Category Specialist - Electronics At Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, our 8,000+ global associates proud to come to work each day, knowing that what we do impacts the lives of patients around the world. For Terumo, for Everyone, Everywhere. We make medical devices and related products that are used to collect, separate, manufacture and process various components of blood and cells. With our innovative technologies and service offerings, we touch a patient's life every second of every day and are committed to continuing to increase the number of patients we serve. Advancing healthcare with heart. With some of the best and brightest minds in the industry, an unmatched global footprint, comprehensive benefits and a distinct culture, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies is a great place to work, grow and be part of a team that is focused on making a difference. Join us and help shape wherever we go next. You create your future and ours. As the Category Specialist, you'll be responsible for enabling the business' Sourcing Category strategy. Continuously improve the Company's purchasing practices by identifying and leading efforts to proactively optimize category spend, manage supplier performance, reduce inventory, mitigate procurement risks, gain visibility to total spend and reduce total costs. Perform spend analysis to ensure best in class category sourcing leverage. Operates under the supervision of Category Manager and/or Sr. Manager, as an extension of the category manager and secondary contact for negotiation and supplier management with the Terumo Blood and Cell Technology (TBCT) supply base, responsible for the category and supplier strategy on a global basis. The Category Specialist will support the development, implementation and management of global strategies to provide the segment with supply assurance, pricing, flexibility, optimal inventory levels, lead-times, cycle times, quality and delivery performance.
Essential Duties:
Drive and manage supplier performance for on-time delivery, supply stability, cost management and cost increase mitigation.
Pursue category performance improvement to stated goals: Lead time improvements, Minimum Order Quantity improvements, Localization or Vendor Managed Inventory opportunities, Payment Terms, Incoming Quality, optimized inventory levels and increase inventory turns.
Identify and execute alternate sourcing, supplier consolidation and localization to maximize pricing leverage, and cycle time improvements.
Drive and manage enhanced margin through improved material cost savings.
Monitor current category market conditions, technology roadmaps and identify supply/demand challenges.
Develop, implement and communicate tactical and strategic category plans internally as appropriate.
Understand Internal and Supplier Manufacturing Processes to improve cost and reduce waste.
Collaborate with internal stakeholders and suppliers to develop and optimize business processes to improve speed, efficiency and accuracy of workstreams.
Prepare Business Cases, including ROI models, and effectively present Cost Savings and Risk Mitigation proposals to appropriate parties for approval and qualification.
Develop and execute RFQ's, cost models, and estimates for initial project resourcing needs.
Negotiate business T&C's relating to: payment terms, delivery terms, inventory strategies, lead times, price improvement, supply assurance and other strategic issues with key suppliers.
Provide rigorous analysis of spend data and market trends/dynamics by site, supplier and/or category to prioritize and launch sourcing initiatives.
Accountable for working closely with customer-facing teams, Operations teams, and R&D and Supplier Engineering teams to ensure that the supplier strategy supports product and customer needs.
Manage commodities/materials/spend to achieve the annual performance metrics applicable to Supply Chain – planning, logistics, warehousing, and procurement.
Ensure that all supplier and sourcing strategies support the "best total landed cost" objective of the business, including costs of inventory ownership, transport, customs, duties and lead-time.
Ensure that product compliance of suppliers meets all existing and future corporate social responsibility and product compliance requirements.
Conduct periodic reviews of suppliers to ensure such compliance.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
Education:
Bachelor's degree or equivalent of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential functions of the job may be considered.
Experience:
Minimum 4 years' experience in Sourcing/Procurement/Supply Chain or Manufacturing/Operations or R&D in a large, multi-national, preferably in a medical device company. Strong preference for direct experience with electronics and electrical components. Operational Excellence (Lean, Six Sigma, or Similar) experience.
Skills:
Knowledge and use of relevant PC software applications and skills to use them effectively. Proven track record of driving positive results. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing. Demonstrated ability to drive continuous improvement initiatives by leveraging Lean, Six Sigma, and data analytics to optimize processes, reduce waste, and enhance cross-functional efficiency. Highly self-motivated team player who can work effectively with management, business unit personnel, and other stakeholders. Demonstrated ability to interact with diplomacy and tact while maintaining appropriate assertiveness and persistence. Effective project management skills. Proven ability to positively persuade and influence decision making, at all levels in the organization. Person of true convictions; Willing to stand up for those convictions; Able to communicate, reinforce and coach/counsel others on those convictions; Unafraid of change / improvement Interpersonal skills that could be described as "firm but fair"; Objective yet compassionate in evaluating performance; Can connect all people of the organization to the mission and goals of the organization. Ability to prioritize very well and maintain appropriate balance in a fast-paced environment. Sound problem-solving skills in both functional areas of operations and interpersonal relationship management. Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: APICS and/or CPSM certification or willingness to work towards same. -Or- An equivalent competency level acquired through a variation of these qualifications may be considered.
Location: Lakewood, Colorado - Onsite (hybrid)
Travel: Willing to travel domestically and globally as required, 10 - 25%.
Physical Requirements:
Typical Office Environment requirements include: reading, speaking, hearing, close vision, walking, bending, sitting, and occasional lifting up to 20 pounds. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties. Target Pay Range: $104,600.00 to $130,800.00 - Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data Target Bonus on Base: 7.0%We anticipate this requisition will be open for a minimum of five days, from July 23, 2026. We encourage your prompt application. At Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, we provide competitive total reward offerings that consist of compensation, benefits, recognition, along with a wealth of other well-being, work-life and recognition programs which support in unlocking the potential for you and your family. Included in our expansive list of benefits offerings are multiple group medical, dental and vision plans, a robust wellness program, life insurance and disability coverages, also a variety of voluntary programs such as group accident, hospital indemnity, critical illness, pet insurance and much more. To help you save for retirement, we offer a 401(k) plan with a matching contribution and for work-life balance we have vacation and sick time programs for associates. Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies is part of Terumo Group, founded in 1921 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. In 2024, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies reached $1.5 billion in revenue. We employ nearly 8,000 associates globally, with global headquarters in Lakewood, CO, U.S., and regional headquarters in Brussels, Buenos Aires, Singapore and Tokyo. We manufacture devices, disposable sets and solutions at our facilities in Belgium, India, Japan, Northern Ireland, the U.S. and Vietnam. Our global presence enables us to serve customers in more than 130 countries. Our core values help set our direction, guide our actions and keep us true to our corporate mission of contributing to society through healthcare. Respect – Appreciative of others Integrity – Guided by our mission Care – Empathetic to patients Quality – Committed to excellence Creativity – Striving for innovation We contribute to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), raising $2.4 million USD since 2025. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer. All applicants will be afforded equal opportunity without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, order of protection status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship status, age, physical or mental disability unrelated to ability, military status or an unfavorable discharge from military service. Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies is committed to providing a safe, healthy and secure working environment. Our Colorado campus locations are tobacco-free workplaces, and we maintain a drug-free workplace and perform
