Category Lead

Job Description:

Category Lead - Raw Materials - Americas

Huntsman is seeking a Category Lead - Raw Materials supporting the Advanced Materials Division located in The Woodlands, TX. This position will report to Steve Hayward.

Job Scope

This role is responsible for leading strategic sourcing and category management activities for raw materials across the Americas region. The position drives cost competitiveness, supply security, and supplier performance while ensuring alignment with Huntsman's overall business objectives. The Category Lead partners closely with internal stakeholders to provide market intelligence, forward-looking cost visibility, and sourcing strategies that support profitability and operational continuity.

In summary, as the Category Lead - Raw Materials, you will:

• Drive a culture of safety ownership across internal teams and supplier interactions.
• Develop and execute strategic sourcing and category management strategies in collaboration with Americas and Global business leadership.
• Lead cost synergy initiatives to position Huntsman competitively in the market while meeting internal stakeholder needs.
• Provide forward-looking visibility on raw material cost movements to support cost, margin, and profitability management.
• Ensure vendor supply security, flexibility, and performance to meet supply chain and operational requirements.
• Negotiate commercial terms, pricing formulas, and chemical supply contracts to ensure materials are competitively and strategically sourced.
• Implement and maintain a diversified global supply chain to mitigate geopolitical, cost, and lead-time risks.
• Lead sourcing initiatives for critical tail-spend items using internal platforms such as Pinpools to reduce single-source dependency.
• Provide leadership, guidance, and development support through internal platforms to drive KPIs, prioritization, and sourcing synergies.

Qualifications

You must possess the below minimum qualifications to be initially considered for this position. Preferred qualifications are in addition to the minimum requirements and are considered a plus factor in identifying top candidates.

The candidate must have an unrestricted right to work for Huntsman in the United States.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education required
• Bachelor's Degree.
• Experience required
• 5+ years of experience in strategic purchasing, procurement, or supply chain roles within the chemical industry.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating direct material contracts and pricing formulations.
• Proven experience driving cost management initiatives through global synergies and active market engagement.

Skills and knowledge

• Strong strategic, analytical, and forward-thinking capability.
• Ability to support organizational change initiatives within large, complex, enterprise-level environments.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence across functions.
• Strong proficiency in Excel, total cost of ownership and should-cost models, market analytics, and negotiation techniques.
• Ability to use data to identify cost-saving opportunities, analyze market trends, and evaluate supplier performance.
• Ability to identify, assess, and mitigate procurement-related risks including supply disruptions, financial exposure, and legal risks.
• Adaptability to changing market conditions, business needs, and emerging technologies.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPM certification or MBA.
• Experience with AI-enabled tools or AI bot creation to support procurement analytics.
• Demonstrated experience in global sourcing and geopolitical risk navigation.

Working Environment

This position is primarily office-based and involves close collaboration with regional and global teams, suppliers, and internal stakeholders. The role requires engagement with dynamic market conditions and geopolitical considerations impacting global supply chains.

Additional Locations: