Category Specialist

World leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and Health, Air Liquide is present in 80 countries with approximately 66,000 employees and serves more than 3,6 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen have been at the core of the company's activities since its creation in 1902. Air Liquide's ambition is to be the leader in its industry, delivering long-term performance and acting responsibly.

Candidates must have valid employment authorization in the U.S. and must not require visa sponsorship now or in the future. This position is not open for non-immigrant visa sponsorship.

Critical member of the Category Management team providing support for all assigned business units, responsible for proactively managing the spend, including but not limited to: strategic sourcing, contract negotiation and management, commercial negotiations, supplier relationship management support, demand planning, and customer interface. Assists manager and team members in the development and deployment of Category Management strategies.

• Develop and present business plans to key stakeholders for spend categories under areas of responsibility.

• Generate and execute Category strategies and Supplier Relationship Management programs consistent with the Air Liquide approved framework.
• Collaborate with Group Procurement on initiatives on an as-needed basis.
• Establish network with stakeholders in the business to remain connected on key issues.
• Coordinate and drive activities related to the annual planning process, working across various Procurement organizations and Operations.
• Support emergency preparedness and emergency response situations to promote the safety of Air Liquide employees, contractors, and customers as well as business continuity.
• Lead Strategic Sourcing events for categories that correspond to areas of responsibility. Follow outline "Blue Book" sourcing methodology.
• Work collaboratively within Supply Chain Operations Support, Purchasing Services, Strategic Initiatives, Key Stakeholders, Americas Clusters and Global Procurement Group.
• Meet with key customers routinely and proactively identify sourcing and contract value opportunities.
• Manage end-to-end sourcing and contracting process (including RFPs) for assigned commodities and services.
• Assist with contract start-up functions involving appropriate department managers.
• Participate in identifying emerging opportunities within the supply community.
• Evaluate existing contract relationships to identify savings realized, new savings opportunities, risk mitigation strategies, and other commercial terms enhancements.
• Leverage market intelligence to evaluate, negotiate, and manage annual price fluctuations. Leverage market intelligence to anticipate and act upon various supply chain challenges.
• Negotiate commercial terms for significant or aggregated project-based spend associated with managed categories.
• Demonstrate competency in negotiating legal terms and conditions.
• Manage contract life-cycle for all Frame Agreements within area of responsibility.
• Utilize all Supply Chain technologies for Contract Management, SRM, and Spend Analysis.
• Understand the Hermes code structure, and quantify managed vs. unmanaged spend.
• Monitor, assess and adjust sourcing strategies based on supplier and market intelligence.
• Implement multiple strategies leveraging Total Cost of Ownership, Lease vs. Buy and Economic Value models.
• Develop relationships with key customers to understand their service and commodity needs and implement strategies to maximize savings in the Capital Maintenance Plan, Expense Plan, and for emerging projects.
• Responsible for ensuring compliance with internal processes, including but not limited to, contract filing processes, bidding processes, and value creation reporting processes.
• Work closely with the Supplier Relationship Management Specialist for key suppliers under areas of responsibility.
• Build consistent, repeatable series of key performance indicators which can be used to gauge supplier performance and create actionable improvement plans.
• Facilitate periodic business reviews with key suppliers and facilitate action items that result from the meetings.
• Provide various reports as requested by manager.
• Partner with Legal to ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements, policies, and procedures, both internal and external, to Air Liquide.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, finance, accounting, or other business related fields.
• Preferred: Advanced degree in business, management, or related field.
• A minimum of 2-3 years experience in Supply Chain Management or related field.

At Air Liquide, we are committed to build a diverse and inclusive workplace that embraces the diversity of our employees, our customers, patients, community stakeholders and cultures across the world.

We welcome and consider applications from all qualified applicants, regardless of their background. We strongly believe a diverse organization opens up opportunities for people to express their talent, both individually and collectively and it helps foster our ability to innovate by living our fundamentals, acting for our success and creating an engaging environment in a changing world.