Category Manager — Ancillary Parts, Comfort Solution Chillers

Category Strategy & Cost 

• Own the multi-year category strategy for ~$150M–$400M+ of ancillary spend, refreshed at least annually and aligned to the product roadmap and volume forecast. 

• Deliver 6% annual net savings through negotiation, should-cost modeling, resourcing, design-to-value, and payment-term improvement. 

• Build and defend should-cost / clean-sheet models on the top 20–30 parts to negotiate from fact, not from last year's price plus inflation. 

• Lead supplier consolidation to reduce a fragmented base (often 150–300+ suppliers) by 20–40%, concentrating volume with fewer, stronger partners while avoiding single-source exposure on critical parts. 

Supplier Management & Negotiation 

• Negotiate and own contracts (LTAs, pricing, terms, SLAs) with commercial and legal-approved terms; target payment terms of net-60 to net-90 to improve working capital. 

• Run the supplier alliance / QBR process with strategic suppliers — scorecards on cost, quality (PPM), delivery (OTD %), and innovation. 

• Drive dual-sourcing and regional balance across U.S., EU, China, India, and Mexico to protect against tariff, logistics, and geopolitical shocks. 

Supply Continuity & Risk 

• Own supply assurance for the category — maintain <1% line-down risk exposure and a risk register covering single-source parts, financially weak suppliers, and long-lead components. 

• Lead resourcing and qualification of second sources for the top single-source risks (target: no critical part on a single unqualified source). 

• Manage obsolescence, refrigerant transitions, and regulatory change (e.g., low-GWP refrigerant / A2L component compatibility) so parts stay compliant and available. 

Cross-Functional & Program Work 

• Partner with Engineering on new product introduction (NPI) — get suppliers and cost targets locked before design freeze, where 70–80% of cost is decided. 

• Capture M&A and site-integration synergies by harmonizing parts, suppliers, and prices across plants and acquired businesses. 

​Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor's degree 

• 7+ years in direct / strategic procurement 

• 5+ years owning a category and leading negotiations at scale. 

• 7+ years Experience sourcing mechanical, electro-mechanical, or HVAC / refrigeration-circuit components (or closely adjacent industrial parts). 

• 5+ years experience Strong should-cost / clean-sheet, negotiation, and contracting skills; fluent in reading technical drawings and specs. 

• 5+ years Experience managing a global supply base across multiple regions (e.g., U.S., EU, China, India, Mexico). 

Preferred Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business, or related field (Master's/MBA a plus). 

• Direct chiller, HVAC, or thermal-systems experience; familiarity with refrigerants and low-GWP / A2L transition requirements. 

• Supplier quality (APQP/PPAP), NPI, and M&A integration experience. 

• Professional certification (CPSM, CPM, or equivalent); Lean / Six Sigma exposure. 

• People-leadership experience working with buyers or analysts.