Director, Category Management

NiSource•Columbus, OH

1d•$160,100 - $240,100•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director Category Management leads the design, development and execution of the NiSource Supply Chain Category Management strategy and all associated category-level strategies. The Director manages a team of professionals to support the supply chain needs of NiSource stakeholders in a high-quality, consistent and cost-effective manner. By optimizing category strategies, fostering supplier innovation, advocating for Economic Inclusion, and driving cost efficiencies, the Director Category Management plays a critical role in ensuring a resilient, cost-effective, and sustainable supply chain. The Director Category Management is responsible for managing the largest spend category at NiSource and all things related to provide procurement services for our Gas business.

Requirements

Bachelor level degree from an accredited institution required (following fields are preferred: Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, Finance, Technology)
10+ years supply chain and category management experience
5+ years of experience leading category management teams
Experience managing critical suppliers and associated contractual agreements
Proven track record of delivering results and achieving goals in a collaborative/matrixed environment
Current knowledge of leading supply chain practices and benchmarks
Ability to build and maintain trusted relationships with leaders within and outside the company
Highly developed strategic thinking, decision-making, conflict resolution and relationship building
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, including experience delivering presentations and recommendations to Executive Leadership
Demonstrated leadership and ability to build support and consensus
Proven cost management skills and financial acumen
Experience assessing business risks and ability to identify, problem solve and drive innovative solutions
Experience with supply chain and/or ERP applications (e.g., Ariba, Coupa, SAP, etc.)
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, BI
Travel requirement: some travel to all states of the footprint with construction teams for projects as needed (quarterly business reviews with main suppliers held in Columbus)
Authorized to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

MBA
Category Management experience in the Utilities or Telecommunications industries
Experience/certification in performance improvement methods (e.g., Lean and/or Six Sigma)
Advanced certifications: Portfolio Management Professional (PMP), CIMP/CSCP, CPA

Responsibilities

Owns overall accountability for strategic sourcing and category management strategy to support the business partner goals and objectives
Promotes Economic Inclusion strategies and reinforces their value in category management strategies
Leads diverse team of qualified individuals with authority to hire, terminate, promote, demote, coach, develop and performance manage
Leads the collaboration with Strategic Sourcing & Procurement and Economic Inclusion teams to execute on ongoing Supplier Relationship Management programs across all categories and facilitate desired outcomes including supplier sourcing and contract negotiation activities
Engages with Category Management leaders in other industries to explore the applicability of strategies and tactics
Collaborates with Supply Chain leaders and key business partners to gain a comprehensive understanding of business requirements and Supply Chain’s role in to effectively assess risk levels, manage supply continuity, develop contingency plans and establish risk management strategies to mitigate risk
Defines the standard for business knowledge for the Category Management team and supports team member engagement with the business via experiential learning, local engagement and close partnership
Continuously identifies and implements strategies and improvement initiatives to reduce cost, improve quality and result in a lower total cost of ownership
Owns Category Management KPIs and reports performance to leadership (e.g., TCO, category spend under management, purchase price variance, on-time delivery, etc.)
Develops forecasts and implementation plans to ensure category strategy goals are achieved
Continuously evaluates supplier performance and creates and leads teams to improve supplier performance as necessary
Conducts external research to stay abreast of the supply market trends and their potential application at NiSource
Analyzes category spend management opportunities and deploys appropriate strategic plans
Explores ways to leverage advanced analytics/AI to identify performance improvement opportunities and optimize strategies