Category Manager, Direct Materials

Insulet Corporation•US - Massachusetts, MA

29d•$103,100 - $154,625•Remote

About The Position

This Category Manager, Direct Materials role is responsible for leading the global sourcing and procurement strategy for packaging materials, ensuring reliable supply, strong supplier performance, cost optimization, and risk mitigation across Insulet’s manufacturing operations. The position partners closely with Packaging Engineering, Quality, Operations, Supply Planning, and Manufacturing teams to select and manage suppliers, negotiate contracts, drive cost savings and continuous improvement initiatives, resolve supply and quality issues, and support sustainability goals. The ideal candidate brings extensive experience in strategic sourcing, supplier management, contract negotiation, and packaging procurement, along with strong analytical, project management, and stakeholder influence skills. This role is well-suited for a supply chain professional who can balance business growth, operational continuity, supplier performance, and long-term value creation in a fast-paced, regulated manufacturing environment. The Category Manager develops and executes sourcing strategies and procurement processes for packaging purchasing. This role delivers value to the business by improving supplier performance, ensuring packaging material availability and capacity, reducing total cost of ownership, mitigating supply risk, supporting operational continuity, and driving continuous improvement across packaging materials, packaging suppliers, and related supply chain partners.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, operations, engineering, packaging science, or related discipline
8+ years’ relevant experience leading procurement categories in sourcing, negotiating, contracting, supplier management, packaging procurement, and project management.
Prior experience in global strategic sourcing and supplier management for packaging materials using strategic category management techniques to achieve results.
Strong understanding of packaging materials, packaging conversion processes, tooling, specifications, supplier capabilities, quality requirements, and relevant industry trends.
Success in selecting suppliers and negotiating contracts that deliver robust, scalable, cost-effective, and compliant packaging solutions.
Demonstrated track record of measurable cost savings, productivity improvements, and service-level improvements on an annual basis.
Experience using benchmarking, RFx processes, cost analysis, should-cost modeling, and supplier performance tools to deliver successful negotiation outcomes.
Must possess the social intelligence to influence and lead stakeholders and suppliers at senior levels within the organization.
Ability to prioritize and work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with cross-functional teams and global supply chain partners.
Proficient with Microsoft Windows and Office applications, particularly Microsoft Excel.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain, Engineering, or Packaging Science preferred.
Medical device, regulated manufacturing, life sciences, packaging, or global manufacturing experience highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with key stakeholders to develop, implement, and execute global sourcing strategies for packaging materials and related supplier categories.
Develop and execute supplier agreements that support business growth, improve supplier performance, mitigate risk, and reduce total cost of ownership.
Lead sourcing events, supplier evaluations, competitive bids, benchmarking, and negotiations for packaging materials, components, tooling, specifications, and related supplier services.
Partner with Packaging Engineering, Quality, Operations, Supply Planning, and Manufacturing teams to ensure packaging solutions meet quality, regulatory, capacity, service, and cost requirements.
Establish collaborative relationships with packaging suppliers and their senior management teams.
Hold suppliers accountable for performance through formal processes such as business reviews, action tracking, scorecards, quality reviews, and corrective action plans.
Collaborate with supply planning, manufacturing sites, and external partners to ensure packaging material availability, continuity of supply, and reliable support for production schedules.
Serve as an escalation point for packaging supplier, capacity, service, quality, and shortage-related issues impacting business continuity or customer service.
Maintain a pipeline of cost reduction, productivity, packaging improvement, supplier consolidation, and specification optimization opportunities that deliver measurable year-over-year value.
Drive projects that improve gross margin, working capital, service reliability, lead times, packaging utilization, and operational resilience.
Provide detailed cost/benefit analysis, should-cost modeling, supplier performance reporting, and packaging cost analysis to support business decisions.
Collaborate with Sustainability, Packaging Engineering, Operations, and Quality teams to identify packaging solutions that reduce waste, improve material efficiency, and support company sustainability goals.
Perform other duties and lead projects as required.