Procurement Excellence / Operations Sr. Manager

Global Commodity Manager Cable and Wire Harness

Job Title: Global Category Manager – Global Procurement

Function: Global Supply Chain & Procurement
Reports To: Vice President, Global Direct Procurement
Location: Vertiv Limerick, Limerick, Ireland (25% international travel)

 

Position Summary

The Global Category Manager is responsible for developing and executing global category strategies that optimize cost, quality, supply continuity, and value across the organization. This role leads category planning, supplier management, and strategic sourcing initiatives on a global scale, aligning procurement activities with business objectives and regional requirements. Experience is essential in the Cable and Connector Category.

The Global Category Manager partners closely with cross-functional stakeholders—including Operations, Engineering, Finance, Quality, and regional procurement teams—to drive standardization, innovation, risk mitigation, and sustainability across assigned categories. The role requires strong market intelligence, negotiation expertise, and the ability to manage complex global supplier relationships while ensuring compliance with company policies and applicable regulations.

 

Key Responsibilities

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Finance, or a related field (Master’s or MBA preferred)
• 7–10+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, category management, or procurement, with global scope
• Proven experience managing complex, multi-region spend categories and global supplier portfolios

Technical & Professional Skills

• Strong expertise in category strategy development and execution
• Advanced negotiation skills with demonstrated cost savings and value creation
• Deep understanding of global supply markets, cost drivers, and should-cost models
• Experience with contract development, commercial terms, and risk management
• Proficiency with ERP and procurement systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Ariba, Coupa)
• Strong analytical capability, including spend analysis and financial modeling

Leadership & Collaboration

• Ability to influence and lead cross-functional and multicultural teams without direct authority
• Strong stakeholder management skills at senior and executive levels
• Experience aligning global strategies with regional and local business needs

Supplier Management

• Expertise in strategic supplier relationship management (SRM)
• Ability to drive supplier performance, innovation, sustainability, and continuous improvement
• Experience managing supply risk, dual sourcing, and business continuity planning

Business & Strategic Mindset

• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of total cost of ownership (TCO)
• Ability to translate business objectives into actionable category strategies
• Results-driven mindset with a track record of delivering measurable value

Communication & Personal Attributes

• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills
• High level of integrity and compliance awareness
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, matrixed, global environment
• Willingness to travel internationally as required