Category Manager

Mueller Water Products•Atlanta, GA

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Category Manager is a highly visible role within the business and operations, responsible for developing short- and long-term category strategies that optimize operations. The role builds cross-functional networks and fosters collaboration with suppliers, the wider supply chain organization, and internal stakeholders. The Category Manager owns vendor performance data and reports metrics to leadership and Supply Chain teams. The role is part of the Corporate Supply Chain team, based at Mueller’s corporate office in Atlanta, Georgia. Work is conducted in the corporate office, plant locations, and remotely as needed to support business needs. The position requires 10–20% travel at any given time. The Category Manager leads enterprise-wide commodity strategy, sourcing, supplier partnership management, and cost optimization for multiple indirect spend categories, including packaging and facilities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree.
At least 5 years of experience in a sourcing environment.
Familiarity with industrial operations.

Nice To Haves

Sourcing or commodity-management experience with facilities and packaging categories.
Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, engineering, finance, or business.
MBA or professional certifications such as CPM, CPSM, CIRM, or CPIM.
Strong understanding of total cost of ownership (TCO), cost drivers, and supplier economics.
Ability to manage multiple high-impact initiatives and priorities simultaneously, with strong attention to detail and a disciplined, process-oriented approach.
Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate insights to senior stakeholders.
Experience with strategic sourcing and lean tools.
Strong knowledge of supply chain strategy development and execution, and category-specific experience.
Independent problem-solving skills and an appetite for addressing complex challenges in a fast-moving environment.
Proven leadership, negotiation, and strategic communication track record.
Strong business acumen and experience collaborating across various levels within a diverse, global organization.
Ability to summarize ideas and present them concisely to upper management and team members, build support for category strategy, and implement it in a matrix environment.

Responsibilities

Lead enterprise-wide commodity strategy, sourcing, supplier partnership management, and cost optimization for multiple indirect spend categories, including packaging and facilities.
Develop and manage category strategies that optimize affordability, availability, agility, and innovation.
Lead the end-to-end strategic sourcing process, including opportunity assessment, strategy development, RFx execution, supplier evaluation, negotiations, contract reviews, and performance management.
Balance enterprise commodity strategies with site-specific technical and operational requirements.
Analyze spend, pricing, consumption, supplier performance, and market data, and provide recommendations to leadership.
Support other procurement priorities based on business needs.
Develop and maintain expert knowledge of respective supply markets, competitors, and product innovations.
Own vendor performance data and report metrics to leadership and Supply Chain teams.
Establish cross-functional networks and foster collaboration with suppliers, the wider supply chain organization, and internal stakeholders.