American Axle & Manufacturing

Lead Category Management Strategist

American Axle & Manufacturing • $110K — $130K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or related field
  • 10+ years of purchasing or manufacturing experience
  • Experience with iron castings preferred
  • Thorough knowledge of purchasing policies and commercial practices
  • Understanding of global sourcing and supply chain risk management
  • Strong negotiation skills with a proven track record of cost savings
  • Proficiency in ERP systems (Oracle/Plex preferred) and data analytics tools

Responsibilities

  • Serve as the subject matter expert and global category owner for executive leadership
  • Lead the strategic sourcing process from RFQ to contracting
  • Execute the Global Strategy by consolidating suppliers and reducing costs
  • Collaborate on sourcing strategies for new business programs
  • Analyze supplier cost structures to identify cost reduction opportunities
  • Implement process improvements and cost reduction activities
  • Contribute to annual procurement budget development and monthly forecasts
  • Conduct negotiations and establish long-term agreements with suppliers
  • Develop and manage relationships with key suppliers for quality and delivery
  • Lead technical sourcing reviews with cross-functional teams
  • Align procurement strategies with internal teams' objectives

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work at the World Headquarters in Detroit, MI
  • Engagement in strategic decision-making at a global level
  • Collaboration with cross-functional teams
  • Focus on continuous improvement and innovation
  • Potential for professional growth in a leading automotive company
Full Job Description

Job Posting Title

Lead Category Management Strategist

Job Description Summary

This role located at our World Headquarters based in Detroit, MI.

The Lead Category Management Strategist drives long-term planning, category strategy development, and continuous improvement across our worldwide footprint. Serving as the global lead for the designated category, this role executes end-to-end strategic sourcing to deliver cost-effective solutions while upholding Tier 1 automotive standards for quality, capacity, and on-time delivery across all Dauch manufacturing facilities

Job Description:

  • Serve as the definitive subject matter expert and global category owner in front of executive leadership, delivering routine performance reviews, supply-market forecasts, risk outlooks, and multi-year cost-down strategies with full command of underlying data.

  • Lead the strategic sourcing process; including request for quotation, evaluation of bids, cost breakdown analysis, negotiation, supplier evaluation, sourcing recommendation, and contracting.   

  • Execute the Global Strategy with the approved supply base, consolidating strategic suppliers while reducing costs, maintaining quality and performance standards and align across all regions.

  • Collaborate on sourcing strategies for new business programs to ensure timely supplier sourcing and readiness.

  • Analyze supplier cost structures and market trends to identify opportunities for cost reductions.

  • Lead and implement process improvements / cost reduction and VAVE activities to improve competitiveness of category spend to meet or exceed budget and business plan targets.

  • Contribute to annual procurement budget development process and support submission of monthly forecasts to finance team.

  • Conduct cost and price negotiations and establish long-term agreements with suppliers to deliver the highest value materials that meet cost, quality, and delivery requirements and drive cost savings and supplier performance improvements.

  • Develop and manage relationships with key suppliers to ensure quality, cost competitiveness, and on-time delivery.

  • Lead technical sourcing reviews with supply base, systems engineering, component engineering and supplier quality engineering contacts to close out all issues and ensure cross-functional support of sourcing recommendations. Identify and mitigate risks in the supply chain, including capacity, price fluctuations, and geopolitical factors.

  • Work with internal teams (engineering, manufacturing, finance) to align procurement strategies with company objectives.

  • All other duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Education

  • Bachelor’s degree required, preferred major in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or other related field

  • 10+ years previous purchasing or related manufacturing experience preferred

  • Preferred experience with iron castings

  • Thorough knowledge of industry purchasing policies, procedures, and commercial practices

  • Understanding of global sourcing, landed cost, and supply chain risk management

  • Strong negotiation skills with a history of cost savings and supplier performance improvement

  • Proficiency in ERP systems (Oracle / Plex Preferred) and data analytics tools


About American Axle & Manufacturing

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (AAM) is a leading global Tier 1 automotive supplier of driveline and metal forming technologies that are used to power a wide range of vehicles. AAM’s products are found in vehicles that drive on the road, fly through the air, and even drive under the sea. AAM’s engineering, design, and manufacturing capabilities allow it to produce products that meet the needs of its customers around the world. AAM has over 25,000 associates operating at nearly 90 facilities in 17 countries to support its customers on global and regional platforms with a focus on quality, operational excellence and technology leadership.
Learn more about American Axle & Manufacturing
Size
18,000 employees
Market Cap
$872.8 million
Industry
Net Income
-$561.2 million
Founded
1994
5 Year Trend
+5.5%
Revenue
$4.7 billion
NASDAQ

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