Senior Category Manager

CEL • Williamsburg, VA

3d

About The Position

CEL Critical Power designs and manufactures critical power infrastructure, including switchgear, modular power PODs, metering and automation, for data-centre and mission-critical customers in Europe and the United States. The Senior Category Manager will own an assigned category of spend end to end, securing the supply, capacity and cost needed to support the business’s planned growth. This specialist role requires deep knowledge of the relevant market, suppliers, capacity, pricing, allocation and risks, and translates that knowledge into category strategy, supplier agreements and commercial decisions that protect delivery, margin and cash.

The role will build and own a 2–3 year category strategy; lead sourcing, negotiations and supplier agreements; convert S&OP demand into forward capacity commitments and allocations; manage category material cost; and qualify and develop suppliers. The position also holds the buy/sell P&L for an assigned trading product line, including pricing, supplier terms, margin, stock risk and growth. It works closely with Engineering, Production, Sales, Legal, Quality and BU Supply Chain Operations teams. Travel is around 20–30%, including supplier visits in Europe, the US and Asia and visits to CEL sites.

Requirements

• Specific buying or commercial experience in the role’s category, including knowledge of products, suppliers, market pricing and allocation, and available capacity.
• At least 8 years in procurement, category management, sourcing or commercial roles in manufacturing or the wider industrial supply chain.
• At least 3 years owning a category or major supplier portfolio.
• Track record of negotiating long-term, capacity or master supply agreements and delivering measurable cost and supply-security results.
• Strong commercial and analytical skills, including should-cost, total cost of acquisition and contract terms such as indexation.
• Confidence working with engineers, production teams and supplier executives, with the ability to influence without authority.
• Working knowledge of ERP / MRP.
• Degree in engineering, supply chain, business or a related field, or equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in complex industrial manufacturing, such as automotive, electrical equipment, power distribution, critical power or data-centre infrastructure.
• Experience in a high-growth or scale-up business.
• MCIPS or equivalent professional procurement qualification.

Responsibilities

• Build and own a 2–3 year category strategy covering market and supplier analysis, demand outlook from S&OP, cost drivers, risks, target supply base and sourcing plan.
• Monitor and brief the business on market capacity, lead times, pricing trends, new entrants, technology changes and supplier financial health.
• Run sourcing events, perform should-cost analysis and lead supplier selection with Engineering on a total cost of acquisition basis.
• Negotiate and manage long-term, master supply, capacity reservation, VMI and consignment agreements with Legal.
• Set commercial terms, including price, indexation, payment terms, cancellation and remaindering, to protect margin and cash.
• Translate the S&OP demand plan into capacity commitments and allocations ahead of need, including long-lead orders that gate new product launches.
• Bring supplier capacity, lead times and allocation information to the monthly S&OP Procurement and Allocation Review, and maintain category supplier-capacity data in CEL’s planning data set.
• Reduce single-source and unqualified exposure by qualifying second sources and alternatives with Engineering as design authority.
• Own material cost against bid, purchase price variance and cost avoidance for the category, and provide Sales with current supply costs and approved suppliers for bids.
• Drive value with Engineering and Production through make-vs-buy, sub-assemblies, multi-use parts, parts reduction and design for manufacture.
• Qualify suppliers before CEL relies on them, including technical specifications, audits and onboarding with Quality and Engineering.
• Run supplier scorecards and business reviews on delivery, quality, cost and responsiveness; lead supplier development and recovery when performance falls short.
• Support BU Supply Chain Operations teams with shortage escalations and supplier recovery while leaving day-to-day expediting with those teams.
• Hold the buy/sell P&L for the assigned trading product line, including pricing with Sales, supplier terms, margin, stock risk and growth of the line.
• Travel around 20–30% to suppliers in Europe, the US and Asia and to CEL sites.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based incentives.
• Health, dental and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Paid time off and holidays.
• Professional development, career advancement opportunities, structured career development, professional training and leadership opportunities.

What This Job Offers

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