What you will do!Own a category of CEL's spend end to end and secure the supply, capacity and cost the business needs to grow 3-5x. The Senior Category Manager is CEL's expert in their market: who makes what, where capacity really sits, how suppliers price and allocate, and where the risks are. They turn that knowledge into a category strategy, supplier agreements and day-to-day commercial decisions that protect delivery, margin and cash.
This is a specialist role, not a generic buying role. CEL staffs specialists aligned to the constraint each market presents, because a market as tight as transformers, breakers or copper rewards people who understand the constraint.
Core AccountabilitiesCategory strategy- Build and own a 2-3 year category strategy: market and supplier analysis, demand outlook from S&OP, cost drivers, risks, target supply base and sourcing plan.
- Know the market better than anyone in CEL - capacity, lead times, pricing trends, new entrants, technology change and supplier financial health - and brief the business on it.
Sourcing, negotiation and agreements- Run sourcing events, should-cost analysis and supplier selection with Engineering, on a total cost of acquisition basis.
- Negotiate and manage long-term, master supply, capacity reservation, VMI and consignment agreements, with Legal.
- Set commercial terms - price, indexation, payment terms, cancellation and remaindering - that protect margin and cash.
Capacity and supply security- Turn the S&OP demand plan into capacity commitments and allocations ahead of need, including the long-lead orders that gate new product launches.
- Bring supplier capacity, lead times and allocation to the monthly S&OP Procurement and Allocation Review, and maintain the category's supplier capacity data in CEL's planning data set.
- Reduce single-source and unqualified exposure: qualify second sources and alternatives with Engineering as design authority.
Cost- Own material cost against bid, purchase price variance and cost avoidance for the category, and give Sales accurate, current supply costs and approved suppliers for bids.
- Drive value with Engineering and Production: make-vs-buy, sub-assemblies, multi-use parts, parts reduction and design for manufacture.
Supplier performance and qualification- Qualify every supplier before CEL relies on it: technical specifications, audits and onboarding, with Quality and Engineering.
- Run scorecards and business reviews on delivery, quality, cost and responsiveness; lead supplier development and recovery when performance falls short.
- Support the BU Supply Chain Operations teams with escalations on shortages and supplier recovery, while keeping day-to-day expediting with them.
Trading Business Unit - Hold the buy/sell P&L for the assigned trading product line: pricing with Sales, supplier terms, margin, stock risk and growth of the line.
RequirementsEssential- Specific buying or commercial experience in the seat's category - this is the most important requirement. Candidates must know the products, the suppliers, how the market prices and allocates, and where capacity really sits.
- 8+ years in procurement, category management, sourcing or commercial roles in manufacturing or the wider industrial supply chain, with at least 3 years owning a category or major supplier portfolio.
- A track record of negotiating long-term, capacity or master supply agreements and delivering measurable cost and supply-security results.
- Strong commercial and analytical skills: should-cost, total cost of acquisition, contract terms, indexation.
- Confident with engineers, production teams and supplier executives; able to influence without authority.
- Working ERP / MRP knowledge.
- Degree in engineering, supply chain, business or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- Travel: around 20-30%, to suppliers in Europe, the US and Asia and to CEL sites.
Preferred- Comparable complex industrial manufacturing - for example automotive, electrical equipment, power distribution, critical power or data-center infrastructure.
- Experience in a high-growth or scale-up business.
- MCIPS or equivalent professional procurement qualification.
BenefitsWhat's Offered:- Competitive salary and performance-based incentives
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) retirement plan
- Paid time off and holidays
- Professional development and career advancement opportunities
- Dynamic and innovative work environment
