Global Segments Manager, Metals

John Crane, a business of Smiths Group, is a global leader in mission-critical flow control solutions for energy and process industries that enable efficient and sustainable operations. Our products include mechanical seals and systems, couplings, bearings, filtration systems, and predictive digital monitoring technologies. 

We have a global network of more than 200 sites in over 50 countries and employ more than 6,000 people worldwide. We partner with our customers to help them keep their operations safe, reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and meet the latest environmental standards. 

John Crane is part of Smiths Group. For over 170 years, Smiths has been pioneering progress by engineering for a better future. We serve millions of people every year, helping to create a safer, more efficient, productive, and better-connected world across four global markets: energy, security & defence, space & aerospace, and general industrial. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Smiths employs approximately 16,000 colleagues in over 50 countries. 

We have an exciting opportunity for Global Segment Manager, Metals reporting to the Senior Director, Global Supply Group. As the Global Segment Manager you will be responsible for development of the Category Strategies for all categories/ sub-categories within the Metals Segment.  Defines, with the support of the operational business, the category strategy and associated objectives (savings, lead times, OTD and supplier panel) and implements this strategy for all categories within the Segment. 

This role is based open to being based from any of our John Crane sites within Europe working Monday to Friday normal office hours.

John Crane is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to crafting an inclusive environment for all employees.

Duties & Responsibilities (not limited to)

• Develop, implement, and monitor strategies for assigned categories and sub-categories of spend within the segment.
• Identify and manage relationships with strategic and critical suppliers, ensuring alignment with John Crane’s long-term objectives.
• Own and optimise the supplier panel for assigned categories/sub-categories, maximising panel usage and performance.
• Ensure Category Managers take full end-to-end ownership of their categories, including pricing and lead time negotiations, contract management, supplier performance, and market condition monitoring.
• Foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement across Category Managers through knowledge sharing, skills development, and best practice promotion.
• Ensure the segment’s support and active involvement in New Product Introduction (NPI) and New Product Development (NPD) initiatives related to their categories.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of the supplier market, including innovations and emerging technologies relevant to the segment.
• Lead critical supplier selection processes and oversee the deployment and execution of category strategies aligned with business goals.
• Ensure Category Managers develop and implement commercial models that drive cost savings and growth.
• Drive year-on-year cost reduction through strategic sourcing and cost-based savings initiatives across all categories within the segment.
• Analyse internal and external market data to inform decisions that maximise value from the supply chain.
• Build and maintain effective supplier relationships, fostering continuous improvement, with support from the Supplier Performance Management Team as required.
• Ensure the supply base supports the competitiveness and agility required by the business, introducing changes where necessary to enhance capability.
• Oversee and approve negotiation and pricing strategies aimed at reducing Cost Of Goods Sold ensure clear negotiation mandates are defined and met.
• Act as Category Manager for specific categories of spend within the segment, as needed.

• Previous experience within a similar role
• Team leadership
• Expert negotiation skills
• Ability to develop and implement strategies
• Ability to build enduring relationships / partnerships with suppliers
• Strong communication & collaboration skills

With colleagues stretching across the globe, we are proud of our diversity. To foster inclusivity, we run employee resource groups (ERGs) to provide a safe space for employees to connect and support each other. Our cross-business ERGs include Veterans, Pride Network, Black Employee Network, Women@Work Network, and Neurodiversity. 

Across our company, we recognize excellence, culminating in the Smiths Excellence Awards, our annual celebration of the most extraordinary activities, people, and projects that best showcase our strengths and help drive our business forward. We announce these on our annual Smiths Day, a global celebration of Smiths around our network. 

Join us for a great career with competitive compensation and benefits, while helping engineer a better future. 

We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity.

At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Group, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website (Careers - Smiths Group plc)