Category Manager

About the Role

The Category Manager – Sourcing occupies a key position within the Sourcing Team, guiding the overall sourcing direction and managing the supplier portfolio for a major product segment. This role blends data‑driven analysis with strong negotiation skills to obtain cost‑efficient purchases without sacrificing quality. The incumbent will provide support for Indian sourcing activities covering forgings, steel and machined parts, and will spearhead projects that bring production closer to the market. Working closely with global counterparts, business units and internal departments, the manager will align sourcing actions with future demand and pursue opportunities for cost reduction and supplier rationalization. • Monitor regional market trends and emerging material/process issues to inform supply chain strategies. • Provide India regional category management for forgings, steel, and machined components. • Lead localization projects for Indian plants and coordinate sourcing for BVC to EMEA and North America. • Collaborate with Global Category Manager to achieve synergy savings and supplier consolidation. • Partner with SBUs and Category Managers to identify cost‑saving opportunities through negotiations, competitive bidding, alternative processes, redesign, and material substitution. • Support global sourcing initiatives by qualifying and onboarding new suppliers with favorable commercial terms. • Drive improvements in supplier quality, delivery, cost, and cash flow via audits, scorecards, and root‑cause corrective actions. • Track product demand trends and project pipelines to secure long‑term supply base capacities. • Maintain accurate sourcing records, vendor negotiations, and supplier master data. • Assess and manage supplier risk and compliance performance.

Key Responsibilities

• ▸category management
• ▸supplier onboarding
• ▸risk assessment
• ▸demand forecasting
• ▸negotiations
• ▸supplier audits

What You Bring

A bachelor’s degree in engineering and a minimum of ten years’ experience in manufacturing sourcing are required, preferably with exposure to low‑volume, high‑complexity items. The candidate should have a track record of qualifying new suppliers, improving supplier performance, collaborating across engineering and quality functions, and making data‑based decisions, while being ready to travel extensively. • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (B.E./B.Tech) or regional equivalent. • Minimum 10 + years of sourcing experience in manufacturing, focusing on forgings, machined parts, steel, etc. • Hands‑on experience with new product development, supplier qualification, and volume ramp‑up. • Proven use of supplier performance management best practices to drive continuous improvement. • Ability to influence senior leadership across multiple cultures and geographies. • Strong analytical, problem‑solving and fact‑based decision‑making skills. • Proficiency with word processing, spreadsheets, and scheduling software. • Expertise in low‑volume, high‑mix categories with long lead times and complex parts. • Experience collaborating with engineering, quality, and supply chain teams to accelerate localization. • Willingness to travel 30‑40 % of the time.

Requirements

• ▸engineering degree
• ▸10+ years
• ▸supplier management
• ▸product development
• ▸analytical skills
• ▸travel 30%

Work Environment

Office Full-Time