Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries. **Job Title** Category Manager **Working at Abbott** At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. You’ll also have access to: + Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of. + Free medical coverage for employees* via the Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO + An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution + Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save (https://www.abbott.com/corpnewsroom/strategy-and-strength/tackling-student-debt-for-our-employees.html) student debt program and FreeU (https://www.abbott.com/corpnewsroom/strategy-and-strength/college-degree-for-free-its-possible-with-freeu.html) education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree. + A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune. + A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists. **The Opportunity** We are seeking an experienced, high caliber **Category Manager** to work our **Sylmar, CA** or **Scottsdale, AZ** locations for our Cardiac Rhythm Management division. This position will manage suppliers of 3rd party products that aid physicians using our products during OR procedures. As a global leader in Cardiac Rhythm Technologies, we focus on innovative technologies that can improve the way doctors treat people with heart arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats. **What You’ll Work On** + Implements sourcing strategies to support objectives in the area of indirect or direct commodities, providing the entity a competitive advantage in the areas of materials, supplies, and services + Locates, analyzes and develops a consolidated supplier base to meet current and future commodity needs + Directs the negotiation and management of contracts/agreements for assigned commodities with medium to high risk and medium to high complexity + Provides guidance and overall direction to the purchasing/commodity team regarding contract management, agreements, policy development, art of negotiation and other supply chain activities in the spirit of providing mentoring and coaching to develop the teams knowledge, skills and abilities + Develops risk management strategies and recommends short and long terms strategies with defined risk/benefit strategies + Develops alternate sources f to ensure a steady flow of goods, materials, and/or services + Maintains budget and performs analyses of costs related to labor rates, charges, time, and cost of materials + Monitors supplier capability and performance to ensure maintenance of deliver, quality and price commitments + Maintains and promotes sound relationships with extensive network of suppliers and business community + Connects other team members with potential suppliers + Leads projects to assure all procurement activities are performed as required + Creates and maintains mutually beneficial long-term partnerships with suppliers to foster feedback and continuous improvement + This includes driving continuous improvements with the supplier base + Develops cross-functional teams to understand division-wide needs and evaluate suppliers + Understands, tracks, and forecasts the key cost drivers and market factors for assigned commodities + Compiles market condition information regarding commodities and suppliers and suggests/implements business strategy changes + Responsible for the development of materials policies and procedures + Support all Company initiatives as identified by management and in support of Quality Management Systems (QMS), Environmental Management Systems (EMS), and other regulatory requirements + Complies with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, other regulatory requirements, Company policies, operating procedures, processes, and task assignments + Maintains positive and cooperative communications and collaboration with all levels of employees, customers, contractors, and vendors **Required Qualifications** + Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Engineering, Chemistry/Biology or like degree + 8 years of progressively responsible experience in purchasing/commodity management, years working in a highly regulated environment, years working with purchasing/commodity mgt software + Strong experience in negotiating terms in purchasing agreements + In depth experience in contract management + Ability to work in a highly matrixed and geographically diverse business environment + Ability to work within a team and as an individual contributor in a fast-paced, changing environment + Ability to leverage and/or engage others to accomplish projects + Strong verbal and written communications with ability to effectively communicate at multiple levels in the organization + Multitasks, prioritizes and meets deadlines in timely manner + Strong organizational and follow-up skills, as well as attention to detail + Ability to travel approximately up to 20%, including internationally **Preferred Qualifications** + Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM) Apply Now (https://www.jobs.abbott/us/en) * Participants who complete a short wellness assessment qualify for FREE coverage in our HIP PPO medical plan. Free coverage applies in the next calendar year. **Learn more about our health and wellness benefits, which provide the security to help you and your family live full lives:** www.abbottbenefits.com (http://www.abbottbenefits.com/pages/candidate.aspx) Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity. Connect with us at www.abbott.com , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal. The base pay for this position is $109,300.00 – $218,500.00. In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted. An Equal Opportunity Employer Abbot welcomes and encourages diversity in our workforce. We provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. To request accommodation, please call 224-667-4913 or email corpjat@abbott.com