CATEGORY SPECIALIST / LEAD (SOURCING) - #1164266

As Category Specialist, you will be responsible for the overall performance and strategic direction of assigned product categories. You will lead sourcing initiatives, supplier relationship management, category development, pricing strategies, and commercial optimization to achieve sustainable revenue growth, margin improvement, and customer value creation.

You will collaborate closely and influence Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, Product Management, Regional Sourcing teams, Local Sourcing Project teams to execute category strategies while ensuring alignment with business objectives. engage and influence at all levels through your partnership with sales, supply chain and many more functions.

What will you deliver?

Category Strategy & Management

- Develop and execute category strategies aligned with business objectives and market opportunities.

- Define category roadmaps, growth plans, and sourcing strategies to drive revenue growth and margin expansion.

- Manage product portfolios, product segmentation, and category structures to optimize market competitiveness.

- Establish and maintain category taxonomy, classification standards and sourcing governance.

- Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders (regional Sourcing teams, Sales, Operations, etc.) in executing these strategies.

- Monitor industry trends, customer requirements, competitor activities, and market developments to identify opportunities and risks.

- Act as the subject matter expert for assigned categories and provide technical and commercial guidance to internal stakeholders.

- Support new business opportunities, customer projects, and strategic initiatives through category expertise and sourcing support.

- Support local sourcing team in managing assigned commodities.

- Accountable for overall performance, profitability, and growth of assigned categories.

- Drive category rationalization and supplier consolidation initiatives to maximize value and reduce complexity.

Strategic Sourcing & Commercial Management.

- Develop and implement sourcing strategies that optimize total cost of ownership, supply continuity, and commercial performance.

- Develop and govern category pricing strategies, margin frameworks, and supplier pricing structures.

- Source, evaluate, qualify and onboard new suppliers in line with commodity strategy.

- Continuously evaluate supplier capabilities, risks, and market positioning to support business growth.

- Drive improvements in quality, delivery and cost to meet Strategic Sourcing targets and initiatives.

- Lead supplier negotiations covering pricing, rebates, payment terms, service levels, inventory programs, and contractual agreements.

- Establish and maintain pricing frameworks and benchmarks, market intelligence, margin targets, and category pricing strategies to support commercial decision making.

- Ensure agreed pricing structures and commercial agreements are effectively implemented and adhered to across local sourcing and operational teams.

- Review sales, profitability, and category performance data to identify improvement opportunities.

- Deliver annual cost savings, margin improvement, and working capital objectives.

Supplier Relationship Management.

- Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with key suppliers.

- Conduct and lead business reviews and strategic business planning sessions with strategic and critical suppliers involving relevant stakeholders.

- Establish joint business plans with strategic suppliers to support revenue growth, innovation, supply continuity, and cost competitiveness.

- Monitor supplier performance through KPIs covering quality, delivery, cost competitiveness, innovation, and service.

- Drive supplier performance improvement initiatives and corrective action plans where required to achieve performance targets.

- Lead supplier audits, supplier development programs, and supplier rationalization activities.

- Negotiate and manage supplier agreements to establish mutually beneficial and sustainable relationships.

- Devise and implement action plans to continuously improve Strategic Sourcing capabilities as well as support business development regionally.

Cross-functional Collaboration.

- Partner closely with Sales, Operations, Procurement, Supply Chain, and Customer Service teams to support business growth.

- Influence stakeholders and drive alignment across functions to achieve strategic business objectives.

- Support key customer engagements and provide category expertise for strategic opportunities.

- Collaborate with local sourcing team and regional sourcing teams to align category strategies, supplier initiatives, and best practices.

- Facilitate communication between suppliers and internal stakeholders to ensure effective execution of business objectives.

- Provide category expertise, market intelligence and supplier insights to support business decisions and customer opportunities by serving as a trusted sourcing advisor.

Continuous Improvement & Governance.

- Continuously review category performance and identify opportunities for optimization.

- Drive process improvements, standardization, and sourcing best practices across the organization.

- Support data-driven decision-making initiatives within category management.

- Ensure compliance with company policies, sourcing procedures, contractual obligations, and ethical sourcing standards.

- Maintain accurate category data, supplier information, and reporting within ERP and procurement systems.

- Facilitate regional engagement to continuously build pipelines and achieve year-on-year savings target.

- Identify strategic sourcing best practices and drive these best practices

- Ensure world class customer service to both internal and external stakeholder is achieved.

- Ensure compliance with Vallen’s sourcing policies and procedures.

Key Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in related discipline

- Minimum 5–8 years of experience in Category Management, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, or Supply Chain Management.

- Proven experience developing and executing sourcing and category strategies.

- Experience within MRO, Industrial Distribution, Manufacturing, Engineering, Safety, Tooling, Machining, Spare Parts, or Technical Products is preferred.

- Strong supplier relationship and stakeholder management skills.

- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.

- Effective communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.

- Good team player with the ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively under deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

- Ability to manage ambiguity and apply problem-solving skills

- Understanding of financial concepts such as EBIT and working capital