Sourcing Category Manager - Remedy & ReadyCare

Medline • Mankato, MN

12d • Hybrid

About The Position

Medline is hiring a Sourcing Category Manager to support its Remedy & ReadyCare product division. Based at the Mankato, Minnesota plant, the role follows a hybrid work model and manages approximately $20 million in annual purchases. The position focuses on negotiating best-cost outcomes, maintaining a stable supply of goods, and reducing risk to Medline Manufacturing. It provides insight into geopolitical risks affecting costs and develops global sourcing solutions, including identifying lower-cost options. The role works closely with supply chain teams on production and with product management teams on new product launches and sourcing strategies. It manages a broad mix of chemical and packaging raw materials to create value and savings for the plant.

The manager leads category strategy and supplier conversations; negotiates supplier terms and contracts; evaluates domestic and international sourcing options; and manages supplier relationships, performance, and quality issues. The position assesses market, geopolitical, tariff, regulatory, cost, quality, and lead-time factors to develop sourcing and risk-mitigation strategies. It also identifies cost-saving opportunities, supports cost-down and continuous-improvement initiatives, and collaborates with Medline’s global sourcing, supply chain, quality, product management, and reorder buying teams. A bachelor’s degree and 3–5 years of sourcing experience are required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• At least 3–5 years of sourcing experience.
• Experience leading category strategies, supplier relationship management, and sourcing initiatives.
• Experience negotiating with external vendors, including contracts and prices and reconciling differences.
• Experience documenting procedures and internal controls.
• Experience analyzing and reporting data to identify issues, trends, or exceptions and drive improvements and solutions.
• Ability to coordinate concurrent projects, competing priorities, and critical deadlines.
• Ability to work across multiple time zones and locations.

Responsibilities

• Manage direct-spend categories to achieve best cost, supply continuity, and reduced risk.
• Negotiate favorable supplier terms, volume discounts, prices, and long-term contracts.
• Lead category management and key vendor conversations; manage spend across raw-material categories.
• Provide strategic insight into global and geopolitical changes affecting tariffs, raw materials, and regulatory requirements.
• Define strategies to address higher costs and supply instability.
• Provide product expertise on managed categories, including raw-material inputs, manufacturing techniques, and key vendors.
• Recommend cost reductions through manufacturing continuous improvement, raw-material changes, and other cost-down initiatives.
• Manage supplier relationships and negotiate pricing and ordering efficiencies to secure cost reductions.
• Contribute to long-term vendor contracts, rebate plans, and growth incentives.
• Develop negotiation tactics to mitigate price increases, including using Medline’s volume and sourcing tools and considering dual sourcing or new global vendors.
• Develop and execute risk profiles for sourced countries, taking into account multiple-country sourcing, dual sourcing, and geopolitical factors; recommend vendors based on risk assessments.
• Manage a broad range of product categories and build subject-matter expertise in product requirements, manufacturing processes, raw materials, and value drivers.
• Analyze cost inputs and evaluate sourcing strategies for domestic and import suppliers, considering cost, quality, and lead time.
• Assist in creating and implementing global sourcing strategies, including vendor allocation optimization, re-sourcing, and cost containment or reductions for assigned categories.
• Use market research and supplier performance insights to optimize sourcing strategies.
• Identify category cost-savings opportunities to support gross-margin growth.
• Support negotiations of long-term deals with domestic and import suppliers.
• Collaborate with Medline Shanghai Global Sourcing Office, Supply Chain, Quality, and Product Management to develop vendors and products, reduce supply risk, and maintain a healthy supply chain.
• Manage Medline part and vendor numbers, including establishing new part numbers for supplier moves, packaging optimization, and PIRs.
• Work with the reorder buying group to investigate unresolved problem-supplier issues, gather information, and facilitate discussions to improve supplier performance.

Benefits

• Competitive total rewards package.
• Continuing education and training.
• Health insurance for employees meeting the stated hours threshold.
• Life and disability insurance for employees meeting the stated hours threshold.
• 401(k) contributions.
• Paid time off.
• Employee Assistance Program access for employees working fewer than 30 hours per week.

What This Job Offers

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