E-3 Sponsorship Jobs in Arkansas

INTRODUCTION

The Category Manager is responsible for developing and executing end-to-end category strategies that drive cost competitiveness, supply security, and supplier performance across assigned commodity categories within Westrock Coffee's beverage manufacturing operations. This role requires deep understanding of the underlying market forces—such as resin markets for packaging, agricultural commodity cycles for ingredients, and energy cost inputs for manufacturing-adjacent categories—that directly affect the total cost of the category. The Category Manager partners with R&D, Operations, Finance, Legal and Commercial teams to align sourcing strategies with business objectives, product innovation, and profitability targets.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Category Strategy Development & Execution

• Develop, own, and execute multi-year category strategies for assigned categories (e.g., packaging materials such as aluminum cans, glass bottles, PET/HDPE containers, labels, and corrugate; or direct ingredients such as concentrates, sweeteners, botanicals, and functional additives).
• Conduct total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis and build category-level cost models that account for raw material inputs, conversion costs, logistics, and quality risk.
• Identify and monitor the commodity and market factors that drive category costs, including but not limited to:
• Packaging categories: resin markets (HDPE, PET, LLDPE), aluminum ingot and LME pricing, glass silica and energy inputs, corrugate fiber indices (OCC, virgin kraft), and freight/fuel surcharges.
• Ingredient categories: sugar and HFCS (CBOT futures), citric acid and preservative markets, coffee and tea commodity indices (ICE futures), botanical and extract supply chain dynamics, and FDA/regulatory input cost factors.
• Dairy categories: Class I, II, III and Class IV milk futures (CME), butterfat and nonfat dry milk (NDM) spot markets, cheese and whey commodity indices, USDA Dairy Product Price Reports, and Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) pricing mechanisms that drive fluid milk, cream, and dairy ingredient costs.
• Develop proactive cost forecasting models with quarterly commodity outlooks to inform S&OP planning, financial budgeting, and commercial pricing decisions.
• Lead make-vs.-buy, single-vs.-dual source, and nearshoring analyses to optimize category risk and cost position.

Sourcing & Supplier Management

• Own the end-to-end sourcing process for assigned categories, including market scans, RFI/RFP development, bid analysis, negotiation, contract execution, and award recommendations.
• Build and manage a high-performing supplier base; evaluate and onboard new suppliers using a structured scorecard encompassing quality, cost, delivery, service, and sustainability metrics.
• Negotiate long-term supply agreements, volume-based pricing structures, cost-escalation mechanisms tied to commodity indices, and performance-linked terms.
• Drive dual/multi-sourcing strategies for critical materials to reduce single-source risk and improve negotiating leverage.
• Partner with Quality Assurance to ensure supplier specifications, certifications (SQF, FSSC 22000, BRC, Kosher/Halal where applicable), and regulatory requirements are maintained.
• Conduct periodic supplier business reviews (QBRs) covering OTD, quality performance, pricing, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Commodity Intelligence & Market Risk Management

• Maintain an active market intelligence function: monitor commodity indices, trade publications, supplier earnings reports, and macroeconomic indicators relevant to the category.
• Provide monthly or quarterly commodity market briefings to Finance, Operations, and senior leadership, including forward-looking price outlooks and recommended hedging or contract positioning.
• For dairy procurement, actively track USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) weekly price reports, CME spot market activity for butter, cheese, and dry whey announcements as applicable; incorporate these into monthly dairy cost outlooks shared with Finance and Operations.
• Develop and recommend risk mitigation strategies including forward buying, index-linked contracts, volume commitments, and alternative material substitutions.
• Track geopolitical, trade policy, and supply chain disruption risks (e.g., port delays, tariff changes, crop yield forecasts) that may affect category availability or cost.
• Collaborate with Finance on commodity exposure reporting and support FP&A with cost inputs for annual budgets and multi-year financial plans.

New Product Development (NPD) & Innovation Support

• Serve as the procurement partner for NPD and commercialization projects, providing supplier and material options, cost modeling, and lead time inputs during the product development stage gate process.
• Work with R&D and Product Development teams to evaluate new or alternative ingredients, packaging formats, and sustainable material options that meet cost, performance, and regulatory criteria.
• Identify opportunities to reduce material costs or improve functionality through supplier-led innovation, reformulation, or packaging redesign.
• Ensure timely sourcing of trial materials and production-scale supply agreements to support product launch timelines.

Contract Management & Compliance

• Draft, negotiate, and execute supply contracts, master supply agreements (MSAs), and pricing amendments in coordination with Legal.
• Maintain a contract repository and ensure all category spend is covered by active, compliant agreements with appropriate pricing, terms, and exit provisions.
• Monitor contract performance against SLAs and take corrective action where suppliers are non-compliant.
• Ensure sourcing activities comply with procurement policy, delegation of authority (DOA) thresholds, and relevant food safety and regulatory requirements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Management

• Liaise between Procurement, Manufacturing, Operations, Finance, R&D, and Commercial teams to ensure sourcing strategies are aligned with business priorities and production requirements.
• Communicate category plans, market intelligence, and supplier risks to senior leadership in a clear and actionable format.
• Support S&OP processes by providing supply availability, lead time, and cost input data.
• Mentor and coach junior procurement team members on category management methodologies and sourcing best practices.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

The Category Manager will be evaluated on the following procurement KPIs on a quarterly and annual basis:

KPI

Description

Cost Savings / Avoidance

Year-over-year reduction or avoidance of category spend vs. baseline

Supplier On-Time Delivery (OTD)

% of orders received on or before the requested delivery date

Supplier Quality Rate

% of materials received meeting specification without rejection or rework

Contract Coverage Rate

% of category spend under active, executed contracts

Sourcing Event Cycle Time

Average days from RFI/RFP issuance to contract award

Category Strategy Execution

% of planned sourcing events and initiatives completed on schedule

Commodity Forecast Accuracy

Accuracy of commodity cost forecasts vs. actuals (key market drivers)

Spend Under Management

% of total category spend actively managed through procurement

Stakeholder Satisfaction

Internal customer satisfaction score from key business partners

REQUIREMENTS

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Finance, or a related field (required).
• Master's degree (MBA or MS in Supply Chain) preferred.
• Professional certifications strongly preferred: CPSM (ISM), CPM, MCIPS, CPIM (APICS), or PMP.

Experience

• Minimum 5–8 years of progressive procurement or supply chain experience, with at least 4 years in a category management role.
• Direct experience managing packaging or ingredients categories within a food and beverage or consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturing environment strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience with commodity market analysis, cost modeling, and supplier negotiation.
• Proven track record of delivering measurable cost savings and supply chain improvements in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience managing RFI/RFP processes, contract negotiations, and supplier performance programs.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) and/or procurement platforms (Coupa, Ariba, Jaggaer).
• Advanced Excel skills including cost modeling, scenario analysis, and data visualization; Power BI or Tableau experience a plus.
• Familiarity with commodity pricing platforms (Bloomberg, ICIS, CME Group data feeds, USDA AMS reports) and trade publication monitoring.
• Experience with contract lifecycle management (CLM) tools and supplier risk management platforms.