Category Owner (Procurement)

Description

ERock is a leader and innovator in distributed energy. ERock has responded to long-term trends in electricity by becoming the first smart-grid supplier to US energy consumers. The company installs, operates, and integrates its highly flexible, low-cost, and quick-response distributed generation to increase reliability and stability, reduce costs and decrease carbon footprint. 

At ERock, our backup generators ensure that customers will never be without power, allowing their business to operate normally when there is an outage in the area. Our innovative approach provides customers with highly reliable, ultra-clean backup generation at a fraction of the cost of traditional backup solutions. We seek those who share our commitment to customer service, innovation, and ingenuity.

Role Overview

We are looking for a strategic and results-driven Category Owner to lead sourcing and supplier management activities for a defined category of spend supporting ERock’s manufacturing, operations, and project execution organizations. In this role, you will be responsible for developing category strategies, managing supplier relationships, negotiating commercial agreements, securing long-term capacity, and driving continuous improvement initiatives. You will work cross-functionally with Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, and Project Management to ensure supply continuity, competitive cost structures, and supplier performance. The ideal candidate combines strong commercial acumen with technical understanding and thrives in a fast-paced environment where supply chain decisions directly impact company growth and customer commitments.

Key Responsibilities

• Developing and executing category strategies that support ERock’s growth objectives and long-term supply requirements.
• Developing supplier roadmaps and capacity plans to support current production and future growth requirements.
• Managing strategic supplier relationships and serving as the primary commercial point of contact for assigned categories.
• Leading supplier negotiations including pricing, contracts, payment terms, capacity commitments, rebates, and long-term agreements.
• Identifying and mitigating supply chain risks through supplier diversification, business continuity planning, and proactive market monitoring.
• Partnering with Engineering to support supplier selection, product introductions, value engineering initiatives, and design-for-supply-chain activities.
• Leading supplier performance reviews and driving improvements in quality, delivery, responsiveness, and cost competitiveness.
• Monitoring market conditions, commodity trends, and supplier financial health to identify opportunities and risks.
• Supporting annual budgeting, forecasting, and cost-reduction initiatives within assigned categories.
• Collaborating with Procurement Specialists, Buyers, Planning, and Manufacturing teams to resolve escalations and ensure supply continuity.
• Ensuring all sourcing and supplier management activities align with company quality standards, safety procedures, and ERock Core Values.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, category management, procurement, supply chain, or supplier management.
• Experience negotiating commercial agreements and managing supplier relationships.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems and Microsoft Excel.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience supporting manufacturing, industrial, energy, power generation, or EPC-related industries preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Have experience developing sourcing strategies for complex manufactured products or engineered systems.
• Can successfully manage executive-level supplier relationships and commercial negotiations.
• Possess strong analytical and financial skills with the ability to evaluate supplier proposals and business cases.
• Have experience balancing cost, quality, delivery, risk, and capacity considerations in sourcing decisions.
• Are comfortable influencing cross-functional stakeholders and driving alignment across multiple departments.
• Display the following ERock Core Values: Stay Anchored, Make it Matter, Remain Calm & Confident, Be Resilient, and Keep Imagining.