Indirect Category Manager

As an Indirect Category Manager at Graco, you will help shape the next evolution of Indirect Procurement, moving the function beyond reactive purchasing support toward a proactive, category-led, and data-driven business partnership model. You will own a portfolio of Corporate Services categories, including Logistics, Human Resources, Engineering Services, and Travel & Entertainment, partnering with stakeholders early to shape requirements, lead sourcing strategy, negotiate strong commercial agreements, and deliver measurable value across cost, risk, service, and stakeholder experience. You will be accountable for delivering annual savings and value targets for your category portfolio and will report to the Manager, Strategic Sourcing. 

What You Will Do at Graco 

• Own the strategy, performance, and value delivery for assigned Corporate Services categories, and develop multi-year category plans that align sourcing priorities with business objectives, risk exposure, supplier market dynamics, and total cost of ownership. 

• Own annual savings, cost avoidance, and value-creation targets, including maintaining a qualified opportunity pipeline, validating realized value with Finance, and reporting performance to leadership. 

• Use market intelligence, spend analytics, benchmarking, and supplier segmentation to identify savings, standardization, supplier consolidation, and demand-management opportunities. 

• Lead full-cycle sourcing events from intake through award, including requirement definition, supplier market assessment, RFx execution, commercial analysis, award recommendation, and supplier onboarding. 

• Lead fact-based commercial negotiations covering pricing, service levels, contract term, renewal mechanics, data protection, intellectual property, liability, indemnification, and audit rights. 

• Serve as the primary procurement business partner for assigned stakeholder groups, engaging early in planning cycles to shape requirements, supplier selection, contracting approach, and long-term category direction. 

• Facilitate cross-functional alignment with business leaders, Legal, Finance, IT, and Operations by clarifying decision rights, commercial tradeoffs, risks, ownership, timing, and expected outcomes. 

• Manage strategic supplier relationships through clear performance expectations, KPIs, business reviews, and improvement plans, and support contract renewals, renegotiations, amendments, and supplier transitions. 

• Advance procurement transformation by improving pipeline visibility, data integrity, reporting, workflow automation, and governance routines, using Microsoft 365, Oracle, and AI-enabled tools to scale best practices. 

• Perform other duties as assigned. 

What You Will Bring to Graco 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Supply Chain, or a related field required; MBA preferred. 

• Minimum 5 years of experience in strategic sourcing, category management, or supplier management across indirect categories such as logistics, professional services, human resources, travel, engineering services, IT, or facilities. 

• Strong understanding of category strategy, total cost of ownership, supplier market analysis, RFx execution, commercial negotiation, contract structure, and supplier governance. 

• Demonstrated success negotiating complex contracts, managing supplier performance, and delivering measurable cost optimization. 

• Strong project management, analytical, communication, and influencing skills, with the ability to convert ambiguous business needs into structured sourcing plans and executable decisions, and to adapt to changing business priorities.