Job Description:
Strategic Category & Sourcing Manager (New Joint Venture)
The successful candidate may be employed by 3M prior to closing and the position is expected to transition to the Joint Venture following completion of the transaction. Role scope and timing are subject to business needs and successful transaction close.
For more information, please refer to the press release:
This position provides an opportunity to transition from other private, public, government or military experience to a 3M career.
The Impact You’ll Make in this Role
As the Strategic Category & Sourcing Leader, you will lead the strategic direction, performance, and execution of both Direct Materials and Indirect Procurement sourcing activities within a highly regulated industry environment. In this role, you will provide leadership to Strategic Category & Sourcing Managers responsible for direct material categories supporting custom-designed products, as well as indirect spend categories including MRO, Fleet, IT, Capital Projects, R&D, and Energy.
You will be responsible for building and leading a high-performing sourcing organization that delivers cost competitiveness, strong supplier performance, supply continuity, commercial discipline, risk management, and operational support. Working closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, R&D, IT, Facilities, and other stakeholders, you will ensure sourcing strategies and supplier agreements support business objectives, new product introductions, and long-term growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and develop a team of Strategic Category & Sourcing Managers responsible for both direct material and indirect sourcing categories.
- Set strategic direction for category management and sourcing execution across direct and indirect spend areas.
- Ensure sourcing strategies align with business priorities for cost, quality, service, growth, supply continuity, and risk mitigation.
- Provide leadership on supplier strategy, supplier performance, sourcing execution, and business partnership across the sourcing organization.
- Oversee the negotiation, implementation, renewal, and extension of commercial agreements and contracts across direct and indirect categories.
- Ensure appropriate agreement coverage, contract governance, and commercial discipline are in place to support business continuity and risk management.
- Drive supplier performance improvement across quality, delivery, service, responsiveness, capacity, and cost.
- Lead sourcing support for new product introduction activities, including early supplier engagement, design for manufacturability alignment, plan for every part (PFEP), and supply chain readiness to support launch timelines.
- Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, R&D, IT, and Facilities teams to align sourcing strategies with business and operational requirements.
- Lead the identification and mitigation of sourcing risks, including supplier performance, capacity constraints, contract gaps, sole or single sourcing, raw material availability, inflation, and operational disruption.
- Establish strong governance for supplier management, sourcing execution, contracts, performance reviews, and continuous improvement.
- Use spend analysis, market intelligence, supplier benchmarking, and performance metrics to identify sourcing opportunities and improve competitiveness.
- Support supplier qualification, change management, and compliance with applicable regulatory, quality, legal, and corporate requirements.
- Build organizational capability in strategic sourcing, supplier management, negotiation, contracting, and stakeholder management.
Your Skills and Expertise
To set you up for success in this role from day one, 3M requires (at a minimum) the following qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree or higher (completed and verified prior to start)
- Seven (7) years of experience in sourcing, category management, procurement, supply chain, engineering, manufacturing, operations, finance, or a related field in a private, public, government, or military environment
- Five (5) years' Experience leading people, including managers and/or professional individual contributors
Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:
- Experience leading both direct material and indirect sourcing or procurement organizations
- Experience supporting sourcing in a highly regulated industry environment
- Experience managing direct materials supporting custom-designed products or engineered components
- Experience overseeing indirect spend categories such as MRO, Fleet, IT, Capital Projects, R&D, Energy, Facilities, or site services
- Experience negotiating, implementing, renewing, and extending supply agreements, service agreements, and commercial contracts
- Experience supporting new product introduction, supplier readiness, design for manufacturability, and plan for every part (PFEP)
- Strong leadership, coaching, and organizational development skills
- Strong strategic sourcing, supplier management, negotiation, and contract management capabilities
- Strong analytical, financial, and business acumen
- Strong cross-functional stakeholder management skills
- Experience working in a manufacturing environment
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, visual charting, and data analytics
- Experienced in Excel-based analysis, visual reporting, and chart creation
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
Work location:
- Work location: This role follows an on-site working model in Monroe, NC
Travel: May include up to 20%
Relocation: May be authorized
Supporting Your Well-being
3M offers many programs to help you live your best life – both physically and financially. To ensure competitive pay and benefits, 3M regularly benchmarks with other companies that are comparable in size and scope.
Chat with Max
For assistance with searching through our current job openings or for more information about all things 3M, visit Max, our virtual recruiting assistant on 3M.com/careers.
Applicable to US Applicants Only:The expected compensation range for this position is $188,251 - $230,084, which includes base pay plus variable incentive pay, if eligible. This range represents a good faith estimate for this position. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant knowledge, training, skills, work location, and/or experience. In addition, this position may be eligible for a range of benefits (e.g., Medical, Dental & Vision, Health Savings Accounts, Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Disability Benefits, Life Insurance, Voluntary Benefits, Paid Absences and Retirement Benefits, etc.). Additional information is available at: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/.
Good Faith Posting Date Range 06/30/2026 To 07/30/2026 Or until filled
All US-based 3M full time employees will need to sign an employee agreement as a condition of employment with 3M. This agreement lays out key terms on using 3M Confidential Information and Trade Secrets. It also has provisions discussing conflicts of interest and how inventions are assigned. Employees that are Job Grade 7 or equivalent and above may also have obligations to not compete against 3M or solicit its employees or customers, both during their employment, and for a period after they leave 3M.
Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the world’s problems at www.3M.com or on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn [redacted].
Responsibilities of this position include that corporate policies, procedures and security standards are complied with while performing assigned duties.
Safety is a core value at 3M. All employees are expected to contribute to a strong Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) culture by following safety policies, identifying hazards, and engaging in continuous improvement.
Pay & Benefits Overview: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/
Please note: your application may not be considered if you do not provide your education and work history, either by: 1) uploading a resume, or 2) entering the information into the application fields directly.
