Category Manager

Role Overview 

Category Manager is responsible for managing Caliber’s direct spend and supplier relationships across the network. This role will drive strategic sourcing, optimize cost structures, improve service reliability, and ensure alignment between Caliber’s operational needs and supplier performance. The Category Manager partners closely with field leadership, operations, and procurement teams to create a comprehensive category strategy that supports growth and improves profit. 

Essential Job Duties 

Category Strategy & Planning 

• Develop and maintain a 3–5 year Category Strategy aligned with Caliber’s financial and operational goals. 

• Assist in developing taxonomy and sub-category breakdown 

• Identify opportunities to grow preferred suppliers, improve service-level consistency, and enhance customer/center experience. 

• Publish market insights and competitor intelligence, industry trends, pricing, and capacity. 

Supplier Management 

• Build and maintain strong relationships with preferred vendors, regional partners, and national networks. 

• Conduct quarterly business reviews (QBRs) with top suppliers, including scorecards measuring cost, service, coverage, and responsiveness. 

• Lead supplier performance reviews, escalate underperformance, and negotiate remedies or transitions as needed. 

Sourcing & Negotiation 

• Negotiate contracts with focus on profit margin optimization, service-level commitments (response time, coverage zones), and performance-based incentives. 

• Ensure contracts support scalability for new centers and align with Caliber’s growth trajectory. 

Collaboration & Execution 

• Translate strategy into contracts, policies, and tactical execution. 

• Work with field operations, Finance, and Specialized Parts Ordering to ensure compliance with preferred partners and capture of negotiated spend. 

Risk & Innovation 

• Assess and mitigate risks related to product availability, regional coverage gaps, or service disruptions. 

• Create and maintain monthly reporting and dashboards that monitor spend, profit margins, and rebates.  

• Benchmark against industry leaders to continuously raise service levels and reduce return rates.  

Skills/Requirements 

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, logistics, business, or related field. 
• 5+ years of experience in procurement, supply chain. 

• Proven ability to negotiate agreements, with knowledge of direct parts sourcing a strong plus. 
• Strong analytical skills to evaluate cost, service, and coverage trade-offs. 
• Experience engaging with senior leadership and operational teams. 
• Ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and present category strategies with clarity.