Category Manager

Rocketdyne • Redmond, WA

2d • $110,000 - $140,000

About The Position

The Category Manager develops and executes strategies for assigned direct-material commodities, including aerospace fasteners, composites, valves, turbomachinery hardware, and selected raw materials. The role analyzes market trends, supplier capabilities, and industry developments to identify competitive, creative, and resilient sourcing solutions.

As a category subject-matter expert, the Category Manager leads complex sourcing, supplier-recovery, and supplier-transition initiatives with minimal oversight. The role partners with buyers, Programs, Engineering, Quality, Operations, suppliers, and other stakeholders to address performance issues, identify and qualify alternative sources, and manage risks to cost, quality, delivery, capacity, technical capability, and continuity of supply.

The position helps strengthen the supply base and deliver measurable business and program results by identifying new suppliers and capabilities, mitigating supply risk, improving supplier performance, and making category management more consistent, proactive, and data-driven.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 9 years of prior relevant experience; a graduate degree and a minimum of 7 years of prior related experience; or, in lieu of a degree, a minimum of 13 years of prior related experience.
• Comprehensive knowledge of category management, strategic sourcing, supply chain management, procurement, or a related discipline.
• Experience supporting direct-material or hardware categories in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or another highly technical industry.
• Experience developing category or commodity strategies informed by supply-market research, industry trends, supplier capabilities, and business requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to lead large, complex sourcing or supplier-transition initiatives with minimal oversight.
• Experience identifying, evaluating, and recommending alternative suppliers in response to performance, capacity, obsolescence, or supply-continuity concerns.
• Ability to assess sourcing alternatives across cost, quality, delivery, technical capability, capacity, and risk.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex information and influence stakeholders across organizational and functional boundaries.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, project-management, negotiation, and business communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience managing categories such as aerospace fasteners, composites, valves, turbomachinery hardware, machined or fabricated components, and raw materials.
• In-depth knowledge of the aerospace and defense supply base, including relevant manufacturing processes, market dynamics, and supplier capabilities.
• Experience leading supplier transitions, source qualifications, resourcing efforts, or recovery initiatives in a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to identify emerging suppliers, technologies, and capabilities and translate market intelligence into actionable sourcing strategies.
• Experience partnering with Engineering, Quality, Operations, Programs, and other technical stakeholders to evaluate supplier capabilities and sourcing risks.
• Knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and applicable sourcing or subcontracting requirements.
• Familiarity with supplier quality, export control, cybersecurity, and other compliance considerations relevant to aerospace and defense suppliers.
• Experience using enterprise resource planning, procurement, spend-analytics, supplier-performance, or business-intelligence tools.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strong executive communication skills and the ability to present category strategies, market findings, risks, and recommendations to senior leaders.
• Ability to build effective internal and external relationships and influence action without direct authority.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category strategies for assigned direct-material commodities based on business needs, market conditions, and supplier capabilities.
• Serve as the category subject-matter expert, providing market intelligence, supply-base analysis, and sourcing recommendations.
• Identify industry trends, emerging technologies, capacity constraints, and new or differentiated suppliers.
• Lead complex sourcing, supplier-recovery, and transition initiatives with minimal oversight.
• Partner with buyers, Programs, Engineering, Quality, and Operations to identify and qualify alternative sources when suppliers underperform or discontinue work.
• Evaluate sourcing alternatives based on cost, quality, delivery, capacity, technical capability, and supply risk.
• Influence internal and external stakeholders to implement category strategies, sourcing changes, and supplier-transition plans.
• Implement category and process improvements that produce measurable business results.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior