Air Products and Chemicals
Category Sourcing Manager
Air Products and Chemicals, Allentown, PA
At Air Products, our purpose is to bring people together to reimagine what's possible, collaborate and innovate solutions to the world's most significant energy and environmental sustainability challenges. Grow with us as we embark on building tomorrow together by being the safest, most diverse and most profitable industrial gas company in the world.
Reimagine What's Possible
Category Sourcing Manager
The position within the Global Strategic Sourcing team is responsible for category sourcing activities relating to catalysts for processes such as reforming, purification, shift, and selective catalytic reduction as well as brazed aluminum heat exchangers which primarily reside inside of a coldbox for efficient heat transfer with low energy consumption. The position leads Global Strategic Sourcing category development to ensure continuous supply and quality of products, to drive cost savings both direct and through cost avoidance, and to manage supplier qualification and relationships. This role also collaborates with Product Sourcing Managers to improve product line competitiveness by promoting the use of best-cost country sourcing and support the identification and introduction of innovative technologies.
The incumbent is technically competent, able to understand processes and equipment, and externally focused with a strong commercial acumen.
The Category Sourcing Manager-Catalyst and Cores will:
Support company Product Lines with effective strategies including:
Cross-functional responsibilities include:
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES
Embody the 4S culture of Safety, Speed, Simplicity and Self-Confidence. Exemplify the Air Products values of safety and integrity in all internal and external interactions. Proactively build innovative category sourcing strategies to maximize the company value proposition. Apply technical competence and effective use of tools including SAP and others. Collaborate globally across functions and organizations while promoting diversity and inclusion. Manage supplier relationships, drive cross-functional initiatives, and ensure continuous improvement.
Critical Competencies
Qualifications:
We are the world's largest hydrogen producer with over 80 years of industrial gas experience. We are hydrogen and industrial gas experts delivering safe, end-to-end solutions, investing in real, clean energy projects at scale, and driving the industry forward to generate a cleaner future.
At Air Products, we work in an environment where we put safety first, diversity is essential, inclusion is our culture, and each person knows they belong and matter. To learn more, visit About Air Products.
We offer a comprehensive benefits package including paid holidays and vacation, affordable medical, dental, life insurance and retirement plans. You will be eligible for benefits and also be 100% vested in your retirement benefits on your first day of employment.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer (U.S.). You will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, citizenship, gender, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or veteran status.
Air Products is committed to working with and providing a reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you have a disability and you believe you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or to submit an online application, please e-mail us at [redacted]. General application status inquiries are not answered by this mailbox rather you'll receive an e-mail directly from our Career Center and/or the Talent Acquisition Specialist.
Reimagine What's Possible
Category Sourcing Manager
The position within the Global Strategic Sourcing team is responsible for category sourcing activities relating to catalysts for processes such as reforming, purification, shift, and selective catalytic reduction as well as brazed aluminum heat exchangers which primarily reside inside of a coldbox for efficient heat transfer with low energy consumption. The position leads Global Strategic Sourcing category development to ensure continuous supply and quality of products, to drive cost savings both direct and through cost avoidance, and to manage supplier qualification and relationships. This role also collaborates with Product Sourcing Managers to improve product line competitiveness by promoting the use of best-cost country sourcing and support the identification and introduction of innovative technologies.
The incumbent is technically competent, able to understand processes and equipment, and externally focused with a strong commercial acumen.
The Category Sourcing Manager-Catalyst and Cores will:
- Build and implement Global Category Strategies aligned with the Product Lines' business and technical needs and priorities.
- Manage, measure, and improve cost competitiveness through capital cost and execution hours reductions while ensuring continuous supply of high-quality products to achieve the lowest Total Cost of Ownership and increase company working capital.
- Develop Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) programs for critical suppliers including Quarterly Business Reviews (QBR) to discuss performance and new developments while maintaining strong relationships with other suppliers to make Air Products a Customer-of-Choice.
- Work with Global Engineering and Technology leads to establish a cohesive approach to the technical and commercial development of key suppliers.
- Identify, screen, and qualify new global suppliers to fill supply chain gaps, improve equipment performance, and increase competition.
- Communicate with different stakeholders including Product Lines, Engineering, Technology and Regional Procurement Centers to solve systemic operational issues and engage suppliers at a strategic level.
- Proactively investigate the marketplace to identify innovative supplier offerings, develop company leverage, understand key category cost-drivers, and mitigate risk.
- Negotiate strategical supply agreements and standardized contracts with suppliers to lower costs, ensure supply, and eliminate sole or single source situations.
Support company Product Lines with effective strategies including:
- Optimizing supply chains from supplier through customer across multiple functions and geographies.
- Providing costing target options during product line refreshes.
- Contribute on the development of execution strategies on emerging mega EPC projects.
Cross-functional responsibilities include:
- Representing the Global Strategic Sourcing group for all product-related cross-functional initiatives.
- Managing the category Supplier Qualification plan.
- Utilizing and reinforcing the Global Strategic Sourcing processes and documents defined in the Business Management System (BMS).
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES
Embody the 4S culture of Safety, Speed, Simplicity and Self-Confidence. Exemplify the Air Products values of safety and integrity in all internal and external interactions. Proactively build innovative category sourcing strategies to maximize the company value proposition. Apply technical competence and effective use of tools including SAP and others. Collaborate globally across functions and organizations while promoting diversity and inclusion. Manage supplier relationships, drive cross-functional initiatives, and ensure continuous improvement.
Critical Competencies
- Dynamic influencing, communication, and facilitative skills
- Building successful working relationships across cultures and geographies
- Strong understanding of technical, business, and commercial concepts
- Solid analytical and problem-solving skills and external focus
- Excellence in commercial and contractual (e.g., terms & conditions) negotiation
- Proactive collaborator and communicator in a matrix organization
- Desire to achieve assigned results in a fast-paced environment and being a change agent
- Fluent in the 7 Step Strategic Sourcing Process
Qualifications:
- BS in Engineering with MBA preferred. BS in Supply Chain or Business considered with requisite work experience.
- 15+ years of work experience in an industrial environment including sourcing or engineering experience related to the assigned categories and equipment.
- Strong understanding of Air Products offering and markets.
We are the world's largest hydrogen producer with over 80 years of industrial gas experience. We are hydrogen and industrial gas experts delivering safe, end-to-end solutions, investing in real, clean energy projects at scale, and driving the industry forward to generate a cleaner future.
At Air Products, we work in an environment where we put safety first, diversity is essential, inclusion is our culture, and each person knows they belong and matter. To learn more, visit About Air Products.
We offer a comprehensive benefits package including paid holidays and vacation, affordable medical, dental, life insurance and retirement plans. You will be eligible for benefits and also be 100% vested in your retirement benefits on your first day of employment.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer (U.S.). You will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, citizenship, gender, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or veteran status.
Air Products is committed to working with and providing a reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you have a disability and you believe you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or to submit an online application, please e-mail us at [redacted]. General application status inquiries are not answered by this mailbox rather you'll receive an e-mail directly from our Career Center and/or the Talent Acquisition Specialist.