Category Manager, Sheet Metal (K3)

Job Description:

Category Manager: Sheet Metal

Procurement - Global Supply Chain - Global Engineering to Order Organization

Your Mission

The Category Manager - K3 Sheet Metal is a key strategic leadership role within Schneider Electric's Global Engineering-To-Order (ETO) Procurement organization, covering both Europe and the International Region and reporting to the Europe Procurement Director.
You will lead the procurement strategy for one of the most critical and fastest-growing categories within the Global ETO business. The category scope includes traditional sheet metal fabrication, tank Manufacturing, and skid solutions, representing a procurement portfolio of EUR200M annual business and directly supporting SE growth ambitions across 10 European plants and 9 International plants.

Your mission is to:

* Build and deploy a future-ready category strategy tailored to G ETO business needs and market dynamics.
* Coordinate plant and regional buyers, aligning local needs with regional and global priorities.
* Develop a competitive and resilient supplier base through robust supplier mapping, long-term agreements, and capacity planning.
* Ensure supply security, cost competitiveness, and operational excellence across the full value chain.
* Act as Strategic Supplier Leader for selected global suppliers, driving performance, partnership, and long-term capability development.

In this role, you connect with internal /external stakeholders with strategic procurement vision at Global ETO organization level. And build the right suppliers, the right capacity, and the right competitiveness to grow today and ready for tomorrow.

Essential Responsibilities:
1. Category Strategy & Planning
o Build and deploy 3 - 5 years category strategy and the APOP (Annual Productivity Operation Plan)
o Define category strategies that reflect plant level, product level, local, and global requirements, ensuring alignment with COE (center of excellence), Category management and G ETO priorities.
o Conduct comprehensive demand and risk assessments to anticipate capacity needs and supplier readiness.
o Guide & orient strategic suppliers to customer project buyer for project-based business development
2. Deployment & Execution
o Deploy category strategy through buyers management and to ensure consistent execution of category strategy across G ETO plants
o Partner with cross functional teams (Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Tendering, industrialization, product owner) for strategy execution.
o Lead critical supplier-related escalations (supplier capacity, pricing, lead time improvement) and secure resolution on supply, quality, or service issues.
3. Strategic Supplier Management
o Lead negotiations for MSAs, capacity agreements, long-term commitments, innovations and performance roadmaps.
o Drive supplier engagement through SRM and executive business reviews.
4. Cost, Productivity & Competitiveness
o Drive YoY productivity through: Negotiation, COS (Change of supplier), QVE (Quality Value Engineering), continue to improve payment term with +3 days / year.
o Support resiliency actions such as PO2 (power of two) programs and effective regionalization
o Set up multi-year agreements secure competitiveness and future supply stability.
5. Supply Base Optimization & Growth Enablement
o Lead SBO (supply base optimization) projects to ensure the right balance of strategic
partners, challengers, and local players.
o Refresh category strategy to confirm end game players for business growth.
o Develop suppliers to meet future technology, capacity, and sustainability requirements.
o Build a 3 year SBO ambitions on supplier concentration & execution
6. Sustainability & Compliance
o Coordinate sustainability initiatives within the category (carbon reduction, circularity, decent work program etc.).
o Ensure supplier compliance with Schneider Electric procurement policies, quality standards, and operational requirements.
7. Support upskilling category buyer competency & knowledge
o Enhance category buyers' technical understanding and strategic thinking to improve sourcing decisions and cost optimization.
o Introducing digital procurement tools and AI based should-cost methods to increase efficiency and data driven decisions
o Coach buyers to work more independently, optimize processes, and deliver higher quality, faster output.
#LI-Hybrid
#LI-VM6

What qualifications will make you successful?

About You:
* Master's degree in engineering, Supply Chain, Procurement, Business, or related field.
* 10+ years of strategic procurement and category management experience in a complex industrial or ETO environment.
* Strong capability to define and execute short & long-term categories and supplier strategies.
* Proven business acumen with the ability to drive growth, competitiveness, and profitability.
* Strong analytical mindset with expertise in market intelligence, cost analysis, risk management, and data-driven decision making.
* Ability to translate complex data into clear business insights and actions.
* Excellent negotiation and influencing skills across all organizational levels.
* Exceptional communication and executive presentation skills.
* Proven leadership in matrix organizations and cross-functional environments.
* Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building capabilities.
* Advanced digital and AI proficiency, including GenAI, analytics, automation, and AI-enabled procurement solutions.
* Passion for innovation and adoption of new technologies to improve business performance.
* Strong customer focus with an end-to-end supply chain perspective.
* High adaptability, learning agility, and resilience.
* Structured, results-oriented, and execution-focused attitude.

What's in it for me?

Schneider Electric believes in rewarding and recognizing employees who contribute to the success of the Company. We seek out and reward people for putting the customer first, being disruptive to the status quo, embracing different perspectives, continuously learning, and acting like owners.
* Competitive compensation package, according to industry standards including annual bonus, company car, cafeteria, life insurance, health care & pension fund contribution, Medicover package and a lot more.
* WESOP (World Employee Share Option Program), our unique program with the opportunity to become a shareholder in the company.
* Inclusive Environment: We build a culture of respect where everyone feels safe to be their authentic selves. We are fully committed to inclusion, and our policies and culture reflect this commitment.
* Global Family Leave Package to support a healthy work-life balance.
* Exceptional career opportunities not only locally, but on an international scope as well.
* Continuous development and learning possibilities, personally and professionally.
* We work in a hybrid set-up to fit with your lifestyle.

