Associate Category Manager

About the Role

The role reports to the Regional Category Manager and involves supporting the North America category strategy, partnering with manufacturing sites and cross‑functional stakeholders to maintain a best‑in‑class supplier panel, and ensuring quality, cost, and delivery performance across tier‑2 materials. • Support definition and execution of North America category strategy for stamping components. • Partner with manufacturing sites, clusters, cross‑functional stakeholders, and Procurement to maintain a best‑in‑class supplier panel. • Ensure optimal Quality, Cost, and Delivery performance, including tier‑2 material management. • Develop and execute commodity strategies across 20+ North American sites. • Lead business risk assessments and create mitigation strategies for financial, capacity, and lead‑time risks. • Serve as subject‑matter expert on category and market trends. • Manage commercial supplier relationships, conduct business reviews, lead annual negotiations, oversee escalations, and drive sustainable development. • Identify opportunities and build pipeline for QVE, supplier changes, and supply‑base optimization. • Collaborate on procurement initiatives such as audits, tools, and process improvements. • Drive total cost of ownership reductions and value enhancements. • Track KPIs and prepare reports. • Manage comprehensive RFQ processes and support functional stakeholders. • Identify and develop strategic suppliers. • Lead sourcing, standardization, spend management, and supplier‑driven innovation. • Contribute accurate data to purchasing databases and tools. • Act as first escalation point for supplier crisis management. • Communicate supplier strategies internally.

Key Responsibilities

• ▸category strategy
• ▸supplier management
• ▸risk assessment
• ▸cost reduction
• ▸kpi tracking
• ▸rfq process

What You Bring

Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, have at least five years of procurement or supply‑chain experience, possess strong digital and analytical skills, and demonstrate leadership, negotiation, and cross‑cultural capabilities. • Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or Mechanical/Industrial/Electronics Engineering. • Minimum 5 years of procurement, purchasing, or supply chain experience. • Strong digital acumen and proficiency with online tools and applications. • Project Management experience (preferred). • Proven success in supplier negotiations. • Knowledge of legal contracts and risk management (desired). • Strong leadership and influencing skills. • Ability to work independently and in cross‑functional teams. • Comfortable working under pressure. • Strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem‑solving skills. • High cross‑cultural awareness.

Requirements

• ▸bachelor's
• ▸5+ years
• ▸digital tools
• ▸project management
• ▸negotiation
• ▸leadership

Benefits

Schneider Electric offers flexible work arrangements, paid family leave, 401(k) matching and emphasizes its IMPACT values—Inclusion, Mastery, Purpose, Action, Curiosity, Teamwork—to foster a sustainable, inclusive culture where employees can turn sustainability ambitions into actions.

Work Environment

Onsite