Category Manager II, Supply Transformation- The Toro Company

Who Are We?  

With roots dating back to 1914, The Toro Company was built on a tradition of quality and caring relationships. Today, the company is a leading worldwide provider of innovative solutions for the outdoor environment including turf and landscape maintenance, snow and ice management, underground utility construction, rental and specialty construction, and irrigation and outdoor lighting solutions. Through a strong network of professional distributors, dealers, rental stores and retailers in more than 125 countries, we proudly offer a wide range of products across a family of global brands to help golf courses, professional contractors, underground construction professionals, groundskeepers, agricultural growers, rental companies, government and educational institutions, and homeowners – in addition to many leading sports venues and historic sites around the world.

Your Opportunity:

As a Commodity Category Manager II, you will transform TTC supply base through vision, market research, strategy, and rapid execution of sourcing events, negotiations, contracts, and supplier transitions.  Deliver best in class supply chains for targeted commodities that are highly competitive in total cost of ownership (TCO) with industry leading quality and delivery performance.   

Sponsorship:  

• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of a school/employment or any other visa, regardless of expiration date, now or in the future.

Work Location: 

• This role will be based at the Bloomington, MN Toro's International Corporate Headquarters.  Fully remote is not available at this time. 

• The current team works 3-days on campus, with optional 2-days remote.  

• Typical office environment as it pertains to lighting, temperature, and noise level when in administrative/operations offices.

• This position will work closely with key channel partners and must collaborate among a wide variety of internal teams including marketing, retail and sales channels, business segments and more.

• Travel 5% on average, up to 10% during peak, domestic and international, an related expense reporting duties.

What Will You Do? Key Responsibilities:  

In order to grow and build a successful career with The Toro Company, you will be responsible for: 

• Lead commodity strategy development for assigned commodities that incorporates customer requirements, product requirements, market conditions, business risk, and supplier capabilities to identify short term, midterm, and long term action plans to transform supply base.

• Execute defined action plans to deliver bottom line savings for the business and ensure top level performance.

• Deliver significant improvements in cost productivity, spend under contract, and supply consolidation.

• Communicate on a continuous basis with internal customers to understand business objectives, expectations and specific requirements.

• Challenge internal stakeholders to prioritize and focus needs vs. wants to consolidate suppliers across a multidivisional enterprise.

• Develop and maintain knowledge of market conditions, trends, sources of supply and supplier capabilities for materials, equipment and services within assigned commodities.

• Host kickoff events to set expectations with current and potential suppliers in assigned categories.

• Lead sourcing negotiations with all levels of supplier contacts to establish terms of contracts, memorandum of understanding and schedule agreements.

• Define and track appropriate metrics for total cost reduction, provide data and input to business and corporate metrics and forecasts.

• Establish sources and alternate sources of supply to enhance means of meeting purchase requirements and achieving best total delivered cost, quality, service, and technology.

• Develop, maintain and strengthen long-term supplier relationships.

• Provide work direction to buyers and analysts as needed.

Other Job Dimensions?

• Interfacing with commodity buyer, supplier quality engineer, advanced sourcing managers, product managers, engineering, legal, manufacturing facilities and suppliers.  This position is responsible for strategic sourcing activities for the assigned set of commodities.

• Frequent collaboration with engineers and the legal team on contract language (ability to read and understand mechanical and electrical drawings, blueprints and/or schematics required).

• Mechanical aptitude is helpful.

• Travel 5% on average, up to 10% during peak, domestic and international, an related expense reporting duties.

What Do You Need?  

To be considered for this role, an individual should meet the following minimal requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain or Business required.

• Minimum of 5 years of supply chain experience required.

• A strategic mindset, with demonstrated success with complicated negotiations.

• Demonstrated experience in: negotiation, forecasting, leading cross-functional teams, working with various levels of management, understanding commodity markets, partnering with engineers, and working with and developing international vendors.

• Skilled in Microsoft Office Suite.

• Prior experience with frequent collaboration with engineers and the legal team on contract language (ability to read and understand mechanical and electrical drawings, blueprints and/or schematics).

• Excellent written and verbal communications.

• Strong interpersonal, facilitation and team leadership skills.

• Strong analytical abilities and research skills, including using internet sources as a resource.

• Skilled in reading and interpreting engineering drawings and blueprints.

• Understanding of enterprise purchasing and planning systems such as SAP and analytical tools.

Preferred:

• Experience in sourcing parts/assemblies globally (Mexico, India, China and Europe) strongly desired.

• Sourcing technical and mechanical/electrical equipment-related components or equivalent preferred but not required (Electrical, PowerTrain, Engines, Seats, Wheels, etc.) is helpful but not required.

• Master's degree preferred,in Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain or Business.

• Institute of Supply Management (ISM) certification (CPSM, CPM) or equivalent, preferred.

What Can We Give You? 

At The Toro Company, we are always working to make sure our employees know just how valued they are. In addition to a competitive salary, an affordable and top-tier medical/dental/vision plan, 401k, and many other great benefits - The Toro company offers employees at our Bloomington, MN HQ location a variety of perks, including: 

• Dress for your day- We know you're more productive when you're comfortable, which is why TTC employees are encouraged to take advantage of our casual, corporate environment. 

• Food- Take advantage of our onsite café, which serves both breakfast and lunch. With a Caribou Coffee attached, you can grab a snack and a coffee at any time during your day. 

• Wellness - The Toro Company’s HQ offers complimentary use of our onsite fitness facility to employees. In addition to physical well-being, TTC offers a variety of mental health and financial health resources to all employees.  

• Volunteerism- The Toro Company is proud to provide employees 20 hours of paid time to volunteer` in the community. 

• Summer Hours – Enjoy a flexible schedule during the summer! By working a little more during the first few days of the week, TTC employees at our Bloomington HQ are able to start their weekends early and leave by noon on Friday. 

• Competitive Salary– A reasonable salary estimate is $103,000-$130,000 for this opportunity.The pay range takes into account skills, experience, education, and location. It is not common to be hired at or near the top of the range; compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. Cash compensation is one piece of our competitive total rewards package. If you need to, you can access your pay early with Daily Pay.

At The Toro Company, we are committed to fostering a secure and trustworthy recruitment experience for our applicants. Recruitment fraud is a growing concern for job seekers, so please be aware that throughout our recruitment process, you’ll never be required to pay any fees or disclose personal financial details when applying to TTC opportunities. All legitimate job opportunities must be applied for directly through our official careers page at jobs.thetorocompany.com or via Workday, our applicant tracking system.

The Toro Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants based on merit and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, military service, or other non-merit factors. We are committed to creating a welcoming environment for all employees.

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