Category Manager, Direct Materials

King Technology is a Minnesota-based innovator that designs and manufactures smart water care solutions for pools and hot tubs. Known for its patented technologies and purpose-driven culture, King Technology is committed to making water care easier while “Enriching Lives Daily” for customers, employees, and communities. 

Our Mission and Values:

Mission: Brilliant water care through radical invention, life-enriching ingredients and unique delivery systems.

Values: At King, we are Excellent, Courageous, and Selfless, committed to Integrity and Safety.

As Category Manager, you’ll help deliver this mission by bringing innovative ingredients, materials, and packaging from our supply partners into King’s products, while building partnerships that reflect our values.

Essential Functions:

1. NPD Sourcing Leadership

•  Lead sourcing for complex and new-to-market NPD projects, and guide the NPD buyer, who owns bidding and MPA pricing and leads less complex projects.
• Drive supplier recommendations, evaluations, and selection, making final supplier and pricing decisions with the NPD buyer, using capacity and capability input from manufacturing engineering.
• Bring supplier innovation on materials, formulations, and packaging into the NPD process, partnering with R&D early in development.
• Support make-vs.-buy evaluations with manufacturing, quality, engineering, and local General Management

2. Supplier Qualification

• Own the supplier qualification process end to end, including financial vetting, capability and risk assessment, and onboarding standards.
• Partner with the Sr. Manager, Manufacturing Engineering & Quality, who owns quality qualification, audits, and first-article approval, so suppliers are fully qualified before the first production order.

3. Category Strategy

• Develop and execute category strategies for chemicals, packaging, and contract manufacturing, prioritizing the most impactful opportunities by spend, risk, and growth.
• Maintain market intelligence on pricing, capacity, tariffs, regulatory changes, and supply trends, and translate it into sourcing recommendations.
• Own master production agreements and supply contracts, including pricing mechanisms, payment terms, advance payment protections, and quality and service requirements.
• Drive supplier consolidation and segmentation to build a focused, high-performing supply base.

4. Cost Reduction

• Set and deliver annual cost savings objectives and targets in partnership with finance, R&D, quality, purchasing, manufacturing and engineering.
• Build and manage a savings pipeline using negotiation, competitive bidding, value engineering, specification changes, supplier consolidation, and improved contract terms.
• Track and report savings using an approved methodology.

5. Supplier Performance, Risk, and Partnership

• Lead supplier relationship management with key contract manufacturers and suppliers, including scorecards and business reviews.
• Own supply risk and continuity planning, including dual sourcing, supplier financial monitoring, and contingency plans for critical materials.
• Partner with planning and purchasing to align supply plans, lead times, and capacity with demand.
• Lead sourcing for capital equipment and other non-NPD needs as assigned.