Strategic Sourcing And Category Manager

Our client is seeking a Strategic Sourcing and Category Manager to join their team.

Essential Job Functions:

• Understand total spend, pricing structure, commercial terms and trends for raw materials, purchased finished products, and manufactured assemblies with a particular knowledge of market dynamics and supply chain in electronics.
• Develop strategic electronics category roadmaps, which include identifying and developing new suppliers for potential savings capture and new product development opportunities.
• Review electronic assembly BOMs, technical drawings, and engineering specifications to determine strategic sourcing decisions and provide manufacturing readiness feedback.
• Develop risk mitigation measures to combat the continuous supply constraints within the Electronic supply chain market.
• Manage Purchase Price Variance (PPV) containment and avoidance solutions minimizing negative P&L impact while maintaining material availability to support manufacturing operations.
• Monitors overall supplier performance with assigned categories and develops & implements corrective action and recovery plans as required alongside Supplier Quality Engineering.
• Lead Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) activities for electronics categories including the management of current year savings as well as the development of multi-year savings pipelines.
• Collaborate with various internal stakeholders including Engineering, Product Line Management, Project Management, Field Operators, and Finance partners.
• Conduct and assess RFQs/RFPs/RFIs, negotiations, supplier evaluations, and determine supplier selection for direct spend on mechanical related categories.
• Support End of Life products and part legacy support workstreams with the development and execution of strategies to sustain operations and revenue expectations.
• Implement performance management processes, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) metrics, and measurement dashboards to ensure supplier performance and key initiatives.
• Provide strong technical direction within the electrical categories by evaluating and guiding product strategy throughout the product development and manufacturing lifecycles.
• Develop & execute strategic agreements (NDA/JDA/MSA) alongside legal counsel that support business initiatives and expectations taking into account fixed and variable costs, lead-times, schedules, manufacturing capacities, and IP protection.
• Identifying performance gaps and opportunities and develop new strategies and initiatives to close the gaps and develop new savings initiatives.

Responsibilities:

Required Work Experience:

• 10+ years of strategic sourcing, procurement, and relevant category experience in direct spend, focus on mechanical domains.
• Significant background with mechanical component demand-supply cycles with varied approaches in partnering with suppliers to ensure high demand-supply alignment in a volatile environment.
• Well-versed in TCO analysis to ensure data-driven analytics tied to component and supplier selection, in a product-based ecosystem.
• Ability to interact and negotiate with Key suppliers and internal stakeholders on key contracts and services while negotiating in complex and ever-changing environments.
• Must have the ability to demonstrate expertise across a complex set of electronics and electrical spend categories, including knowledge of marketplace dynamics, supplier profiles, current events, and technical processes/capabilities.
• Experience with ERP systems, Spend Data Analytics & Reporting, eSourcing, and contract management systems required.
• Identify and develop business cases for a healthy year-over-year cost reduction pipeline with suppliers through should costing, process improvement, and innovative strategies.
• Advocate on behalf of the PSM organization function with business units and operational partners to ensure support for core business objectives.
• Analyzing, selecting/recommending, approving, and auditing suppliers based upon supplier evaluation metrics relative to procurement, engineering, quality, and manufacturing requirements.
• Strong leadership and collaboration skills to build and maintain trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to confidently present complex information to senior executives.
• A flexible, dynamic, self-demanding and proactive individual; able to motivate him/herself.
• Ability to think strategically and develop the organization s future state strategy.
• Strong Business Acumen the ability to understand challenges through the eyes of the business leaders.
• An agile and strategic leader with proven results and the ability to collaborate across multiple business functions leveraging facts and data to influence.
• High level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency to deliver results.
• Proven track record in leadership roles within sourcing and procurement organizations and transformations
• Experience in the OEM, elevator industry, aerospace, oil & gas, or similar industries
• Must be willing to travel 10% or more as required including but not limited to any business-specific requirements for training or last-minute mitigation items.

Required Education, Certifications, Training:

• Bachelor s degree: Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or Business Administration is required; Master s/MBA preferred.
• Certifications: Supply Chain Management, Purchasing, Six Sigma Green/Black Belt or PMP desired.
• Expert understanding of purchasing policies, procedures, practices, and the value and use of procure-to-pay (P2P) digital platforms.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Power Point, Excel, Word, Visio), SAP, Oracle and/or Ariba.
• Deep understanding of strategic sourcing and procurement processes and strategies.
• Advanced understanding of electronics supply landscapes, manufacturing, and product lifecycles.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and adapt to changing business needs and priorities.

Salary/Rate: $50-$65/HR (depends on experience level). This is a contract position with candidates expected to work 40 hours/ week.

About Us

Peterson Technology Partners (PTP) is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating a transparent, inclusive, and human-centered hiring experience.

For more than 28 years, PTP has operated as a premier Information Technology (IT) staffing, consulting, and recruiting firm built on trust, long-term partnerships, and technical excellence.

Based in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, IL, our team of more than 500 employees and consultants is dedicated to helping every client make the best hiring decisions possible.

As part of that commitment, we believe in providing clear information about how our hiring technologies work and how your data is used. The following section outlines our AI-assisted interview process and your rights as a candidate.

AI-Assisted Interview Experience (Pete & Gabi Rebecca):

To provide a consistent, fair, and flexible experience for all candidates, we use AI-assisted tools including our proprietary platform Pete & Gabi Rebecca to support parts of the interview process. These tools help us:

• transcribe interviews,
• summarize candidate responses,
• generate job-related insights
• streamline communication and scheduling.

Please note that

• AI does NOT make hiring decisions.
• All decisions are made by our human recruiters, hiring managers, or client partners.
• The AI does not evaluate facial expressions, emotions, or physical traits.
• It is used only to support fairness, consistency, and efficiency.

If you prefer a non-AI interview format, we will gladly provide an alternative.

Technical or Case Interviews (Role-Dependent):

For certain positions, you may participate in:

• a technical interview
• a coding challenge
• a case study
• a client-specific assessment.

We will always explain what to expect in advance so you can prepare with confidence.

Human Review & Selection:

Every candidate s profile including interviews, conversations, and assessments is reviewed by experienced recruiters and hiring leaders.

AI insights may assist with organization and evaluation, but final decisions are always human-driven.

Your Rights as a Candidate

At PTP, every candidate has the right to:

• Request a non-AI interview path
• Ask how your data is being used
• Request access to transcripts or interview recordings
• Request deletion of your AI-recorded interview
• Receive clear, timely communication

Our goal is to ensure you feel respected, informed, and supported throughout your experience

Our Commitment:

For more than 28 years, PTP has focused on putting people first candidates, consultants, employees, and clients.

We re committed to a hiring process that is:

• transparent
• compliant
• equitable
• powered by innovative technology that enhances not replaces human judgment.

Welcome to the future of hiring at Peterson Technology Partners.

We re excited to learn more about you

Equal Employment Opportunity

Peterson Technology Partners is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.