Category Manager

Get to know the role

• Job Title: Category Manager
• Job Summary: The Category Manager is responsible for the category management of indirect spend categories (i.e., marketing, professional services, e-commerce, etc.) at The Pokémon Company International (TPCi), including the development of category plans, execution of sourcing strategies, and management of supplier relationships.  
• FLSA Classification (US Only): Exempt
• People Manager: No

What you’ll do

• Employ a customer-centric approach to providing internal and external stakeholders (i.e., TPCi process and business stakeholders and third-party suppliers) with excellent category management support.
• Partner and collaborate with Global Procurement teams (i.e., Procurement Operations and Accounts Payable), cross-functional teams (e.g., Legal, Information Security, Finance, etc.), and third-party managed service providers (MSPs) to support stakeholders effectively.

Category Management

• Develop and maintain relationships with functional business stakeholders in respective group of categories.
• Develop category plans for categories in alignment with overall category management objectives.
• Develop the formal category requirements aligned to business priorities and category management objectives.
• Develop category plans based on analysis of spend data, supply market dynamics, category intelligence, and business requirements.
• Develop, measure, maintain, benchmark and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for categories.
• Continuously research category management best practices and new trends that could be implemented for TPCi.
• Evaluate and analyze annual spend data, external market data, and other necessary information to support the enhancement and validation of category-specific strategies.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to develop build influence, evaluate, and change the status quo; identify and obtain buy-in for category strategy and value opportunities.
• Drive value beyond cost (i.e., risk mitigation, operational efficiencies, innovation, etc.).

Strategic Sourcing

• Coordinate and implement strategic sourcing initiatives for assigned categories.
• Execute strategic sourcing projects using best practice sourcing methodology to deliver exceptional total value in partnership with key stakeholders across the business.
• Assess supplier capabilities and identify new suppliers.
• Prepare and present business cases and should-cost models; perform complex data analysis and build financial models (i.e., ROI, NPV, supplier scorecards, savings tracking, make vs. buy decision models).
• Analyze and summarize RFP responses and results and prepare recommendations for business stakeholders.
• Ensure savings are delivered in a timely manner and that TPCi realizes expected benefits.
• Oversee and negotiate business terms within contract agreement forms for respective categories within TPCi Legal’ s established risk framework.
• Coordinate drafting and negotiation of terms and conditions with the Legal department; identify and escalate legal risk to Legal department as needed.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Manage supplier performance within the supplier relationship management framework and category strategy.
• Establish and manage the governance processes with suppliers and outsourced partners for categories.
• Implement strategies to best manage the supplier base for categories, reviewing suppliers against contracted obligations/service levels and business expectations.
• Provide feedback on supplier performance, seek continuous improvement, and innovation.
• Execute supplier performance measurement framework and develop stakeholder guidelines in conjunction with category management strategic objectives, leveraging performance management information as appropriate.
• Identify and manage supplier risks and risk response plans.
• Schedule, manage, and facilitate supplier relationship management meetings and reviews.
• Develops implementation and transition plans acting as a change agent.
• Implements and drives procurement strategy, policies, and procedures.
• Enforces compliance to procurement policies and works to increase adoption.

What you’ll bring 

• Five (5) to seven (7) years of related professional experience.
• Bachelors degree in a related field or a demonstrated equivalent level of experience.
• Category management subject matter expertise and deep knowledge of source-to-pay (S2P) processes.
• Proficiency in spend analysis, market intelligence analysis, financial analysis, demand/supply planning, sourcing strategy development, negotiation, stakeholder management, contracts management, supplier performance management, project management, etc.
• Effective organizational skills and managing multiple and competing priorities and projects effectively.
• Self-motivation and innate sense of agency and autonomy. 
• Excellent communication and customer service skills (verbal and written).
• Ability to present at the executive-level and communicate elements of complex deals and make recommendations.
• Continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to support transformation and adopt change.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to travel up to 6 times per year domestically and internationally.

Base salary range: For this role, new hires generally start between $93,000.00 – $110,000.00. The full range is $93,000.00 - $140,000.00. This range is applicable for the labor market where the role is intended to be hired. The final base salary is directly related to each candidates’ qualifications and experience uniquely.

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