MKS Instruments, Inc.

Global Category Director - Electronics

MKS Instruments, Inc.$168K — $280K *
Consumer Technology
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred
  • 12+ years of experience in global supply chain or strategic sourcing
  • 8+ years managing global or regional teams
  • CPIM and/or APICS certification preferred
  • Proven leadership experience with strong team development skills
  • Expertise in supplier management and commercial negotiations

Responsibilities

  • Lead development of category strategy through market analysis and risk identification
  • Build and manage supplier relationships to ensure quality and compliance
  • Drive collaboration with cross-functional teams to support growth initiatives
  • Oversee supplier performance management including scorecards and improvement initiatives
  • Champion risk mitigation strategies for supply continuity
  • Promote operational excellence and identify cost-reduction opportunities
  • Serve as the primary point of contact and subject-matter expert for the category

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision)
  • 401(k) plan with company match
  • Life and disability insurance coverage
  • 12 paid holidays and 15 paid vacation days
  • 6 weeks fully paid parental leave
  • Adoption assistance and tuition reimbursement
Full Job Description
A Day in Your Life at MKS:

As the Category Director - Electronics within our Global Supply Chain organization, you will serve as the enterprise-wide expert for your category. You will own the strategy, performance, and continuous improvement of a complex global supplier landscape-acting as the go-to authority for all category-related supply chain matters. In this high-impact leadership role, you'll report directly to the Senior Director of Global Supply Chain and help shape the future of our global sourcing capabilities.

As a strategic leader, you will guide and develop a team responsible for driving supplier performance, building resilient supply strategies, and ensuring operational excellence. Your work will directly influence business continuity, cost competitiveness, and innovation across the organization.

You will make an impact by:
  • Lead electronics category strategy development, performing market analysis, identifying emerging risks and opportunities, and shaping long-term supply plans
  • Build and manage high-performing supplier relationships, ensuring quality, delivery, compliance, and strategic alignment with business goals
  • Drive cross-functional collaboration with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, and regional supply chain teams to support product roadmaps and growth initiatives
  • Oversee supplier performance management, including scorecards, business reviews, corrective actions, and improvement initiatives
  • Champion risk mitigation, ensuring supply continuity through proactive planning, dual-sourcing, and effective commercial negotiations
  • Promote operational excellence and continuous improvement, identifying opportunities to enhance efficiency, reduce cost, and strengthen supply chain resilience
  • Act as the primary point of contact and category subject-matter expert, representing category needs across the organization
  • Perform additional reasonable duties as business needs evolve
What You Bring
  • Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred
  • 12+ years of experience driving global supply chain or strategic sourcing initiatives within electronics categories (e.g., semiconductors, PCBA, electronic components, EMS)
  • 8+ years managing global or regional teams
  • Demonstrated depth in electronics supplier ecosystems, including component manufacturers, distributors, and contract manufacturers
  • Expertise in electronics category strategy, including supplier segmentation, risk mitigation, lifecycle management (e.g., obsolescence), and long-term sourcing strategy
  • CPIM and/or APICS certification preferred
  • Proven leadership experience, with the ability to develop teams and influence cross-functional partners
  • Expertise in supplier management, commercial negotiations, forecasting, and strategic sourcing

Physical Demands & Working Conditions
  • Perform activities such as sitting, standing, or typing for extended periods of time.
  • Occasionally moves/positions objects up to 15 pounds.
  • Ability to remain in a stationary position for 40% of the time.
  • Must be able to communicate information and ideas so others will understand.
  • Must be able to exchange accurate information.
  • Ability to observe documents and details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Operates in a professional office and/or manufacturing environment.
  • Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery.
  • Noise level in the work environment is usually average.


We are interested in a qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we will not be sponsoring work visas for this position, at this time.

Salary Pay Range: $168,300-$280,500 per year. This range is a good faith estimate of the expected salary range for this position, based on a wide range of factors including qualifications, experience and training, operational and business needs and other considerations permitted by law.

At MKS, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for the role.

Bonus: This position is eligible for a discretionary annual bonus, in an amount to be determined by MKS [or as applicable].

Benefits: MKS offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance coverage (medical, dental and vision), 401(k) with company match, life and disability insurance, 12 paid holidays, sick time, 15 paid vacation days, [6 weeks fully paid] parental leave, adoption assistance and tuition reimbursement [and for participation in any stock programs, signing bonus, etc.].

Relocation benefits are not available for this position.

#LI-EKI

Globally, our policy is to recruit individuals from wide and diverse backgrounds. However, certain positions require access to controlled goods and technologies subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Applicants for these positions may need to be "U.S. persons." "U.S. persons" are generally defined as U.S. citizens, noncitizen nationals, lawful permanent residents (or, green card holders), individuals granted asylum, and individuals admitted as refugees.

If applying for a specific job, please include the requisition number (ex: RXXXX), the title and location of the role

About MKS Instruments, Inc.

MKS Instruments, Inc. is a global provider of instruments, subsystems and process control solutions that measure, monitor, deliver, analyze, power and control critical parameters of advanced manufacturing processes to improve process performance and productivity for our customers. Our products are derived from our core competencies in pressure measurement and control, flow measurement and control, gas and vapor delivery, gas composition analysis, residual gas analysis, leak detection, control technology, ozone generation and delivery, RF & DC power, reactive gas generation, vacuum technology, photonics, sub-micron positioning, vibration isolation and optics. Our primary served markets include semiconductor capital equipment, general industrial, life and health sciences, research and defense.
Learn more about MKS Instruments, Inc.
Size
6,000 employees
Market Cap
$5.5 billion
Industry
Net Income
$350.1 million
5 Year Trend
+17.9%
Revenue
$2.3 billion
NASDAQ

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