What are the responsibilities and job description for the MRO Procurement Category Manager position at Burrow Global, LLC?
Job Details
Description
Burrow Global seeks to hire an experienced Procurement Category Manager to lead the development and execution of strategic initiatives and category management involving project procurement relative to MRO activities in a petrochemical environment. This is a 4-6 month Hybrid work assignment.
The MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Operations) Category Manager is responsible for the strategic sourcing, procurement, and supplier management of MRO goods and services across manufacturing and facility operations. This role drives cost optimization, supply continuity, and standardization while ensuring compliance with safety, quality, and regulatory requirements. The Category Manager develops category strategies, leads supplier negotiations, and partners closely with operations, maintenance, engineering, and EHS teams to support reliable plant performance.
Key Responsibilities
Category & Sourcing Strategy
Description
Burrow Global seeks to hire an experienced Procurement Category Manager to lead the development and execution of strategic initiatives and category management involving project procurement relative to MRO activities in a petrochemical environment. This is a 4-6 month Hybrid work assignment.
The MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Operations) Category Manager is responsible for the strategic sourcing, procurement, and supplier management of MRO goods and services across manufacturing and facility operations. This role drives cost optimization, supply continuity, and standardization while ensuring compliance with safety, quality, and regulatory requirements. The Category Manager develops category strategies, leads supplier negotiations, and partners closely with operations, maintenance, engineering, and EHS teams to support reliable plant performance.
Key Responsibilities
Category & Sourcing Strategy
- Develop and implement category strategies for MRO spend, including maintenance parts, consumables, tools, electrical, instrumentation, piping, safety supplies, and indirect operational materials.
- Conduct market analysis, cost modeling, and supplier benchmarking to identify savings opportunities and reduce total cost of ownership.
- Lead RFx activities (RFI, RFP, RFQ) to competitively source MRO materials and services while ensuring technical and operational alignment.
- Drive standardization and rationalization initiatives to reduce SKU complexity and improve inventory efficiency.
- Negotiate pricing, commercial terms, master service agreements (MSAs), and service-level agreements (SLAs) with MRO suppliers and distributors.
- Establish preferred and strategic supplier programs to support plant reliability, safety, and responsiveness.
- Develop and manage supplier KPIs, scorecards, and performance reviews focused on cost, service, quality, and delivery.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives with key suppliers to enhance service levels and operational outcomes.
- Analyze MRO spend and usage patterns to identify cost reduction, demand management, and inventory optimization opportunities.
- Partner with finance, maintenance, and plant leadership to support budgeting, forecasting, and cost control initiatives.
- Support VAVE (Value Analysis / Value Engineering), should-cost analysis, and lifecycle cost optimization efforts for critical MRO categories.
- Collaborate with maintenance, reliability, engineering, operations, and EHS teams to align sourcing strategies with plant needs.
- Support storeroom optimization, vendor-managed inventory (VMI), consignment, and service optimization initiatives.
- Act as a trusted procurement advisor to stakeholders, ensuring alignment with corporate procurement policies and operational priorities.
- Ensure supplier compliance with safety, quality, environmental, and regulatory standards (e.g., OSHA, EPA, ISO, site-specific requirements).
- Assess supplier capabilities, financial stability, and business continuity plans to mitigate supply chain and operational risk.
- Support best practice procurement processes and governance for MRO sourcing and supplier management.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Engineering, or related field. MBA or CPSM/CSCP preferred.
- Experience: 8–12 years of experience in procurement, category management, or strategic sourcing, with strong MRO and manufacturing exposure.
- Technical Skills: Proficiency with ERP and procurement systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Coupa) and spend analytics tools.
- Negotiation & Contracting: Proven experience negotiating pricing, MSAs, SLAs, and distributor agreements.
- Analytical & Strategic Thinking: Strong ability to analyze spend, evaluate supplier performance, and develop data-driven sourcing strategies.
- Cross-Functional Leadership: Demonstrated success partnering with maintenance, engineering, operations, and EHS teams in a plant environment.