Category Manager

Skills & Experience:

Education:  Bachelor/University Degree in Business or related discipline

Experience:  10 years of progressively responsible experience in purchasing as well as exposure to related areas. CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Chain Management) or equivalent certification a plus.

Additional Skills & Abilities

•              Must have excellent negotiation skills in order to influence decisions that impact Company bottom-line. Must have the ability to effectively interface with internal and external contacts and have the ability to monitor delicate situations tactfully. Must have the ability to understand business needs and strategically plan the most cost-effective solution to goals and objectives, while balancing the needs of the independent sales force.

•              Must possess and understand the ability to perform capacity analysis studies to support new product introductions at both a component and finished goods level.

•              Must understand financial concepts and applications (i.e. NPV, ROI, Financial Statements, etc.) for evaluating new and current supplier’s financial stability and for submitting business proposals on new projects, ideas, concepts, etc., or to gain approval from upper management.

•              Must have excellent decision-making skills since decisions impact the financial, employee, or public relations posture of the organization. Erroneous decisions or recommendations would normally result in failure to achieve goals critical to the major objectives of the organization. Impact of decisions are long-lasting and heavily influences the future course of the organization. Errors in judgment or failure to achieve results would result in the expenditure of large amounts of company resources.

•              Must have excellent organizational, project management, and time management skills to work effectively with internal and external contacts.

•              Must have advanced knowledge of and experience in materials, manufacturing, printing, and decorating processes, in order to meet Company production and cost objectives while maintaining quality and supply flexibility.

•              Must have excellent oral and written communication skills in order to address purchasing requests, inquiries, and problems, interface effectively with suppliers, and to act as a liaison between Marketing and Manufacturing, or between technical groups from MKI and external suppliers.

•              Must be knowledgeable about the laws and regulations associated with each region and aware of the cultural differences between the US and the region. Must have the ability to work with multiple cultures, in order to interface effectively with subsidiaries.