Global Category Leader

Procurement Overview:  

The Global Procurement Function is a global and center-led organization responsible for maximizing value from all external company spend and a key enabler of the financial performance of FMC.  Our team is comprised of professionals positioned around the world who work together with business leaders to ensure alignment on the business priorities and execution of strategic priorities.  Our teams collaborate with the technical center, R&D, and global marketing on commercialization of new products and differentially manage our supply partner base. Successful individuals at FMC are results oriented, efficient, strong decision-makers, and influencers. We have fun, and care deeply for those around us. We are looking for the right person who will complement the existing culture and who will live the vision of being a progressive, diverse and inclusive company, where employees come to work each day with a strong sense of belonging.  

Role Overview: 

The Category Leader – 3rd Party Actives has a global scope and partners with Business Development in the regional Commercial organizations and Global Marketing. Together, they develop comprehensive strategies on strategically sourced active ingredients required for FMC mixtures, private label offerings, buy/sell products, and technical sales to strategic partners.  They lead the procurement strategy with an enhanced focus on freedom to operate, cost competitiveness and supply resilience. 

This position reports directly to the Chief Procurement Officer and manages a team of procurement professionals in the regions. The Category Leader must enable cross-functional critical decision-making designed to advance new product launches and continuously improve established product business performance for all stages of product life-cycles.      

The successful candidate is a visionary, a leader, and an executor who will nurture a learning culture as well as drive the team to develop the next generation of value-added supply partnerships.  

Responsibilities:  

• Accountable to assess all new product introductions that incorporate third-party active ingredients and provide recommendations on the sources and supply strategies. Work with the R&D and Technical Center organizations on the qualification and implementation of the defined sources 

• Accountable for developing the category vision, strategy, and execution in partnership with global marketing and commercial teams. The Category Leader will propose and drive the organizational changes needed to achieve business goals.
• Determine, in collaboration with regional Commercial teams, appropriate regional product offerings, encompassing buy/sell arrangements and coordinated product rationalization 

• Actively mitigate risks associated with single-source suppliers for strategic mixtures, ensuring contingency planning and alternative sourcing strategies are in place to protect FMC against supply disruption 

• Understand, model and conduct cost-analysis activities (Total Cost of Ownership) in partnership with Finance, Manufacturing and the Technical Center to identify cost reduction opportunities. 

• Ensure end to end evaluation of the category portfolio and identify areas of change for the products in scope in order to drive implementation of a competitive and resilient supply network 

• Develop Market Intelligence to inform the best set of actions to manage pressures from the market 

• Develop and proactively manage supplier relationships and supplier performance. 

Required Education & Experience:  

• Bachelor’s Degree is required; an Advanced Degree is preferred. 
• A minimum of 10 years of business experience in a regulated environment within procurement, business development, marketing, and/or regulatory roles is required.
• Experience in the Crop Protection or Agricultural Products industry is highly preferred.
• A proven track record in negotiating large, complex supply agreements and demonstrated ability to define and execute effective procurement strategies is required.

Must Have Qualifications & Requirements:  

• Demonstrated expertise in collaborating with business development and commercial teams to drive strategic supply strategies.
• Strong project management capabilities, including team building, project initiation, and organizational leadership.
• Proven ability to develop and execute category strategies using structured methodologies and analytical thinking.
• Solid understanding of accounting and legal principles relevant to procurement, including contingent liabilities, contract enforceability, and pricing frameworks such as Most Favored Nations