Category Manager

Solar Turbines•San Diego, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

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. Role Definition: This role is critical to shaping the future of Solar’s Global Supply Chain by developing commercial strategies across assigned categories. The Category Manager drives innovation, anticipates market and technology trends, maintains visibility into supplier capacity, and identifies alternative manufacturing and supply solutions that position the organization for success over a 5–10 year horizon. The ideal candidate is a proactive and strategic leader who partners closely with cross‑functional teams to build resilient, scalable, and cost‑effective supply networks while balancing risk, performance, and sustainability objectives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years or a Master’s degree with 7+ years of experience in Supply Chain.
Experience creating Sourcing & Commodity Strategies

Nice To Haves

Degree in Supply Chain Management
6-Sigma Blackbelt

Responsibilities

Develop Supplier & Category Roadmaps
Create, maintain, and continuously improve roadmaps for assigned categories.
Ensure roadmaps align with organizational goals, future market trends, and global supply chain strategy.
Drive standardization, automation, and consistency of category and supplier planning tools and systems across the organization.
Strategic Sourcing
Work with Sourcing Specialists to develop category sourcing strategies that optimize cost, quality, delivery, and risk while supporting innovation and sustainability initiatives.
Establish clearly defined sourcing plans, milestones, and performance metrics.
Partner with teams at the value‑stream level to ensure alignment and effective integration.
Supplier Market Intelligence
Maintain deep knowledge of global supplier markets, emerging technologies, and alternative manufacturing methods relevant to assigned categories.
Identify new sourcing opportunities, potential suppliers, and disruptive capabilities that enhance competitiveness and supply chain resilience.
Supplier Capacity & Scalability Analysis
Assess and monitor supplier production capacity, scalability, and contingency capabilities to ensure alignment with demand forecasts and growth plans.
Support sourcing decisions with robust capacity and risk evaluations as sourcing strategies mature.
Conference & Industry Engagement
Represent Solar Global Supply Chain at industry conferences, trade shows, and networking events.
Leverage external engagement to stay ahead of market developments, identify emerging suppliers, and strengthen industry partnerships.
Risk Assessment & Mitigation
Identify, assess, and mitigate supply chain risks, including capacity constraints, geopolitical exposure, and supply continuity threats.
Develop and maintain contingency and risk mitigation plans in collaboration with value‑stream and stakeholders.
Cross‑Functional Collaboration
Work closely with Engineering, Operations, Finance, and other internal teams to align category strategies with business needs, technical requirements, and financial objectives.
Continuous Improvement
Monitor category and supplier performance metrics.
Implement best practices and continuous improvement initiatives to drive efficiency, resilience, and cost savings across the supply base.