Raw Materials Category Manager

LyondellBasell North America•Houston, TX

About The Position

The LYB Raw Materials Category Manager–Polymer Additives is responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies for a selected portfolio of polymer additives and catalysts that are critical to LYB’s manufacturing operations, product performance, business requirements and customer commitments. This role sits within the Raw Materials Procurement group and requires a strong connection between supplier markets, plant needs, technical requirements, commercial strategy, and enterprise risk management. The Category Manager will work closely with the Polymers Business, Manufacturing, Technology, Product Stewardship, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, and global Procurement teams to ensure reliable supply, competitive economics, regulatory compliance, and long-term value creation for assigned raw material categories.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required (or recognized equivalent). Major in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Supply Chain preferred.
6+ years of related experience required with a degree (10 years in lieu of a degree);
5+ years of chemical or related industry experience and knowledge related to purchasing and materials management, including contract negotiations, is preferred.
Advanced skill level with SAP and MS Excel required.
Experience in a manufacturing environment, in Technical or Business-related positions preferred.
Stakeholder Collaboration and Relationship Management
Strategic Influence and Communication
Category Strategy and Market Insight
Technical and Commercial Acumen
Risk Management and Decision Support
Change Leadership and Innovation
Execution in Dynamic Environments

Responsibilities

Develops and executes category strategies for assigned polymer additives and catalysts, including supplier segmentation, regional sourcing approach, contract strategy, risk profile, and value roadmap.
Builds a deep understanding of assigned materials, including how they are used in LYB products and processes, key performance requirements, quality sensitivities, and supplier qualification constraints.
Maintains close alignment with the Polymers Business, Manufacturing, Technology, Product Stewardship, Supply Chain, Planning, Finance, Legal, and regional Procurement teams to ensure sourcing decisions support plant reliability, customer commitments, and business priorities.
Work within a global team structure and with suppliers across varying geographies.
Leads supplier negotiations for technically specified raw materials, including pricing mechanisms, index or formula-based structures, long-term agreements, allocation protection, quality requirements, logistics considerations, payment terms, and commercial risk provisions.
Monitors market fundamentals for additives and catalysts, including feedstock exposure, supplier capacity, production outages, regional supply-demand balances, regulatory developments, tariff or trade impacts, and emerging supply constraints.
Uses spend, forecast, inventory, demand, and market data to develop category insights, support negotiation strategy, communicate risk, and identify value opportunities beyond traditional cost savings.
Develops and maintains supply risk assessments for assigned categories, including sole-source exposure, constrained supplier markets, country-of-origin risks, financial health, logistics vulnerabilities, and business continuity plans.
Partners with technical and manufacturing stakeholders to identify, qualify, and commercialize alternate suppliers or alternate materials where needed to improve flexibility, reduce risk, or support cost and sustainability objectives.
Coordinates supplier change management for raw materials, ensuring potential changes in formulation, manufacturing location, specifications, regulatory status, or quality performance are reviewed with the appropriate technical and business stakeholders before implementation.
Manages supplier performance through KPIs, business reviews, issue resolution, corrective actions, continuous improvement plans, and escalation when supplier performance creates operational or commercial risk.
Supports Advancing Supplier Potential (ASP) initiatives by identifying suppliers that can contribute to innovation, reliability, sustainability, risk reduction, working capital improvement, or differentiated value for LYB.
Ensures contracts, sourcing decisions, supplier communications, and commercial actions meet LYB ethical, compliance, financial control, product stewardship, and sustainability expectations.
Clearly communicates category strategies, market changes, risks, and recommended actions to Procurement leadership and cross-functional stakeholders in a way that supports timely decision-making.