Category Manager

Proven flight heritage. Built for the nation’s most critical missions. Rocketdyne has powered American launch and national security missions for generations. Today we build the propulsion, power, and communications that get this country’s most important systems where they need to go - and keep them there. If it flies, we power it. If it protects the nation, we deliver it. Real hardware. Real stakes. Join the team the nation depends on. The Role As a Category Manager, you will develop and execute category strategies for assigned direct-material commodities, such as aerospace fasteners, composites, valves, turbomachinery hardware, and selected raw materials. You will analyze market trends, supplier capabilities, and industry developments to identify competitive, creative, and resilient sourcing solutions. Serving as a category subject-matter expert, you will lead complex sourcing and supplier-transition initiatives with minimal oversight. You will partner with buyers, Programs, Engineering, Quality, and suppliers to address performance issues, identify alternative sources, and manage risks to cost, quality, delivery, and continuity of supply. Why This Role Matters A capable and resilient supply base is essential to delivering mission-critical hardware. By looking beyond incumbent suppliers and identifying new capabilities and sourcing alternatives, you will help mitigate supply risk, improve supplier performance, and deliver measurable business and program results.

Success in this role looks like:

• Comprehensive category strategies reflect market conditions, business requirements, supplier capabilities, and program priorities.
• Buyers, program teams, and functional leaders receive timely market intelligence and expert guidance when sourcing or supplier-performance issues arise.
• Alternative sources are identified before supplier limitations or disruptions significantly affect program execution.
• Complex supplier transitions are planned and executed with appropriate coordination across Supply Chain, Programs, Engineering, Quality, and other stakeholders.
• Category decisions consider total value, including cost, quality, delivery, capacity, technical capability, and supply continuity.
• New and emerging suppliers, technologies, and industry capabilities are evaluated rather than relying exclusively on incumbent sources.
• Category initiatives result in measurable improvements to supply resilience, supplier performance, cost, quality, delivery, or operational execution.
• Sourcing practices and category-management processes become more consistent, proactive, and data-driven.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category strategies for assigned direct-material commodities based on business needs, market conditions, and supplier capabilities.
• Serve as the category subject-matter expert, providing market intelligence, supply-base analysis, and sourcing recommendations.
• Identify industry trends, emerging technologies, capacity constraints, and new or differentiated suppliers.
• Lead complex sourcing, supplier-recovery, and transition initiatives with minimal oversight.
• Partner with buyers, Programs, Engineering, Quality, and Operations to identify and qualify alternative sources when suppliers underperform or discontinue work.
• Evaluate sourcing alternatives based on cost, quality, delivery, capacity, technical capability, and supply risk.
• Influence internal and external stakeholders to implement category strategies, sourcing changes, and supplier-transition plans.
• Implement category and process improvements that produce measurable business results.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 9 years of prior relevant experience; a graduate degree and a minimum of 7 years of prior related experience; or, in lieu of a degree, a minimum of 13 years of prior related experience.
• Comprehensive knowledge of category management, strategic sourcing, supply chain management, procurement, or a related discipline.
• Experience supporting direct-material or hardware categories in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or another highly technical industry.
• Experience developing category or commodity strategies informed by supply-market research, industry trends, supplier capabilities, and business requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to lead large, complex sourcing or supplier-transition initiatives with minimal oversight.
• Experience identifying, evaluating, and recommending alternative suppliers in response to performance, capacity, obsolescence, or supply-continuity concerns.
• Ability to assess sourcing alternatives across cost, quality, delivery, technical capability, capacity, and risk.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex information and influence stakeholders across organizational and functional boundaries.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, project-management, negotiation, and business communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing categories such as aerospace fasteners, composites, valves, turbomachinery hardware, machined or fabricated components, and raw materials.
• In-depth knowledge of the aerospace and defense supply base, including relevant manufacturing processes, market dynamics, and supplier capabilities.
• Experience leading supplier transitions, source qualifications, resourcing efforts, or recovery initiatives in a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to identify emerging suppliers, technologies, and capabilities and translate market intelligence into actionable sourcing strategies.
• Experience partnering with Engineering, Quality, Operations, Programs, and other technical stakeholders to evaluate supplier capabilities and sourcing risks.
• Knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and applicable sourcing or subcontracting requirements.
• Familiarity with supplier quality, export control, cybersecurity, and other compliance considerations relevant to aerospace and defense suppliers.
• Experience using enterprise resource planning, procurement, spend-analytics, supplier-performance, or business-intelligence tools.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strong executive communication skills and the ability to present category strategies, market findings, risks, and recommendations to senior leaders.
• Ability to build effective internal and external relationships and influence action without direct authority.

9/80 Schedule - every other Friday off.