Category Manager - Sterilization & Cross-linking
Zimmer Biomet · Warsaw · $115,000–$140,000 (stated in the posting)
At Zimmer Biomet, we believe in pushing the boundaries of innovation and driving our mission forward. As a global medical technology leader for nearly 100 years, a patient’s mobility is enhanced by a Zimmer Biomet product or technology every 8 seconds.
As a Zimmer Biomet team member, you will share in our commitment to providing mobility and renewed life to people around the world. To support our talent team, we focus on development opportunities, robust employee resource groups (ERGs), a flexible working environment, location specific competitive total rewards, wellness incentives and a culture of recognition and performance awards. We are committed to creating an environment where every team member feels included, respected, empowered and recognised.
What You Can Expect
The Categoryy Manager leads end-to-end sourcing and commercial strategy for outsourced sterilization and polyethylene cross-linking services. The scope include ethylene oxide, gamma, electron beam, X-ray, steam, and related validated processing services used across Zimmer Biomet's global product portfolio.
This role converts business, quality, regulatory, operational, and technology requirements into category and supplier strategies that strengthen supply continuity, secure capacity, improve service, manage total cost, and enable innovation. The Category Manager owns the commercial relationship and category execution while partnering closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Engineering, Research and Development, Finance, and Legal.
How You'll Create Impact
- Execute a global, multi-year category strategy and sourcing roadmap for sterilization and cross-linking services, including supplier, capacity, geographic, and technology plans.
- Lead sourcing events, supplier selection, commercial evaluation, and negotiations across ethylene oxide, gamma, electron beam, X-ray, steam, and cross-linking services.
- Build category intelligence using spend, demand, capacity, cost-driver, regulatory, technology, and supply-market data; translate insights into clear recommendations and executable actions.
- Create total-cost models and deliver sustainable value through pricing mechanisms, capacity commitments, minimum volumes, storage, turnaround times, warranties, service levels, change notification, business continuity, and performance remedies.
- Build strategic supplier relationships and lead governance through scorecards, quarterly business reviews, executive reviews, and corrective action follow-up across cost, quality, service, capacity, innovation, and risk.
- Identify and quantify supply risks, including single-source exposure, constrained capacity, site concentration, geopolitical risk, regulatory change, and business interruption; lead mitigation plans such as second sourcing, alternate sites, and alternate technologies.
- Partner with technical and quality functions on supplier and site qualifications, validation plans, change controls, product transfers, and regulatory-impact assessments while maintaining clear ownership of sourcing and commercial deliverables.
- Integrate long-range demand, product launches, network changes, and supplier capacity plans to anticipate contraints and secure capacity before business needs become urgent.
- Monitor emerging sterilization and cross-linking technologies and supplier investments, then connect relevant opportunities to the technology roadmap and product strategy.
- Lead cross-functional projects with defined scope, milestones, owners risks, decisions, and executive-level status reporting; escalate issues early and drive actions to closure.
- Ensure sourcing activity complies with Zimmer Biomet policies, quality requirements, ethical standards, and applicable laws and regulations.
What Makes You Stand Out
- You combine strategic category thinking with disciplined execution and can move comfortably between executive discussions, supplier negotiations, technical project reviews, and detailed data analysis.
- You influence across functions, regions, and organizational levels without relying on direct authority, and you create clarity when priorities or accountabilities compete.
- You understand how commercial decisions interact with validated manufacturing processes, quality systems, regulatory commitments, and patient supply.
- You negotiate effectively in concentrated, capacity-constrained supplier markets and build relationships that improve both near-term performance and long-term resilience.
- You communicate complex issues concisely, frame decisions with facts and tradeoffs, and maintain momentum through clear ownership and follow-through.
Your Background
Required
- Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, engineering, science, or a related discipline.
- At least 5+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, category management, supplier management, operations, engineering, or a related field, including demonstrated ownership of complex sourcing initiatives.
- Demonstrated success developing category or supplier strategies, leading competitive sourcing, negotiating complex agreements, and delivering measurable business value.
- Experience working in a regulated or highly controlled manufacturing environment, such as medical devices, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, or another life-science sector.
- Strong commercial, analytical, project management, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to convert data into decisions and action plans.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to lead cross-functional, global teams.
- Proficiency with enterprise resource planning, spend analytics, Microsoft Excel, and presentation tools.
Preferred
- Direct experience with contract sterilization, radiation processing, polyethylene cross-linking, or other validated outsourced processing services.
- Working knowledge of ethylene oxide, gamma, electron beam, X-ray, and steam sterilization technologies and their commercial and capacity considerations.
- Experience supporting supplier qualifications, process validations, change controls, technical transfers, or regulatory-impact assessments in partnership with Quality, Regulatory Affairs, and Engineering.
- Experience managing global suppliers and business continuity plans in categories with constrained capacity or limited qualified sources.
- Master's degree, MBA, CPSM, C.P.M., PMP, or a comparable professional credential.
Travel Expectations
Ability to travel up to 25%, including overnight and occasional international travel, to support supplier reviews, negotiations, audits, qualifications, project execution, and internal stakeholder alignment.
Expected Compensation Range
$115,000 - $140,000
EOE/M/F/Vet/Disability
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