<strong>Description</strong><p> </p><p> </p><strong>About Us</strong>EIS is a leading North American distributor of process materials, production supplies, specialty wire and cable and value-added fabricated parts for the electrical OEM, motor repair and assembly markets.<p> </p><p> </p>Our culture is highly innovative, collaborative, and focused on building and maintaining relationships that allow us to surpass our customers' expectations. We embrace the qualities that make each of our team members unique and develop each other's skillsets so that together we can be stronger than the sum of our parts. <p> </p><p> </p><strong>Purpose of the Job</strong> <p> </p><p> </p>The Category Manager plays a critical role in the Supply Chain Management organization. He or she is responsible for the entirety of the supplier relationships and is the "go-to" person for all things related to the category of products being purchased. This includes responsibility for the category strategy, supplier relationship, stratification, performance, and material costs. The category manager is also a technical resource for the commercial organization in their area of responsibility. The category manager is charged with increasing sales and profitability of their respective categories to drive sustainable business growth. <p> </p><p> </p><strong>Essential Functions</strong> <p> </p><ul><li>Develop market insights for the entire industry of the category and incorporate those learnings into the category strategy.</li><li>Track business and industry trends, understand supplier capabilities, performance, organizational structure and have direct relationship with suppliers.</li><li>Actively involved in or lead key initiatives such as Strategic Sourcing, New Product Introduction, Contract Negotiations, and Supplier Agility.</li><li>Take ownership of and drive improvements in supplier Quality, Delivery, and Cost performance.</li><li>Identify new product needs / specifications and technology roadmap for the category.</li><li>Manage Make / Buy decision process understanding supplier and EIS Fabrication Solutions capabilities to drive the best total cost solution.</li><li>Strong participation in budgeting and operating business plans and leading monthly and quarterly business reviews.</li><li>Manage inventory targets and reduce excess and obsolescence costs.</li><li>Liase with Marketing teams to determine competitive pricing and promotional activities of a product to support overall corporate objective.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><strong>Qualifications</strong> <p> </p><ul><li>Bachelor's degree in related field preferred; a minimum of three to five years of experience related to product / category management and / or supply chain; or equivalent combination of formal education and training experience.</li><li>Solid knowledge of category management, marketing, and sales principles.</li><li>Understanding of data analysis and forecasting methods.</li><li>Analytical mind with strategic ability.</li><li>Excellent communication and people skills.</li><li>Proficient in Microsoft Office and ERP systems (SAP Preferred).</li><li>Strong project management, planning and organizational skills.</li></ul>