Category Manager II

Graco

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

As a Category Manager at Graco, you will drive procurement initiatives across your assigned commodities. In this strategic role, you will champion cost optimization, foster innovation, and support operational excellence in key categories. You’ll leverage your expertise in category management, sourcing, and contract negotiation, working collaboratively across various teams to influence stakeholders at all levels. Utilizing market intelligence and data-driven insights, you will enhance supplier performance, mitigate risks, and contribute significant value to the business.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Supply Chain, MIS, or a related field required; MBA preferred.
• A minimum of five years' experience in strategic sourcing or category management, preferably within direct commodities.
• Demonstrated success in negotiating complex contracts, managing vendor performance, and delivering measurable cost optimization.
• Adaptability to changing business conditions.
• Great project management and influence skills
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
• This role is not eligible for immigration sponsorship now or in the future (e.g., H-1B, TN, F-1 OPT).

Responsibilities

• Category Strategy & Planning Act as a trusted procurement advisor to teams across Operations, Engineering, and other departments, building strong partnerships and supporting business goals.
• Develop and execute multi-year category strategies for your assigned commodities.
• Leverage market intelligence, spend analysis, and supplier benchmarking to identify cost-saving opportunities, streamline vendor relationships, encourage innovation, and minimize risk.
• Sourcing & Procurement Execution Manage full-cycle sourcing processes such as RFIs and RFPs, which encompass defining business needs, setting evaluation standards, recommending contract awards, and guiding suppliers through onboarding.
• Lead commercial negotiations encompassing pricing, service level agreements (SLAs), data privacy, intellectual property rights, and liability clauses.
• Identify and implement opportunities for strategic supplier rationalization, demand management, and cost avoidance.
• Stakeholder Engagement Act as the primary procurement consultant for designated groups.
• Facilitate productive cross-functional collaboration and provide strategic guidance to promote alignment in sourcing strategies, supplier selection procedures, and contract negotiations.
• Supplier & Contract Management Oversee and nurture supplier partnerships, ensuring compliance with service level agreements (SLAs), key performance indicators (KPIs), and regulatory requirements.
• Facilitate contract renewals and renegotiations to maximize cost-efficiency while mitigating commercial and legal risk.
• Monitor and report essential procurement metrics, including cost optimization (savings and avoidance), contract coverage, supplier performance, and adherence to project timelines.
• Continuous Improvement Maintain awareness of emerging technology trends, industry standards, and innovations relevant to procurement and assigned categories.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Graco offers attractive compensation, benefits and career development opportunities.
• Graco’s comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, stock purchase plan, 401(k), tuition reimbursement and more.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees