The Category Manager for Chemicals & Sizings is a critical role supporting Johns Manville’s Engineered Products and Insulation Systems businesses. Managing upwards of $50M+ spend across distributed chemicals and sizings, you will shape sourcing strategy, supplier partnerships, and cost competitiveness for some of JM’s largest manufacturing facilities. This role is ideal for a strategic, analytical professional who can turn data into decisions, influence stakeholders, and build resilient supply solutions.
What Success Looks Like (and What You’ll Do to Achieve It)
Strategic Sourcing & Category Leadership
Outcome: JM maintains a cost-competitive, high-quality, and secure supply base across two business units.
Actions: Build and execute multi-year sourcing strategies; conduct market and cost-driver analyses; proactively identify risk and dual/multi-source opportunities; manage RFPs/RFQs and TCO-based award recommendations.
Measurable Value Creation & Cost Reduction
Outcome: You deliver trackable savings and productivity improvements without compromising quality or supply assurance.
Actions: Lead cost-reduction initiatives; conduct supplier workshops and should-cost reviews; standardize specifications where feasible; implement monthly scorecards and savings pipelines; drive continuous improvement.
Supplier Relationship & Performance Management
Outcome: Suppliers are collaborative, innovative, and accountable—supporting JM’s operational reliability and growth.
Actions: Negotiate high-impact contracts and SLAs; manage performance through KPIs (OTIF, quality, lead time, service, ESG metrics); escalate and resolve issues; qualify and onboard new suppliers.
Supply Assurance & Risk Mitigation
Outcome: Materials flow uninterrupted, even during volatility.
Actions: Implement risk-mitigation strategies (e.g., safety stocks, dual sourcing, alternates); monitor market shifts (feedstocks, logistics, regulatory); partner with plants and planning to maintain continuity.
Innovation, Alternatives & New Product Development (NPD) Enablement
Outcome: JM leverages supplier innovation and alternative materials/processes to improve cost, performance, and sustainability.
Actions: Partner with suppliers, R&D, and operations to evaluate alternates; support trials and qualifications; contribute to NPD gates with sourcing plans and risk assessments.
Cross-Functional Influence & Stakeholder Alignment
Outcome: The business trusts your recommendations and acts on them.
Actions: Collaborate with manufacturing, engineering, quality, finance, legal, EHS, and sustainability; communicate complex sourcing topics to non-experts; lead projects that span plants and functions.
Contracting Excellence & Compliance
Outcome: JM’s contracts protect value and reduce risk.
Actions: Draft, negotiate, and manage contracts; ensure compliance with terms (pricing, indices, quality, service, confidentiality); partner with Legal on T&Cs, IP, warranties, and change management.
Data-Driven Insights & Tools
Outcome: Clear visibility to spend, performance, risks, and opportunities.
Actions: Own category analytics (spend, PPV, usage, freight, working capital); maintain dashboards and scorecards; leverage ERP (SAP or similar) and e-sourcing tools to enable decisions.
Why You’ll Want This Role
You’ll own a high-impact category at enterprise scale, influence two core business units, negotiate with strategic suppliers, and see your work translate into plant reliability, cost leadership, and product innovation. It’s the perfect blend of strategy, analytics, leadership, and relationship-building.
Minimum Qualifications
Preferred Qualifications
Success Traits