Category Manager II, Commercial Brass

Elkay Manufacturing•Milwaukee, WI

About The Position

The Category Manager is responsible for the strategic management of sourcing and category activities across assigned spend areas, supporting global business units and operations. This role develops and executes category strategies, manages supplier relationships, and partners cross-functionally to ensure cost, quality, delivery, and performance objectives are achieved. The position drives spend optimization, supplier alignment, and continuous improvement while delivering against financial and operational targets.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, or related field (MBA preferred)
5+ years of experience in sourcing, category management, or supply chain within a manufacturing or industrial environment

Responsibilities

Develops and executes category strategies aligned to business objectives, ensuring effective sourcing, supplier alignment, and long-term value delivery.
Manages complex, multi-year supplier relationships and partners with cross-functional stakeholders (engineering, operations, supply chain, product management) to support business needs.
Leads sourcing initiatives including RFPs/RFQs, supplier selection, and contract negotiation (pricing, terms, service levels, inventory, and risk considerations).
Drives spend analysis, develops cost savings pipelines, and implements corrective actions to ensure delivery against financial targets.
Analyzes market trends, pricing, and supply conditions to inform sourcing strategies and mitigate risk.
Provides leadership and oversight to sourcing/project managers and cross-functional teams to ensure effective execution of initiatives.
Identifies and implements process improvements, driving efficiency, innovation, and simplification across sourcing and supply chain activities.
Tracks and reports on KPIs, category performance, and sourcing progress to leadership.