Strategic Sourcing Category Mgr

Kenco•Chattanooga, TN

About The Position

The Strategic Sourcing Category Manager is responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies for assigned categories to deliver cost savings, mitigate risk, and ensure supplier performance. This role partners with internal stakeholders to understand business needs, identify opportunities, and drive value through strategic supplier relationships and contract negotiations. This role ensures cost optimization, service level reliability, and operational resiliency within a fast-paced logistics environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Business, Finance, Supply Chain, Industrial Management or other related field required.
6-8 years procurement-related experience required; previous experience specifically within Supply Chain, Distribution, Logistics, and/or Transportation industries preferred
Working knowledge of Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Accounting, and Finance required.
Strong negotiation, contracting, presentation, and analytical skills.
Ability to manage complex projects and multiple stakeholders.
Working knowledge of MS Office Suite; Advanced Level Excel skills preferred

Nice To Haves

MBA or other advanced degree strongly preferred.
Current or recent prior experience with Steel Pallet Rack materials and Motive Battery sourcing strongly preferred
Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) or ability to attain within 12 months preferred
Experience with top-tier procurement software required; Workday Procurement experience preferred

Responsibilities

Develop and own comprehensive category strategies aligned with business goals.
Conduct spend analysis, market research, supplier segmentation, and risk assessments.
Identify opportunities for cost reduction, value improvement, and process optimization.
Build multi-year category roadmaps and present recommendations to leadership.
Lead end-to-end sourcing activities such as RFPs, RFIs, RFQs.
Develop negotiation strategies and drive competitive advantages through supplier relationships.
Evaluate supplier proposals using total-cost-of-ownership (TCO) and other methodologies.
Execute contract development, review, and implementation in collaboration with internal partners as required.
Build and maintain strong, mutually beneficial strategic relationships with key suppliers.
Monitor supplier performance using KPIs, scorecards, and scheduled business reviews.
Identify supplier innovation opportunities and support continuous improvement initiatives.
Manage supplier risk, including financial, operational, and compliance-related risks.
Ensure adherence to the Supplier Code of Conduct, procurement policies, ethical sourcing practices, and regulatory requirements.
Improve sourcing processes through automation, best-practice adoption, and data analytics.
Maintain accurate documentation and contribute to procurement governance.
Other applicable duties as assigned

Benefits

Medical insurance including HSA, HRA and FSA accounts
Supplemental insurance including critical illness, hospital indemnity, accidental injury
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Basic Life and Supplemental Life
Short Term and Long Term Disability
Paid Parental Leave
401(k)
Paid Time Off approximately 2 weeks (accrual begins on Day 1 of employment)
Employer Paid Holidays- 10 days