Sr. Manager, Category Procurement Packaging Material - Fiber & Flexibles

Colgate • Piscataway, NJ

2d • $124,000 - $174,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

As Manager/Senior Manager, Category Procurement Packaging Material, you will sit at the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and value creation. You will shape the global strategy for our Toothpaste Tubes, Flexible Packaging, and Printed Materials, build deep partnerships with leading manufacturers, and help us navigate one of the most dynamic landscapes in the consumer products industry. This is a highly visible global role that requires both strategic thinking and hands-on execution, as well as strong partnership with Packaging, Research and Development (R&D), Divisional stakeholders, and our most critical external partners.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in Procurement; significant experience with direct materials.
• Proven track record in global category management / strategic sourcing, including strategy development, complex negotiations and supplier relationship management.
• Strong analytical and financial skills, able to interpret commodity indices, cost structures and scenario analyses to support decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to simplify complexity and influence at multiple levels and across cultures.
• Passion for innovation in packaging and strong interest in evolving sustainability and regulatory landscapes affecting packaging materials.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree / MBA desirable.
• Experience with packaging for consumer products.

Responsibilities

• Category Strategy & Leadership Define end-to-end sourcing strategies for Toothpaste Tubes, Flexible Packaging, and Printed Materials. You will design risk-mitigation and value-creation frameworks to ensure supply resilience and margin protection, translating these into actionable playbooks for divisional teams to drive seamless global execution. Act as the internal pulp and paper commodity SME to translate market dynamics into actionable plans. You will move "upstream" to lead direct engagement with global paper mills, securing long-term capacity and mitigating price volatility. By driving "buy vs. spec" alignment and delivering high-level market intelligence, you will empower divisional buyers to optimize regional conversion costs and protect margins.
• Sustainability, Supplier Strategy, SRM and Innovation Integrate Colgate’s Packaging Sustainability ambitions (Circular packaging, Net Zero Emissions and No Deforestation) into sourcing strategies for the assigned categories. Serve as the central Procurement Integrator for 2030 packaging targets by synchronizing milestones and green investment budgets across all categories. You will act as the link between R&D, Global Packaging, and the Divisions to ensure financial alignment and progress tracking, while partnering with category leads to integrate their material roadmaps into the master sustainability plan. Define strategic supplier portfolios for assigned Packaging Categories and develop joint business plans that bring innovation, sustainability and operational excellence. Lead Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) with global strategic suppliers, including performance scorecards, investment assessments, and continuous improvement programs. Serve as the primary bridge between the supply base and R&D for Tubes, Flexibles, and Paper. You will embed procurement into the early-stage design process to identify disruptive supplier technologies and material breakthroughs, ensuring they are scalable and prioritized within the global innovation pipeline.
• Risk, Cost & Value Management Create and maintain a Risk Landscape Management Plan for assigned Packaging Categories and commodities, addressing volatility, supply disruptions and emerging geopolitical or regulatory risks; define mitigation strategies including dual sourcing, regionalization and inventory/risk‑sharing mechanisms. Improve cost transparency and protect margins leveraging insights and tools such as should-cost modeling. Identify and deliver cost optimization and value creation opportunities (e.g., material harmonization, design‑to‑value, specification optimization, e‑bidding, benchmark studies, external research, innovation days). Support annual direct materials budgeting and forecasting for packaging, providing robust market insight.
• Contracting, Compliance & Governance Work with Legal to develop and negotiate contracts that appropriately manage risk and capture value for Colgate. Ensure sourcing decisions and supplier selections adhere to Colgate’s policies, ethical standards, quality and regulatory requirements, including sustainability expectations.
• Cross‑Functional Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement Partner closely with Global Supply Chain, Divisional Procurement, Packaging/R&D, Finance, Sustainability and Marketing to align on priorities, resolve trade‑offs and enable business strategies. Coordinate Procurement / Packaging periodic alignment and review meetings, providing transparent updates on strategy, pipeline, risks and savings/value delivery. Represent Colgate in external forums, supplier councils and industry networks on packaging and materials topics, bringing back market intelligence and opportunities.

Benefits

• Salaried employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, basic life insurance, paid parental leave, disability coverage, and participation in the 401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions subject to eligibility requirements.
• Additional benefits include a minimum of 15 vacation/PTO days (hourly employees receive a minimum of 120 hours) and 13 paid holidays (vacation days are prorated based on the employee's hire date within the calendar year).
• Paid sick leave is adjusted based on role and location in accordance with local laws. Detailed information regarding paid sick leave entitlements will be provided to employees upon hiring and may be subject to adjustments based on changes in legislation or company policies.

What This Job Offers

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