Strategic Sourcing Category Manager, Packaging

WD-40 COMPANY•,

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

This is a growth seat within the Americas Strategic Sourcing team, focusing on real packaging categories including plastics, cans, Smart Straw, and corrugate. The role involves end-to-end supplier price management, tracking market and raw material cost drivers, negotiating price changes, and supporting the can sourcing strategy for Latin America. The position also requires managing the fast-moving corrugate category, building cost models, and assisting with project fixes, such as custom molding solutions for a bottle conversion. The role involves up to 30% travel to suppliers and contract manufacturers in the US, Mexico, and Brazil. The company values curiosity over ego and offers opportunities for growth within the packaging component portfolio.

Requirements

3–7 years in strategic sourcing or procurement for direct materials (packaging, components, or raw materials)
Contract manufacturing experience, on either the client or the supplier side.
Hands-on experience with plastics: resin, bottles, injection or blow molding
A track record of managing supplier pricing with data: pushing back on increases, negotiating reductions, and winning
Strong Excel skills and the patience to work through detailed cost data
Critical thinking and curiosity: challenge assumptions, bring strong ideas, and dig into the numbers rather than accepting what suppliers say
A collaborative mindset: receptive to feedback, willing to work through differences as part of a team, and able to build relationships across functions and bring people along

Nice To Haves

Can or metal packaging experience
Corrugate experience
Power BI experience
Microsoft D365 experience
International sourcing experience

Responsibilities

Own supplier price management, end to end.
Track market and raw material cost drivers.
Respond to supplier increase letters, dig into index data, recommend a position, and negotiate.
Engage suppliers and their upstream supply chains to negotiate cost reductions when costs move down.
Manage stakeholders including Planning, QA, R&D, and Marketing.
Set expectations, build alignment across functions, and bring people together to execute projects and deliver results.
Support can sourcing strategy for Latin America growth.
Manage the corrugate category, which moves weekly with new promos, configurations, and cost requests.
Build cost models, price lists, and variance reviews.
Help fix stuck projects, such as a bottle conversion requiring custom molding solutions.
Travel up to 30% to suppliers and contract manufacturers in the US, Mexico, and Brazil.