The Director of Category Management – Valves and Fluid Control Equipment is responsible for the strategic sourcing, supplier development, and total cost optimization of valves and associated fluid control devices used in mission-critical systems across operations and capital projects.
This role combines deep category expertise with commercial leadership to manage the entire lifecycle of industrial valve procurement—ensuring compliance, performance, and reliability of products including isolation valves, control valves, safety devices, actuators, and instrumentation.
Develop and own the global category strategy for valves and fluid control equipment, aligned with business goals, engineering requirements, and asset lifecycle demands.
Segment spend by valve type, material class, service criticality, and usage (project vs. operations).
Define standardization and rationalization strategies to reduce complexity and improve sourcing leverage.
Drive sourcing and negotiation of:
Isolation valves (ball, gate, globe, butterfly)
Control valves, pressure relief valves (PRV), and regulators
Actuators (electric, pneumatic, hydraulic)
Fluid control assemblies and skids (valve banks, manifolds)
Collaborate with engineering to align technical specifications with market availability and vendor capabilities.
Lead Technical Bid Evaluations (TBE), commercial reviews, and risk assessments.
Build and manage a strategic global supplier base with qualified, high-performance manufacturers.
Develop supplier scorecards and drive continuous improvement in quality, delivery, innovation, and cost.
Lead supplier audits, QHSE reviews, and joint cost-reduction initiatives.
Work with Engineering, Maintenance, Projects, QA/QC, and Logistics to ensure procurement meets technical, operational, and schedule needs.
Integrate sourcing with project planning to ensure long-lead valves are ordered early and accurately.
Interface with legal and compliance to manage IP, certifications, and export/import controls.
Monitor and report key KPIs: on-time delivery, savings, total cost of ownership (TCO), and supplier performance.
Ensure category compliance with API, ASME, ISO, ANSI, PED, NACE, and end-user-specific standards.
Identify opportunities for localization, dual sourcing, LTA framework agreements, and should-cost modeling.
Leverage category analytics tools and ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Coupa) to improve decision-making.
Monitor commodity trends, market disruptions, geopolitical risk, and innovation in valve technology.
Lead digital initiatives such as e-sourcing, valve master data cleansing, and performance dashboards.
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain, or Industrial Engineering (Required)
Master’s degree or MBA (Preferred)
Professional certifications (CIPS, CPM, Six Sigma, etc.) are advantageous
12–20 years of procurement or category management experience in industrial, energy, or EPC environments
Deep technical and sourcing expertise in valves and fluid control systems
Proven track record in supplier negotiation, TCO optimization, and cross-functional team leadership
Global category strategy and lifecycle cost management
Technical fluency in valve specifications and applications
Strategic sourcing, contract negotiation, and risk mitigation
Supplier performance and quality management
Cross-functional collaboration and influence
Analytical and commercial acumen
ERP and procurement systems fluency