<p>Job Title: Procurement Specialist - Category Management</p> <p>Location: Davidson, NC</p> <p>Department: Procurement</p> <p>Reports To: Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer</p> <p>Job Type: Full-Time</p> <p>This role is fully on site daily in Davidson, NC</p> <p>About 3A Composites:</p> <p>3A Composites USA specializes in the manufacturing of leading substrates for the graphic display, architectural and framing markets in North America, South America and Central America. With manufacturing facilities in Benton, KY, Statesville, NC, and Glasgow, KY, and sales and marketing offices in Davidson, NC, our industry leading brands include: FOME-COR, SINTRA, GATOR, DISPA, DIBOND, LUMEX G and ALUCOBOND PLUS. 3A Composites is part of the international 3A Composites Group, which belongs to the listed company Schweiter Technologies headquartered in Steinhausen, Switzerland. At 3A Composites we share common values of integrity and accountability, teamwork, trust & transparency that guide us in our dealings with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. More information about 3A Composites can be found at http://www.3acompositesusa.com.</p> <p>Purpose of this role:</p> <p>The role as a Procurement Specialist in Category Management plays a critical role in the execution and sustainment of sourcing strategies across both direct and indirect spend categories.</p> <p>This position partners closely with the Strategic Sourcing team to translate enterprise-level sourcing strategies into disciplined, effective operational execution. The role has ownership of defined spend categories, leads and supports competitive sourcing initiatives, monitors supplier performance, and drives measurable cost savings and process improvements.</p> <p>This is a commercially focused role with clear accountability for category execution and supplier performance, rather than a transactional purchasing function.</p> <p>In this position, you will be responsible for…</p> <p>Category Execution and Sourcing Support</p> <ul> <li>Manage assigned direct and indirect spend categories under guidance of Strategic Sourcing </li><li>Execute sourcing strategies and initiatives within defined scope </li><li>Lead or support competitive bid processes (RFQ/RFP), supplier evaluations, and commercial analysis </li><li>Conduct cost modeling, benchmarking, and total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis </li><li>Support capital equipment procurement processes including bid evaluations and commercial comparisons </li><li>Assist with contract development and ensure compliance with negotiated agreements </li></ul> <p>Supplier Relationship Management (SRM)</p> <ul> <li>Support commercial management of assigned suppliers </li><li>Monitor supplier performance across cost, quality, delivery, service, and working capital metrics </li><li>Track and report KPIs (OTIF, savings delivery, etc.) </li><li>Participate in Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) </li><li>Identify supplier improvement opportunities and escalate issues as needed </li><li>Support supply continuity and risk mitigation efforts </li></ul> <p>Operational and Commercial Management</p> <ul> <li>Ensure proper execution of pricing, index adjustments, rebates, and contractual commitments </li><li>Assist in resolving commercial issues including delivery delays and invoice discrepancies </li><li>Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering, Finance, Logistics, Maintenance, and Legal </li><li>Maintain procurement documentation and governance standards </li></ul> <p>Financial and Performance Tracking</p> <ul> <li>Track savings initiatives and validate financial impact with Finance </li><li>Maintain spend analysis and reporting dashboards (Excel and/or PowerBI preferred) </li><li>Monitor market trends and provide insights to sourcing </li><li>Support budget forecasting and variance analysis </li><li>Assist in evaluating supplier price increase requests </li></ul> <p>Continuous Improvement</p> <ul> <li>Identify process improvement opportunities within procurement workflows </li><li>Support development of sourcing templates, tools, and best practices </li><li>Contribute to supplier portfolio optimization initiatives </li><li>Drive consistency and discipline in sourcing execution </li></ul> <p>The knowledge, skills, and abilities you will bring…</p> <ul> <li>Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, Engineering, or related field </li><li>1-3 years minimum experience in procurement, supply chain, category management, or operations </li><li>Strong analytical capability with advanced Excel skills </li><li>Ability to leverage AI tools and advanced analytics to enhance category analysis, market research, contract review, and reporting processes </li><li>Ability to manage multiple projects in a manufacturing environment </li><li>Commercial mindset with developing negotiation capability </li><li>Strong analytical and financial discipline </li><li>Structured, organized, and process-oriented </li><li>Cross-functional collaboration skills </li><li>Independent problem-solving ability </li><li>Clear and professional communication </li></ul> <p>Preferred Qualifications:</p> <ul> <li>Experience supporting both direct and indirect categories </li><li>Experience participating in sourcing events or supplier negotiations </li><li>ERP experience (SAP preferred) </li><li>PowerBI or similar analytics experience </li><li>Formal negotiation or procurement training </li><li>Lean / Six Sigma exposure </li></ul>