MRO Procurement Category Manager

Burrow Global seeks to hire an experienced Procurement Category Manager to lead the development and execution of strategic initiatives and category management involving project procurement relative to MRO activities in a petrochemical environment. This is a 4-6 month Hybrid work assignment.

The MRO (Maintenance Repair & Operations) Category Manager is responsible for the strategic sourcing procurement and supplier management of MRO goods and services across manufacturing and facility operations. This role drives cost optimization supply continuity and standardization while ensuring compliance with safety quality and regulatory requirements. The Category Manager develops category strategies leads supplier negotiations and partners closely with operations maintenance engineering and EHS teams to support reliable plant performance.

Key Responsibilities

Category & Sourcing Strategy

Develop and implement category strategies for MRO spend including maintenance parts consumables tools electrical instrumentation piping safety supplies and indirect operational materials.
Conduct market analysis cost modeling and supplier benchmarking to identify savings opportunities and reduce total cost of ownership.
Lead RFx activities (RFI RFP RFQ) to competitively source MRO materials and services while ensuring technical and operational alignment.
Drive standardization and rationalization initiatives to reduce SKU complexity and improve inventory efficiency.

Supplier Management & Contract Negotiation

Negotiate pricing commercial terms master service agreements (MSAs) and service-level agreements (SLAs) with MRO suppliers and distributors.
Establish preferred and strategic supplier programs to support plant reliability safety and responsiveness.
Develop and manage supplier KPIs scorecards and performance reviews focused on cost service quality and delivery.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives with key suppliers to enhance service levels and operational outcomes.

Cost Optimization & Spend Analysis

Analyze MRO spend and usage patterns to identify cost reduction demand management and inventory optimization opportunities.
Partner with finance maintenance and plant leadership to support budgeting forecasting and cost control initiatives.
Support VAVE (Value Analysis / Value Engineering) should-cost analysis and lifecycle cost optimization efforts for critical MRO categories.

Inventory Operations & Stakeholder Collaboration

Collaborate with maintenance reliability engineering operations and EHS teams to align sourcing strategies with plant needs.
Support storeroom optimization vendor-managed inventory (VMI) consignment and service optimization initiatives.
Act as a trusted procurement advisor to stakeholders ensuring alignment with corporate procurement policies and operational priorities.

Risk & Compliance Management

Ensure supplier compliance with safety quality environmental and regulatory standards (e.g. OSHA EPA ISO site-specific requirements).
Assess supplier capabilities financial stability and business continuity plans to mitigate supply chain and operational risk.
Support best practice procurement processes and governance for MRO sourcing and supplier management.

Qualifications & Skills

Education: Bachelors degree in Supply Chain Management Business Administration Engineering or related field. MBA or CPSM/CSCP preferred.
Experience: 812 years of experience in procurement category management or strategic sourcing with strong MRO and manufacturing exposure.
Technical Skills: Proficiency with ERP and procurement systems (e.g. SAP Oracle Coupa) and spend analytics tools.
Negotiation & Contracting: Proven experience negotiating pricing MSAs SLAs and distributor agreements.
Analytical & Strategic Thinking: Strong ability to analyze spend evaluate supplier performance and develop data-driven sourcing strategies.
Cross-Functional Leadership: Demonstrated success partnering with maintenance engineering operations and EHS teams in a plant environment.

Required Experience:

Manager