds and maintains partnerships with multiple and/or large suppliers.
• Strategic Sourcing:   Knowledge of strategic sourcing methods, technologies, and processes; ability to analyze, improve and re-evaluate organizational procurement process continuously.  Participates in monitoring the execution for all stages of the strategic sourcing process.  Works with complex strategic sourcing components including but not limited to negotiations, contracting, and continuous process improvement and implementation.  Consults on strategic sourcing methods in relation to business relationships, inter-dependencies, and integration.  Develops and explains strategic sourcing best practices and rationale for the organization and industry.

What Will Set You Apart:

• Professional Certification in Purchasing and/or Inventory Management, example; Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM), Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) and Certified in Integration Resource Management (CIRM), or comparable international certification.
• Affiliation with Institute for Supply Management (ISM) and American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS), or comparable professional purchasing organization.
• 6 Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt or Sponsor experience.
   

Additional Information:

• Location:  Mossville, IL (USA)
• Required Travel:  40% (Domestic/International)
• This position does not offer relocation assistance.
• Our team embraces flexibility through a hybrid work model.  In addition to working onsite at our facility in Mossville, IL, our hybrid work model allows employees the flexibility to work from home based on business need.

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Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position. This employer is not currently hiring foreign national applicants that require or will require sponsorship tied to a specific employer, such as, H, L, TN, F, J, E, O. As a global company, Caterpillar offers many job opportunities outside of the U.S which can be found through our employment website at www.caterpillar.com/careers.

Posting Dates:

February 14, 2024 - February 27, 2024

Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.   

EEO/AA Employer.  All qualified individuals - Including minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities - are encouraged to apply.

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