Senior Category Manager, NPM - Zeiss Group

About Us:

How many companies can say they’ve been in business for over 177 years?!

Here at ZEISS, we certainly can! As the pioneers of science, ZEISS handles the everchanging environments in a fast-paced world, meeting it with cutting edge of technologies and continuous advancements. ZEISS believes that innovation and technology are the key to a sustainable future and solutions for global change. We have a diverse range of portfolios throughout the ZEISS family in segments like, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology. We are a global company with over 42,000 employees and have over 4,000 in the US and Canada alone! Make a difference, come join the team!

What’s the role?

In your position as Senior Category Manager, NPM, you will lead procurement objectives in alignment with global and domestic site Procurement teams at ZEISS entities located in North America. Collaborating closely across Business Units on a national scale, you represent the North America NPM Procurement hub in national and global initiatives to drive value for ZEISS on an enterprise level.

Sound Interesting?

Here’s what you’ll do:

Strategic Sourcing:

• Conduct supply market analysis and leverage procurement data analytics to develop national sourcing strategies.

• Lead requirements alignment with national Business Units to execute complex RFPs in a multi-stakeholder setting.

• Prepare and analyze cost breakdowns and develop spend forecasts in collaboration with Business Units and Finance.

• Develop and execute price and contract negotiation strategies and lead supplier selection process in collaboration with Business Units to meet quality, service, and cost requirements in alignment with Legal and Business Units.

Strategic Category Management:

• Identify national and global bundling opportunities, develop, and execute strategies in collaboration with local and global Procurement teams and Business Units.

• Monitor cost exposure in Indirect Spend categories, develop and execute cost down initiatives on an enterprise level to improve bottom line.

• Optimize supplier portfolio to drive efficiencies in Business Units, Finance and Procurement on a national scale.

• Provide subject matter expertise in assigned categories for local site Procurement teams.

Strategic Vendor Management:

• Oversee national Corporate Services programs and drive initiatives to enhance services portfolio and reduce costs.

• Establish and monitor performance targets and further transparency through meaningful reporting.

• Serve as a point of escalation for performance concerns and orchestrate remediation initiatives with vendors and internal stakeholders.

• Further strategic relationships with vendors to build capabilities that drive innovation and/or efficiencies for ZEISS.

Reporting / Analytics:

• Lead national Procurement KPI reporting in alignment with global Procurement Excellence team.

• Develop periodic vendor reporting to create transparency around Corporate Services programs for Business Units.

• Leverage procurement data analysis tools to increase national Indirect Spend transparency.  

Continuous Improvement:

• Collaborate with Business Units and global Procurement teams to improve Corporate Services program processes (Fleet, credit cards, travel, etc.).

• Provide subject matter expertise in global and national roll-outs of procurement tools and systems.

• Support category management-related Procure-to-Pay initiatives with Finance and Tax.

Governance and Compliance

• Collaborate with national and global Indirect Spend Procurement teams to adapt and implement policies and corporate standard operation procedures in North America.

• Support leadership in P2P related corporate audits and support business services functions in enterprise-wide remediation initiatives.

Do you qualify? ​

• Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, or related discipline.

• Minimum of 5-7 years’ experience in Procurement, Category Management, Strategic Sourcing or Finance.

• Experience in working with various Indirect Spend categories (e.g. Corporate Travel, IT/Mobility Wireless, Logistics, Fleet, Marketing, Corporate Services).

• Able to provide reporting (KPI, project progress, etc.) to multiple leadership within the company.

• Financial aptitude to assess sourcing and business decisions on financial statements and finance operations.

• Strong negotiation skills and the ability to analyze cost models and develop negotiation targets.

• Advanced understanding of contracting processes and contract law.

• Expertise in procurement tools, systems, and data analytics (SAP, Jaggaer, PowerBI, etc.)

Nice to haves:

• Comfortable acting as a change agent in a VUCA environment with a focus on the "big picture".

• Interpersonal skills to build collaborative relationships with local and global Procurement teams, Business Unit stakeholders and vendor partners.

• Demonstrated ability to lead complex, multi-stakeholder procurement projects on a national and global scale.

Working Conditions and Special Demands:

• Hybrid work schedule – 3 days in the office/2 days remote.

• Able and willing to travel within the US and Internationally.

The annual pay range for this position is $110,400 – $138,000

The pay offered for this role may be influenced by factors such as job location, scope of role, qualifications, education, experience, & complexity/specialization/scarcity of talent.

This position is also eligible for a performance bonus or sales commissions.  ZEISS also offers robust benefits, including medical plans, retirement savings plan and paid time off.

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team:

Zeiss provides Equal Employment Opportunity without unlawful regard to an Applicants race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, marital status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, citizen status, sexual orientation, pregnancy (includes childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical condition), genetic predisposition, carrier status, gender expression or identity, including transgender identity, or any other class or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law of the employee (or the people with whom the employee associates, including relatives and friends).