Associate Category Manager, Packaging

HELP US BRING THE GIFT OF HEALTH TO LIFE.

Working at Pharmavite is an experience like no other. With a focus on complete nutrition for all, each endeavor is urgent and every day counts. You'll have the opportunity to work on the #1 selling national vitamin and supplement brand, Nature Made, as well as an exciting portfolio of other products that are shaping the future of the healthy living industry. Consumer-driven innovation, high quality products and a promising portfolio, all driven by a team with a shared sense of purpose -- that's Pharmavite. Join us to bring the gift of health to life.

This role is not available for any form of immigration sponsorship or support, including completion of the Form I-983 training plan required for STEM OPT. 

Position Summary:

The Associate Category Manager, Packaging is responsible for supporting the development and execution of sourcing strategies for corrugate and label packaging categories across Pharmavite’ s manufacturing network. This role manages day-to-day sourcing activities, supplier relationships, pricing analysis, contract support, and cross-functional business needs to ensure continuity of supply, cost competitiveness, quality compliance, and service performance. This role partners closely with Operations, Planning, Quality, R&D/Packaging Engineering, Finance, Legal, and suppliers to support both current business needs and future packaging initiatives. The Associate Category Manager reports to the Manager, Strategic Sourcing — Direct and does not have direct people management responsibility.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support category strategy development and execution for corrugate and labels, including supplier landscape analysis, pricing trends, risk assessment, capacity considerations, and category roadmap inputs.
• Lead and support sourcing events including RFx development, bid analysis, supplier evaluation, pricing negotiations, commercial term alignment, and award recommendations for corrugate and label packaging materials.
• Manage supplier performance and relationships by supporting business reviews, KPI tracking, service issue resolution, quality escalation support, and continuous improvement opportunities.
• Partner cross-functionally with Planning, Operations, Quality, R&D/Packaging Engineering, Legal, Finance, and suppliers to ensure packaging materials meet supply, cost, quality, compliance, and innovation requirements.
• Support pricing, savings, and cost avoidance tracking through market analysis, competitive benchmarking, material cost reviews, inflation/deflation analysis, and supplier negotiations.
• Maintain and improve commercial controls including pricing files, supplier documentation, contracts, specifications alignment, sourcing records, and compliance with procurement policies.
• Support packaging change initiatives including new item launches, alternate supplier qualifications, material substitutions, artwork/label changes, sustainability-related packaging needs, and risk mitigation actions.
• Identify opportunities to reduce complexity, improve service, and drive value through supplier consolidation, specification optimization, standardization, lead time improvements, and total cost of ownership analysis.

Critical Success Factors:

• Strong ownership and follow-through — able to manage details, timelines, supplier requests, and internal commitments with limited reminders.
• Learning Agility and Growth Mindset – Demonstrates curiosity and a strong aptitude for learning new categories, business processes, supplier markets, and technical packaging concepts. Seeks feedback, applies coaching, and proactively develops expertise over time
• Analytical rigor — comfortable working with pricing, spend, supplier bids, forecasts, inventory/service impacts, and total cost of ownership considerations.
• Supplier management discipline — able to support negotiations, address performance gaps, prepare business reviews, and maintain productive supplier relationships.
• Cross-functional influence — able to work effectively with Planning, Operations, Quality, R&D/Packaging Engineering, Regulatory, Finance, and other stakeholders without direct authority.
• Business curiosity and strategic thinking — able to connect tactical sourcing activities to broader category goals, risk mitigation, cost objectives, sustainability, and operational needs.
• Comfort with ambiguity — able to navigate changing business priorities, urgent supply needs, supplier constraints, and packaging project timelines while staying organized and solution-oriented.

Capabilities & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• 2–3+ years of experience in Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Supply Chain, Pac