Global Category Manager - MRO

About the role

Baxter is looking for a Global Category Manager for MRO. The role leads and supports global category management for MRO, developing and executing sourcing strategies, partnering with stakeholders, evaluating technical and commercial options, and building fact-based business cases that improve cost, efficiency, service, quality and business continuity.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and deploy global, regional and multi-site category strategies for MRO.
• Partner with Engineering, Plant Facilities, Manufacturing Operations, Finance, Legal, Quality and other internal stakeholders to define priorities and support execution.
• Lead or support supplier selection, bids, technical and commercial evaluations, contract negotiations and award recommendations.
• Create business cases for project approval, including cost analysis, projections, savings, efficiency impacts, supplier risk and implementation considerations.
• Collaborate on multi-year savings plans and track benefits on value, total cost, service levels, delivery, quality and supply continuity.
• Monitor category and supplier spend, market dynamics, supplier capacity and financial stability, and total cost of ownership.
• Maintain supplier relationships with performance reviews, issue resolution and continuous improvement plans.
• Build market intelligence, benchmarks and performance metrics, and report regularly to senior management on category performance, risks and savings.
• Support innovation through supplier capabilities and market developments, and align with supplier rationalization, payment terms, contract standardization and quality expectations.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree, preferably in Engineering, Finance or Business Administration.
• Minimum 5 years of progressive business, procurement, sourcing, engineering, capital projects or category management experience; 5 to 7 years preferred for a manager-level global role.
• Experience with MRO optimization projects in a multinational organization.
• Experience in regulated manufacturing, medical devices, life sciences or pharmaceuticals preferred.
• Experience in a matrix environment with virtual teams across countries and time zones.

Required skills

• Negotiation, contracting, supplier management and relationship building.
• Evaluating technical and commercial trade-offs and translating them into clear decisions.
• Financial understanding: total cost of ownership, cost reduction, cost avoidance, budget impact and savings tracking.
• Strong communication and influence with senior leaders, suppliers and cross-functional teams.
• Knowledge of MRO markets and market intelligence.