Category Mgr

Join the diverse and dynamic team that powers Michigan's largest energy provider and one of the nation's largest gas and electric combination utilities.  Consumers Energy services 6.8 million of Michigan's 10 million residents - caring for our friends and neighbors in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.  We embrace a cleaner and leaner utility vision focused on eliminating energy waste and adding renewable energy from sources such as wind and solar.

General Summary: The Category Manager is responsible for defining, developing, and executing the sourcing program for key spend categories to achieve costs savings and support objectives of strategic importance to business unit customers, supply chain, and the enterprise. The role collaborates with internal customers, suppliers, and supply chain teams to deliver value-added outcomes, procuring the best evaluated total cost of ownership while assuring quality and schedule compliance.

What we are looking for: Category Manager

We encourage you to apply if you have: equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered and reviewed.

• High School Diploma with 4 or more years of the following required:
  • Understanding of typical enterprise-wide functions and related products, equipment, and services.
  • Background in Lean, Six Sigma, or similar process improvement models.
  • Experience in Project Management
  • Experience in utility supply chain
• Bachelor’s degree in applicable Supply Chain, Engineering, Business or Accounting/Finance field- Preferred

In this role, you will:

• Category management: Manages $100M+ in annual managed-spend across respective categories. Acts as the expert for assigned categories and monitors the market drivers, supplier base, emerging technologies, regulatory factors, category spend by supplier, inventory, supplier, and fill rate performance.
• Spend and market analysis: Performs market and financial analysis to understand key market forces and to determine and mitigate the business risk associated with a supplier or contract. Evaluates and leverages rigorous analysis of market and spend data to prioritize and target strategic sourcing initiatives within assigned categories.
• Specification management: Leads the process from specification/definition of need through contract administration (may include Construction Specifications Institute) and investment recovery.
• Sourcing strategies: Synthesizes spend and market analyses to develop thorough and effective sourcing strategies. Determines the most strategic supply chain model to acquire the necessary products and services at the maximum level of savings.
• Competitive process: Fosters competition to deliver improved performance at a reduced cost. Follows the prescribed methodology and teaches the organization, describing the underlying reasons for each step during competitive bidding event execution.

• Negotiations: Collaborates to develop negotiation strategies and company positions on complex contracts, works with Legal to identify and incorporate appropriate levels of commercial protection, and conducts negotiations to ensure successful execution of strategies for optimal business outcomes. Distinguishes between positions and interests to facilitate win-win results.
• Identifies new sources of supply, and potential new products/technologies and exhibits cradle-to-grave ownership for each assigned category.
• Continuous improvement: Initiates “leading practices” within strategic procurement to achieve process excellence; stays abreast of
• industry innovations, and continuously improves the function and processes.
• Supplier development and performance: Establishes and maintains professional relationships with suppliers/partners, based on the highest ethical business practices set forth in company policy. Acts as the primary liaison to suppliers within assigned categories.
• Develops and manages tools and key performance measures for chosen suppliers and negotiates on multiple variables to award longer-term strategic contracts that result in significant cost reduction and improved service levels.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Category plan development and management large dollar risk purchases
• Supplier development and performance
• Negotiations and competitive process
• Contract development, management, and administration (may include Construction Specifications Institute)
• Spend and market analysis
• Planning and forecasting
• Continuous improvement and productivity
• Relationship Management