Head of Regional Category

Job Description

Position Title

Head of Regional Category – CVS Pune

Location

Pune, India (CVS)

Reporting Line

Reports functionally and operationally to Regional Purchasing Leader India

Role Purpose / Mandate

The Head of Regional Category – CVS Pune is the regional leader responsible for category strategy execution, cost competitiveness, supplier capacity, and supply continuity for CVS-relevant categories in India. The role ensures global category strategies are localized and executed while safeguarding material cost targets, supplier health, capacity availability, and risk mitigation.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Cost Leadership

• Translate Global Category Strategies into regional sourcing and supplier strategies.
• Own material cost performance including cost reduction, inflation recovery, and productivity.
• Support buyers on negotiations, localization, and make/buy decisions.
• Act as regional sponsor for major negotiations.

Supplier Capacity, Risk & Continuity

• Ensure supplier capacity availability for current and future demand.
• Manage supplier risk including financial distress and delivery disruptions.
• Lead supplier stabilization and recovery programs.

Regional Category Team Leadership

• Lead and develop regional category and sourcing teams.
• Coach teams on strategy, negotiation excellence, and governance.
• Drive accountability and data-driven execution.

Cross‑Functional & Governance

• Lead cross-functional task forces with Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, Finance, and Legal.
• Represent category in regional sourcing boards and governance forums.
• Ensure compliance with KB Global Sourcing Process.

Supplier Tooling & Industrial Readiness

• Manage supplier tooling governance and lifecycle monitoring.
• Oversee capacity audits and industrial readiness assessments.

Performance Management & Continuous Improvement

• Define and track category KPIs including savings and supplier performance.
• Drive continuous improvement and lessons-learned deployment.

Key Interfaces

Global Category Leads, CVS Purchasing and Plant Leadership, Regional Buyers, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, Finance, Legal, and Strategic Suppliers.

Required Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, or related field; Master’s preferred.

8- 12 years of experience in strategic sourcing, category management, and supplier development.

Proven leadership experience in regional or global matrix organizations.