Ready to take your procurement career to the next level? Let's connect!
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EUR40 billion global revenue
+9% organic growth
150 000+ employees in 100+ countries

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Category Manager: Sheet Metal

Procurement - Global Supply Chain - Global Engineering to Order Organization

Your Mission

The Category Manager - K3 Sheet Metal is a key strategic leadership role within Schneider Electric's Global Engineering-To-Order (ETO) Procurement organization, covering both Europe and the International Region and reporting to the Europe Procurement Director.
You will lead the procurement strategy for one of the most critical and fastest-growing categories within the Global ETO business. The category scope includes traditional sheet metal fabrication, tank Manufacturing, and skid solutions, representing a procurement portfolio of EUR200M annual business and directly supporting SE growth ambitions across 10 European plants and 9 International plants.

Your mission is to:

* Build and deploy a future-ready category strategy tailored to G ETO business needs and market dynamics.
* Coordinate plant and regional buyers, aligning local needs with regional and global priorities.
* Develop a competitive and resilient supplier base through robust supplier mapping, long-term agreements, and capacity planning.
* Ensure supply security, cost competitiveness, and operational excellence across the full value chain.
* Act as Strategic Supplier Leader for selected global suppliers, driving performance, partnership, and long-term capability development.

In this role, you connect with internal /external stakeholders with strategic procurement vision at Global ETO organization level. And build the right suppliers, the right capacity, and the right competitiveness to grow today and ready for tomorrow.

Essential Responsibilities:
1. Category Strategy & Planning
o Build and deploy 3 - 5 years category strategy and the APOP (Annual Productivity Operation Plan)
o Define category strategies that reflect plant level, product level, local, and global requirements, ensuring alignment with COE (center of excellence), Category management and G ETO priorities.
o Conduct comprehensive demand and risk assessments to anticipate capacity needs and supplier readiness.
o Guide & orient strategic suppliers to customer project buyer for project-based business development
2. Deployment & Execution
o Deploy category strategy through buyers management and to ensure consistent execution of category strategy across G ETO plants
o Partner with cross functional teams (Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Tendering, industrialization, product owner) for strategy execution.
o Lead critical supplier-related escalations (supplier capacity, pricing, lead time improvement) and secure resolution on supply, quality, or service issues.
3. Strategic Supplier Management
o Lead negotiations for MSAs, capacity agreements, long-term commitments, innovations and performance roadmaps.
o Drive supplier engagement through SRM and executive business reviews.
4. Cost, Productivity & Competitiveness
o Drive YoY productivity through: Negotiation, COS (Change of supplier), QVE (Quality Value Engineering), continue to improve payment term with +3 days / year.
o Support resiliency actions such as PO2 (power of two) programs and effective regionalization
o Set up multi-year agreements secure competitiveness and future supply stability.
5. Supply Base Optimization & Growth Enablement
o Lead SBO (supply base optimization) projects to ensure the right balance of strategic
partners, challengers, and local players.
o Refresh category strategy to confirm end game players for business growth.
o Develop suppliers to meet future technology, capacity, and sustainability requirements.
o Build a 3 year SBO ambitions on supplier concentration & execution
6. Sustainability & Compliance
o Coordinate sustainability initiatives within the category (carbon reduction, circularity, decent work program etc.).
o Ensure supplier compliance with Schneider Electric procurement policies, quality standards, and operational requirements.
7. Support upskilling category buyer competency & knowledge
o Enhance category buyers' technical understanding and strategic thinking to improve sourcing decisions and cost optimization.
o Introducing digital procurement tools and AI based should-cost methods to increase efficiency and data driven decisions
o Coach buyers to work more independently, optimize processes, and deliver higher quality, faster output.
#LI-Hybrid
#LI-VM6

Candidate Requirements:

What qualifications will make you successful?

About You:
* Master's degree in engineering, Supply Chain, Procurement, Business, or related field.
* 10+ years of strategic procurement and category management experience in a complex industrial or ETO environment.
* Strong capability to define and execute short & long-term categories and supplier strategies.
* Proven business acumen with the ability to drive growth, competitiveness, and profitability.
* Strong analytical mindset with expertise in market intelligence, cost analysis, risk management, and data-driven decision making.
* Ability to translate complex data into clear business insights and actions.
* Excellent negotiation and influencing skills across all organizational levels.
* Exceptional communication and executive presentation skills.
* Proven leadership in matrix organizations and cross-functional environments.
* Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building capabilities.
* Advanced digital and AI proficiency, including GenAI, analytics, automation, and AI-enabled procurement solutions.
* Passion for innovation and adoption of new technologies to improve business performance.
* Strong customer focus with an end-to-end supply chain perspective.
* High adaptability, learning agility, and resilience.
* Structured, results-oriented, and execution-focused attitude.

What's in it for me?

Schneider Electric believes in rewarding and recognizing employees who contribute to the success of the Company. We seek out and reward people for putting the customer first, being disruptive to the status quo, embracing different perspectives, continuously learning, and acting like owners.
* Competitive compensation package, according to industry standards including annual bonus, company car, cafeteria, life insurance, health care & pension fund contribution, Medicover package and a lot more.
* WESOP (World Employee Share Option Program), our unique program with the opportunity to become a shareholder in the company.
* Inclusive Environment: We build a culture of respect where everyone feels safe to be their authentic selves. We are fully committed to inclusion, and our policies and culture reflect this commitment.
* Global Family Leave Package to support a healthy work-life balance.
* Exceptional career opportunities not only locally, but on an international scope as well.
* Continuous development and learning possibilities, personally and professionally.
* We work in a hybrid set-up to fit with your lifestyle.

Ready to take your procurement career to the next level? Let's connect