Job Title: Regional Category Manager - Rail, North America
Location: Roswell, GA (hybrid schedule: 3 days/week in office, 2 days/week remote)
About the Role
The Regional Category Manager for Rail in North America coordinates and manages rail freight purchases and railcar leasing across the US, Canada, and Mexico, overseeing an annual spend of $45 million. This strategic position requires expertise in rail market dynamics to optimize costs, negotiate with suppliers, evaluate transportation alternatives, and drive sustainability initiatives according to company purchasing policies.
Key Responsibilities:
Develop and implement sourcing strategies for rail freight, leasing, transloading, and accessorial management
Lead negotiations with Class 1 railroads and shortline carriers to reduce costs and improve service levels
Analyze market trends to identify new suppliers and alternative transportation solutions
Execute strategic sourcing projects to minimize Total Cost of Ownership across 40+ North American sites
Manage RFQ processes, contract development, and supplier performance reviews
Collaborate with Logistics, Operations, and Continuous Improvement teams on cross-functional projects
Support budget forecasting with regional market insights
Coordinate solutions during transportation disruptions or crises
Responsible for warehouse and transloading category management including negotiation of contract, rate, and terms and conditions
Maintain shipment supplier relationships
Serve as a liaison and coordinate with internal stakeholders to negotiate favorable terms and conditions
Qualifications:
Associate's degree required; Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, or Engineering preferred
Minimum 5 years' experience in transportation procurement/logistics (rail experience preferred)
Experience with intermodal transportation considered
Proven track record in strategic sourcing and supplier relationship management
Strong analytical skills and proficiency in data-driven decision making
Excellent negotiation and communication abilities
Experience with Google Suite and/or Microsoft Office tools
Additional Information:
Individual contributor role with no direct reports
Approximately 30% travel to company sites and supplier locations across North America
This position offers the opportunity to drive significant cost savings and sustainability improvements in a critical transportation category
The ideal candidate is a self-starter who can manage complex projects with minimal supervision, collaborate effectively with technical and operations teams, and deliver results through process improvements and strategic thinking.
Position TypeFull timeand
PermanentOnly technical issues will be monitored through the below inbox:
recruiting.support@ imerys.com
PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT RESUMES OR APPLICATIONS TO THIS EMAIL, AS THEY WILL NOT BE REVIEWED.
To ensure fairness and legal compliance in our recruitment processes, only applications received through the online application process will be considered.
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What We Do
We are a world leader in mineral-based specialties, offering high value-added solutions to many different industries, ranging from process manufacturing to consumer goods. Our value-added solutions are formulated to meet the technical specifications of each customer and contribute to the performance of a multitude of products in three categories: 1. Functional additives - added to the mineral formulation of customers’ products. 2. Mineral components - essential constituents in the formulation of customers’ products. 3. Process enablers - used in customers’ manufacturing processes, but not present in the end product. These serve many industries such as construction materials, mobile energy, steelmaking, agri-food, automotive, and cosmetics.
