Job Description
The Head of Horizontal Category Management & China for Global leads the strategy, governance, and execution of global “horizontal” or foundational categories that serve all business units and product lines — and directs the China for Global supplier development and execution organization. This role is responsible for defining and deploying enterprise-wide category strategies across key horizontal commodities while simultaneously building, qualifying, and ramping China-based suppliers aligned to BU technology roadmaps and advanced sourcing needs.
The position drives global scale, supplier consolidation, and value creation through a coordinated category management approach aligned with business unit priorities and engineering roadmaps. The China for Global mandate adds an execution-focused arm that scouts, vets, qualifies, and ramps suppliers in China to serve global BU requirements — functioning as a dedicated project execution resource for Global Category Teams (GCTs) and Procurement Product Management Teams (PMTs), not as a parallel region or independent supply base.
The role operates within a global procurement model where category strategy is led centrally and execution is aligned across regions and business units, enabling consistency, leverage, and operational excellence. Leadership scope includes Horizontal Teams across product category codes serving all 4 BU verticals, plus the China for Global execution organization. Leads 7+ direct reports with total organization size of ~80+.
Within the procurement operating model, this role serves as the single source of truth for category economics across all horizontal categories worldwide — setting the multi-year supply market vision, governing the supplier panel, and driving should-cost discipline — while ensuring China for Global delivers a qualified, ramped pipeline of suppliers ready for BU deployment.
Responsibilities
- Category Strategy and Value Delivery
- Define and execute global category strategies across horizontal categories (e.g., metals, electronics, wire/cable, packaging, fasteners), aligned to enterprise priorities.
- Drive cost optimization, total cost of ownership improvements, and value engineering initiatives.
- Establish category roadmaps with clear cost, risk, and performance targets over a multi-year horizon.
- China for Global — Supplier Development & Execution
- Lead the China for Global organization as a dedicated execution arm of the GCTs and PMTs — scouting, vetting, qualifying, and ramping China-based suppliers aligned to BU technology and product roadmaps.
- Manage BU-related supplier projects end-to-end: identification, technical qualification, capacity validation, quality certification, and production ramp.
- Handle unique and emerging categories tied to BU advanced technology groups, leveraging China's manufacturing and technology ecosystem.
- Execute locally in China so other regional teams and GCTs do not constantly need to travel, serving as the on-the-ground execution resource.
- Maintain close engagement with both GCTs and PMTs to ensure project priorities, timelines, and technical requirements are aligned — operating as a focused execution leg, not a parallel category management function.
- Operating Model and Governance
- Lead a globally integrated category management model with centralized strategy and regional execution alignment, including the China for Global execution function.
- Define governance, decision rights, and standard processes across all horizontal categories and China for Global project workflows.
- Ensure consistency in sourcing processes, supplier selection, and contract management.
- Supplier Strategy and Performance
- Develop and execute global supplier strategies, including consolidation, segmentation, and strategic partnerships.
- Lead supplier negotiations and ensure competitive commercial terms across all regions.
- Implement robust supplier performance management frameworks covering cost, quality, delivery, and innovation — extended to include China for Global supplier pipeline metrics.
- Stakeholder Alignment and Business Partnership
- Partner with BU Leaders, engineering, and operations to align category strategies and China for Global project priorities with product and growth plans.
- Ensure horizontal categories support all verticals effectively through a “horizontal service” model that integrates Category Managers across all Procurement Product Management Teams.
- Act as the primary procurement interface for cross-BU category topics and China for Global supplier development within the Procurement Operating Model governance framework.
Qualifications
- 15+ years of experience in procurement, sourcing, or supply chain leadership within a global, matrixed organization.
- Proven experience leading multi-functional procurement teams across multiple categories and regions at a senior leadership level.
- Demonstrated ability to lead global transformation and operating model design initiatives.
- Experience managing large-scale indirect spend portfolios across services, logistics, IT, and facilities.
- Strong understanding of supplier ecosystems across services, technology, and operational vendors.
- Experience in category consolidation, supplier rationalization, and contract strategy development.
- Strong experience managing global teams through both direct and matrix reporting structures.
- Direct experience with China-based supplier scouting, qualification, and development — including knowledge of China's manufacturing ecosystem, quality systems, and supplier ramp processes.
- Experience leading or overseeing cross-border supplier development programs with close alignment to BU engineering and technology teams.
