Supply Chain Category Manager

Marmon Holdings, Inc.•Chicago, IL

38d•$112,500 - $137,500•Onsite

About The Position

As a part of the global industrial organization Marmon Holdings—which is backed by Berkshire Hathaway—you’ll be doing things that matter, leading at every level, and winning a better way. We’re committed to making a positive impact on the world, providing you with diverse learning and working opportunities, and fostering a culture where everyone’s empowered to be their best. This position is part of the Marmon Rail Division and will be assigned to a repair shop location either at Union Tank Car Company or Transco Railway Products, Inc. - North America locations, or Procor, at one of their Canadian locations. This position will report to the Purchasing Manager. The Category Manager is a corporate-level position that develops, implements and maintains the sourcing strategy for an assigned group of commodities that supports the needs of key stakeholders such as the Line of Business, Operations, etc. The sourcing strategy defines the technical, commercial and performance needs of the business and is used to identify suppliers that meet those needs. The position evaluates business needs, supplier capabilities and performance, evaluates and recommends suppliers, negotiates large, complex, commercial agreements and manages ongoing relationships with suppliers on global level. The incumbent is responsible for driving delivery, and execution of global strategies and regional direction setting, in alignment with Procurement leadership. Several key commodities are sourced offshore, however the principle area of supplier responsibility is in North America. There will be possible coordination roles between North America and other Marmon and Berkshire Hathaway entities. This typically results in the commercial management of spend globally, across all regions, all business lines and served markets ranging from $100MM to $300MM in financial responsibility. The primary categories of spend fall into six broad classifications: Steel, metal fabrication and machining Paint, coatings and linings Running gear and castings CAPEX and services Valves and service equipment Indirect, PPE, fasteners, MRO.

Requirements

Committed to operating within a safety-centric environment, which includes working safely and taking action when unsafe practices/conditions are identified within the plant.
Works effectively with key suppliers, Engineering, Supplier Quality, Logistics, Manufacturing, Finance, IT, and other internal key stakeholders to maximize overall performance of alliance agreements and all assigned commodity suppliers.
Strong commodity knowledge and project management experience.
Can direct commodity strategies based on cross-functional goals and objectives.
Ability to develop business cases, project plans, status and issue reports.
Keeps management apprised of top developments with suppliers and in supply industries that affect short-term business performance and long-term business strategy.
Leads advanced negotiations with cross-functional teams; develops complex negotiations strategies; demonstrated negotiations capability including adjusting to individual styles and tactics, coaches Site Buyers and partners with others on negotiations process, tools and methodology.
Excellent organizational, analytical, quantitative and problem-solving skills.
Ability to establish and maintain service orientation and effective working relationships at the executive and working levels of internal and external organizations; ability to gain and maintain the cooperation and participation of others.
50% travel (regular on-site presence throughout North America).
Team player/consensus builder.
Bachelor’s degree required (MBA preferred).
Exceptional knowledge, experience & skill may be considered in lieu of education.
CPSM certification will eventually be required.
Minimum of 3+ years strategic sourcing and commodity management experience.
Extensive experience in implementing a Category Management and broad-based Sourcing model into an organization, with specific categories of materials, components and services.
Prior experience in leading and coaching supply chain teams in multiple sites, have strong business acumen, analytical and problem-solving skills is required.
ERP implementation / significant upgrade / enhancement experience.
Regulated industry experience required (FRA and AAR experience strongly preferred).
Lean Six Sigma Continuous Improvement experience (certification strongly preferred).

Nice To Haves

CPSM / ISM / other certifications preferred.
Previous experience in a national heavy industrial manufacturing business preferred.
Experience with factory support and improving sustaining operations.

Responsibilities

Through the analysis of current spend, processes and practices, develops a commodity strategy for the business unit that supports the goals of the business units including supplier consolidation, process standardization, base and variable cost reduction, transaction cost removal, and process digitization that meets budget.
Responsible for the overall performance and direction of assigned commodities, for the development, coordination and performance of cross-functional sourcing teams, transition and procurement performance.
Develops budget goals and KPIs which include supplier rationalization, productivity, lead-time reduction, working capital improvement, quality and delivery performance.
Develops and executes sourcing plans including but not limited to soliciting quotations, recommending suppliers, evaluating quotations, negotiating pricing, conducting cost analysis, and ensures that the proper legal agreements are correctly prepared.
Directs and leads supplier discovery, RFI, RFQ, site visits and other strategic sourcing phases.
Prepares cross-functional team supplier negotiations and is primary Marmon Rail representative in conducting major supplier negotiations.
Maintains solid supplier relationships through effective communication.
Routinely seeks internal customer’s feedback and incorporates this data into strategies and action plans.
Takes personal responsibility for ensuring any issues raised by suppliers or internal customers are responded to and resolved.
Develops and optimizes executive level relationships with suppliers.
Coordinates transition management and risk mitigation with Supply Chain Leadership.
Oversees assigned commodity contracts while coordinating ongoing supplier development.
Reviews policies and procedures and provides input to management concerning operation of the strategic sourcing function/process.
Partners with relevant Business Unit Managers, ensures appropriate sourcing metrics are in place and deployed to measure progress against initiatives.
Effectively consolidates direct and indirect suppliers with identified strategic partners.
Working with manufacturing leaders, selects and manages required suppliers who have the capacity and capability to meet the material and subcontract needs of the business.
Implements processes to enable technology driven processes including e-auctions of major spend opportunities.
Supports Berkshire Hathaway Leveraged Spend (BHLS), Marmon Leverages Spend (MLS) and Rail Leveraged Spend (RLS) program synergies through participation and compliance.
Provides overall project management for key supplier transition, development, and second level savings projects.
Manages the overall procurement of all orders and inventory levels to ABC targets.
Ensures Site Buyers contribute to the maintenance and accuracy of supplier and part master data is in the data lake.
Optimizes the use of information systems and technology for tracking, analysis, reporting, administration, and communication between Business Units and suppliers.
Reviews supply agreements prior to submission to Director, Sourcing & Procurement.
Implements Supplier Quality and Certification programs, in cooperation with the Quality Department.
Actively participates, from program conception, in new product development, and cost reduction programs.
Ensures that supply base trends, knowledge and expertise are utilized to optimize program cycle times and product material costs.
Promotes material standardization programs across company.
Maintains commodity data in business systems.