Category Manager - IT

Mission Alignment (GSP “Definition of Winning”) 

• Value Capture: establish multi‑year value levers (savings, cost avoidance, productivity, revenue enablement) and deliver results through a governed pipeline. 

• Client Journey: build proactive stakeholder engagement models and predictable delivery experiences through clear intake, governance, and communication. 

• Risk Management: embed third‑party and supply‑market risk thinking into category strategies, supplier decisions, and contracting guardrails. 

• Optimize Capability: enable the organization through playbooks, standards, and a talent pipeline that improves execution quality over time. 

Key Responsibilities 

1) Global Category Strategy & Roadmap Ownership 

• Define and maintain a multi‑year global category strategy that aligns to Applied and GSP priorities, including clear goals, value levers, and execution waves. 

• Establish category scope, taxonomy alignment, and a demand/supply perspective (demand signals, business requirements, supply market dynamics). 

• Develop and refresh a category roadmap that sequences initiatives by impact, urgency, risk, and capacity, maintaining a forward‑looking pipeline. 

2) Supplier Portfolio Strategy, Segmentation & SRM 

• Own supplier portfolio design and segmentation (strategic, preferred, transactional) and define the engagement model for each segment. 

• Lead strategic supplier relationship management (SRM) for priority suppliers: performance, innovation, commercial governance, and executive alignment. 

• Drive supplier rationalization and consolidation opportunities that improve leverage, simplify operations, and reduce total cost of ownership. 

3) Business Partnership (BRM) & Stakeholder Governance 

• Serve as a trusted advisor to business unit leadership; translate business objectives into category strategies and sourcing priorities. 

• Lead category councils and governance forums (e.g., value/risk reviews, supplier performance reviews) to drive decisions, alignment, and accountability. 

• Set stakeholder engagement rhythms and communication standards so the category experience is consistent across regions and teams. 

4) Value Capture, Financial Stewardship & Performance Management 

• Define and govern the category value pipeline (initiatives, baselines, assumptions, milestones) and partner with Finance for validation and reporting. 

• Establish outcome metrics beyond savings (service levels, speed/cycle time, quality, compliance, risk reduction, innovation) and monitor performance. 

• Ensure sourcing and contracting approaches are aligned to approved category strategies and buying channel guidance. 

5) Risk, Resilience & Compliance Integration 

• Integrate supplier risk considerations into category plans, including third‑party risk management (TPRM) triggers and mitigation actions. 

• Partner with Risk/TPRM, Legal, Privacy/Data Governance, and Compliance teams to ensure category decisions and supplier selections protect Applied. 

• Proactively monitor supply market risks and translate signals into actions (dual sourcing, contract protections, contingency plans). 

6) Execution Orchestration Through Sourcing (One House Model) 

• Translate strategy into sourcing wave plans and clearly defined playbooks/guardrails for Strategic Sourcing Managers and SCoE execution teams. 

• Oversee implementation progress and remove barriers; ensure handoffs and workflow between Category and Sourcing are efficient and predictable. 

• Continuously refine strategy based on execution learnings, market feedback, and data insights (strategy ↔ execution feedback loop). 

7) Capability Building & Change Leadership 

• Champion standard ways of working, templates, and governance that reduce variability and improve speed and quality across the category. 

• Support the talent pipeline by coaching and developing Strategic Sourcing Managers and SCoE practitioners; enable role clarity and development paths. 

• Lead change initiatives within the category (process, tools, supplier operating models) and drive adoption through clear messaging and reinforcement. 

Qualifications 

Required 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, Finance, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience). 

• Demonstrated category management leadership: building and executing category strategies, supplier segmentation, and governance models. 

• Strong commercial expertise: negotiations, contract strategy, and total cost/value analysis in complex, multi‑stakeholder environments. 

• Proven ability to lead in a global, matrixed organization—driving alignment across regions, functions, and senior stakeholders. 

• Experience integrating risk and compliance considerations into supplier and category decisions. 

Preferred 

• Experience in semiconductor or high‑tech indirect categories (e.g., IT, facilities, technical services, labor/services) and global supplier ecosystems. 

• Experience with structured category strategy programs, analytics-enabled decision making, and formal value capture governance. 

• Professional certifications (e.g., CPSM, CIPS, CPM) and/or MBA/MS in a relevant discipline. 

• Experience leading transformations (process standardization, operating model change, digital procurement tools) and scaling best practices. 

Core Competencies (What “Great” Looks Like) 

• Strategic thinking & roadmap design: turns business needs and market dynamics into a clear category plan and sequence of work. 

• Business partnership: earns trust with executives; frames decisions, trade‑offs, and value in business language. 

• Supplier leadership: drives SRM rigor, performance, and supplier-led innovation; manages escalations effectively. 

• Analytical leadership: uses data to prioritize, challenge assumptions, and quantify both cost and non-cost value. 

• Governance discipline: establishes predictable cadences, decision forums, and accountability mechanisms. 

• Change leadership: drives adoption of new ways of working and reinforces clarity of roles and handoffs. 

Success Measures (Sample) 

• Category outcomes: delivered and validated value aligned to targets (savings, cost avoidance, productivity, and/or risk reduction). 

• Pipeline health: forward-looking, prioritized pipeline with clear owners, milestones, and predictable execution cadence. 

• Supplier performance: improved supplier AQSCIR outcomes (assurance, quality, service, cost, innovation, relationship) and reduced critical risk exposure. 

• Stakeholder experience: improved satisfaction and reduced friction through clear governance, communication, and faster cycle times. 

• Operating model effectiveness: consistent strategy-to-execution flow and reduced rework/hand-off delays across Category, Sourcing, Contracting, and Ops.