Director of Category Management

The Company

Our client is a premier, multi-regional specialty trade contractor specializing in large-scale commercial and high-density residential infrastructure. With a reputation for technical excellence, they operate as a key partner in the national construction landscape. They are currently seeking a strategic procurement leader to modernize and oversee their centralized supply chain operations.

Job Summary Reporting to a member of the Executive Leadership team, the Director of Category Management will lead a high-performing procurement organization. This role is responsible for the full lifecycle of sourcing, purchasing, and inventory management. The successful candidate will develop multi-year sourcing strategies, optimize supplier ecosystems, and ensure supply chain resilience across diverse business units.

Key Responsibilities

• Departmental Leadership: Manage a centralized team (Purchasing Managers, Category Managers, and Buyers) across a distributed multi-office environment.
• Strategic Sourcing: Execute comprehensive sourcing strategies across direct and indirect categories, utilizing market research and spend baseline analysis.
• Process Excellence: Lead the RFI/RFP process leveraging modern e-sourcing technology to ensure competitive and transparent bidding.
• Financial Analysis: Analyze complex datasets to perform "Total Cost of Ownership" (TCO) scenarios and drive data-backed award decisions.
• Supplier Relations: Manage the end-to-end supplier lifecycle, from qualification and contract negotiation to performance management (SRM) and Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs).
• Internal Integration: Partner with Finance, Operations, and Project Management to align procurement activities with project timelines and budgetary goals.
• Reporting: Maintain high visibility through metrics tracking, including cost savings, supplier performance, and inventory velocity.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Experience: 10 years of progressive leadership in procurement or supply chain, ideally within industrial distribution, MEP contracting, or large-scale construction.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field.
• Technical Expertise: Deep familiarity with technical trade commodities (e.g., HVAC, Electrical, Piping, PVF) and an understanding of underlying commodity markets (copper, resins, steel, etc.).
• Strategy & Execution: Proven history of implementing multi-year procurement roadmaps that deliver tangible bottom-line impact.
• Systems Fluency: Advanced proficiency in Excel and experience with enterprise-level ERP or Procure-to-Pay (P2P) platforms.
• Attributes: A "player-coach" mentality—capable of high-level strategy while remaining willing to engage in the tactical details when necessary.
• Preferred: Relevant certifications (CPSM, PMP, MCIPS) or a background in management consulting.