Air Liquide · 3 hours ago
Manager of Category Management
Houston, TX
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
7+ years expAir Liquide is a world leader in gases, technologies, and services for Industry and Health, present in 80 countries. The Manager of Category Management will oversee sourcing, negotiations, contract management, and supplier performance, while leading strategic sourcing events and collaborating with stakeholders to maximize savings and efficiency.
ChemicalConstructionHealth CareIndustrialIndustrial ManufacturingMachinery ManufacturingManufacturingPublic SafetyTelecommunications
Responsibilities
Provides oversight and direction to the Category Management functions for either direct or indirect spend categories
Lead planning and management of Strategic Sourcing events (including industry analysis, competitive bidding process, negotiation of commercial terms, and implementation) for categories under management
Develop a deep understanding of the global market, including conditions and competition
Monitor, assess, and adjust sourcing strategies based on supplier and market intelligence
Implement multiple strategies leveraging Total Cost of Ownership, Lease vs. Buy, and other models
Generate and execute Category strategies consistent with the Air Liquide framework
Coordinate and drive activities related to the annual planning process, working across various Procurement organizations and Operations
Understand the spend taxonomy structure, and identify managed vs. unmanaged spend
Provide oversight of contract management responsibilities for maintenance of all Frame Agreements within area of responsibility
Lead team in the evaluation of existing contract relationships to identify realized savings, new savings opportunities, risk mitigation strategies, and other commercial terms enhancements
Evaluate contract relationships through bid analysis and market comparatives, including identifying savings realized and new potential opportunities
Leverage market intelligence to evaluate, negotiate, and manage annual price fluctuations
Leverage market intelligence to anticipate and act upon various supply chain challenges
Execute Supplier Relationship Management programs consistent with the Air Liquide framework
Utilize all Supply Chain technologies for Contract Management, Supplier Relationship Management, and Spend Analysis
Work independently with key suppliers to develop product curricula to enhance category knowledge
Champion the vision, goals, and objectives of the Procurement organization to both direct reports and customer/stakeholders
Ensure close coordination with local leaders in the business
Establish a network with stakeholders in the business to remain connected on key issues
Collaborate with Global Procurement on initiatives as-needed
Work collaboratively within Operations Support, Purchasing Services, Key Stakeholders, Americas Clusters, industry experts, and Global Procurement team to identify opportunities and initiatives
Meet with key customers routinely and proactively identify sourcing and contract value opportunities
Develop relationships with key customers to understand their service and commodity needs and implement strategies to maximize savings in the Capital Plan, Operating Expense Plan, and for emerging projects
Responsible for ensuring compliance with internal processes, including but not limited to, contract filing processes, bidding processes, and value creation reporting processes
Partner with Legal to ensure current and continued compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements, policies, and procedures, both internal and external, to Air Liquide
Provide various reports as requested by department leader
Train, manage, and counsel team to optimize individual and team performances and overall team execution, including best practices for strategic sourcing and category management
Responsible for evaluating and hiring talent into the department
Ensure appropriate skills development to enable professional growth
Support emergency preparedness and emergency response situations to promote the safety of Air Liquide employees, contractors, and customers as well as business continuity
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, finance, accounting, or other business related fields
Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in Supply Chain Management organizations
Strong written and verbal communication, team building and leadership and problem solving skills
Preferred
Advanced degree in business, management, or related field
Company
Air Liquide
Air Liquide supplies industrial gases and services to various industries including medical, chemical and electronic manufacturers.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Air Liquide has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (1)
2023 (2)
2021 (3)
2020 (3)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$1.16BKey Investors
The European Innovation Fund
2025-03-13Post Ipo Debt· $542.74M
2024-12-10Grant· $115.84M
2024-05-23Post Ipo Debt· $500M
Leadership Team
Amelia Irion
Vice President Human Resources
Armelle Levieux
VP Innovation, Electronics and H2
Recent News
2025-12-09
Clean Technica
2025-12-06
Company data provided by crunchbase