Category Manager IT

Mission Alignment (GSP Definition of Winning)

• Value Capture: establish multiyear value levers (savings cost avoidance productivity revenue enablement) and deliver results through a governed pipeline.

• Client Journey: build proactive stakeholder engagement models and predictable delivery experiences through clear intake governance and communication.

• Risk Management: embed thirdparty and supplymarket risk thinking into category strategies supplier decisions and contracting guardrails.

• OptimizeCapability: enable the organization through playbooks standards and a talent pipeline that improves execution quality over time.

Key Responsibilities

1) Global Category Strategy & Roadmap Ownership

• Define andmaintaina multiyear global category strategy that aligns to Applied and GSP priorities including clear goals value levers and execution waves.

• Establish category scope taxonomy alignment and a demand/supply perspective (demand signals business requirements supply market dynamics).

• Develop and refresh a category roadmap that sequences initiatives by impact urgency risk and capacitymaintaininga forwardlooking pipeline.

2) Supplier Portfolio Strategy Segmentation & SRM

• Own supplier portfolio design and segmentation (strategic preferred transactional) and define the engagement model for each segment.

• Lead strategic supplier relationship management (SRM) for priority suppliers: performance innovation commercial governance and executive alignment.

• Drive supplier rationalization and consolidation opportunities that improve leverage simplify operations and reduce total cost of ownership.

3) Business Partnership (BRM) & Stakeholder Governance

• Serve as a trusted advisor to business unit leadership; translate businessobjectivesinto category strategies and sourcing priorities.

• Lead category councils and governance forums (e.g. value/risk reviews supplier performance reviews) to drive decisions alignment and accountability.

• Set stakeholder engagement rhythms and communicationstandardsso the category experience is consistent across regions and teams.

4) Value Capture Financial Stewardship & Performance Management

• Define and govern the category value pipeline (initiatives baselines assumptions milestones) and partner with Finance for validation and reporting.

• Establish outcome metrics beyond savings (service levels speed/cycle time quality compliance risk reduction innovation) and monitor performance.

• Ensure sourcing and contracting approaches are aligned to approved category strategies and buying channel guidance.

5) Risk Resilience & Compliance Integration

• Integrate supplier risk considerations into category plans including thirdparty risk management (TPRM) triggers and mitigation actions.

• Partner with Risk/TPRM Legal Privacy/Data Governance and Compliance teams to ensure category decisions and supplier selections protect Applied.

• Proactivelymonitorsupply market risks and translate signals into actions (dual sourcing contract protections contingency plans).

6) Execution Orchestration Through Sourcing (One House Model)

• Translate strategy into sourcing wave plans and clearly defined playbooks/guardrails for Strategic Sourcing Managers andSCoEexecution teams.

• Oversee implementation progress and remove barriers; ensure handoffs and workflow between Category and Sourcing are efficient and predictable.

• Continuously refine strategy based on execution learnings market feedback and data insights (strategy execution feedback loop).

7) Capability Building & Change Leadership

• Champion standard ways of working templates and governance that reduce variability and improve speed and quality across the category.

• Support the talent pipeline by coaching and developing Strategic Sourcing Managers andSCoEpractitioners; enable role clarity and development paths.

• Lead change initiatives within the category (process tools supplier operating models) and drive adoption through clear messaging and reinforcement.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Business Supply Chain Engineering Finance ora relatedfield (or equivalent practical experience).

• Demonstrated category management leadership: building and executing category strategies supplier segmentation and governance models.

• Strong commercialexpertise: negotiations contract strategy and total cost/value analysis in complex multistakeholder environments.

• Proven ability tolead ina global matrixed organizationdriving alignment across regions functions and senior stakeholders.

• Experience integrating risk and compliance considerations into supplier and category decisions.

Preferred

• Experience in semiconductor or hightech indirect categories (e.g. IT facilities technical services labor/services) and global supplier ecosystems.

• Experience with structured category strategy programs analytics-enabled decision making and formal value capture governance.

• Professional certifications (e.g. CPSM CIPS CPM) and/or MBA/MS in a relevant discipline.

• Experience leading transformations (process standardization operating model change digital procurement tools) and scaling best practices.

Core Competencies (What Great Looks Like)

• Strategic thinking & roadmapdesign:turns business needs and market dynamics into a clear category plan and sequence of work.

• Business partnership: earns trust with executives; frames decisions tradeoffs and value in business language.

• Supplier leadership: drives SRM rigor performance and supplier-led innovation; manages escalations effectively.

• Analytical leadership: uses data to prioritize challenge assumptions and quantify both cost and non-cost value.

• Governance discipline:establishespredictable cadences decision forums and accountability mechanisms.

• Change leadership: drives adoption of new ways of working and reinforces clarity of roles and handoffs.

Success Measures (Sample)

• Category outcomes: delivered and validated value aligned to targets (savings cost avoidance productivity and/or risk reduction).

• Pipeline health: forward-looking prioritized pipeline with clear owners milestones and predictable execution cadence.

• Supplier performance: improved supplier AQSCIR outcomes (assurance quality service cost innovation relationship) and reduced critical risk exposure.

• Stakeholder experience: improved satisfaction and reduced friction through clear governance communication and faster cycle times.

• Operating model effectiveness: consistent strategy-to-execution flow and reduced rework/hand-off delays across Category Sourcing Contracting and Ops.