Category Manager- International & Air Freight in Pittsburgh, PA at Arconic

Date Posted: 6/7/2024

Job Snapshot

Job Description

Arconic has an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Category Manager – International & Air Freight within our Corporate Transportation Procurement. This position will report to the Senior Manager – Transportation Excellence and International Freight and can be situated either at our Headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA, or at one of our Production Plant locations (Davenport, IA – Alcoa, TN – Lancaster, PA). This individual will be innovative, analytical, process driven, and team oriented with an entrepreneurial approach to problems. This candidate must be able to thrive in an extremely fast-paced and at times ambiguous environment.

This role will be responsible for our International Freight strategy (Ocean, Transloading, & Air) and is fundamental to the advancement of the Transportation organization within Arconic. We will look to this individual in developing fresh, creative, and effective ideas that drive transparency, process optimization, compliance, and cost savings with the overarching target of broadening & strengthening our service level to our stakeholders and customers. 

We are looking for an individual who is motivated to make a difference in an area that is ripe with opportunity. This role requires knowledge of overall supply chain, sound financial acumen, and knowledge of logistics as well as their inter-connectivity to upstream supply chains and downstream customers. Excellent communication and partnership skills are essential as the role interfaces with a broad stakeholder base including operational teams, supply chain leaders, global process owners, customers, suppliers, Trade Compliance, etc. 

If you are a highly motivated individual who thrives on analytics, loves to problem solve, is solution oriented, is creative, and is good with people; let’s talk!

Key Deliverables / Focus of this role:

  • Category Management for Ocean, Transloading and Air including the development and execution overall category strategy and sourcing strategies. 
  • Strategically drive process improvements and standardization that align with our Category Strategy, Transportation Game Plan, and support stakeholders needs (e.g. continuous development of the NVOCC model, Transparency across shipment segments, Standard analytics, Market Assessments, etc)
  • Proactive communication of Market Insights, evaluation of impact of those insights to Arconic, and effective communication or current events to Stakeholders
  • Act as Project Manager in the evaluation and deployment of automated Booking process for Ocean and Air shipments to streamline the process and enhance transparency.
  • Supporting in the establishment and deployment of standardized reporting, Key Performance Indicators, as well as controlling activities to support process compliance.
  • Collaborate with Global Trade Compliance to ensure all shipments are compliant with all import/export requirements.
  • Act as an escalation point for stakeholders to ensure timely, accurate, and cost-effective transportation of International and air shipments. 
  • Effectively navigate international freight issues with stakeholders and partners to resolve and operational issues that arise. 
  • Effective Collaboration with internal and external Stakeholders 

Primary Responsibilities: 

Category Management:

  • Responsibility over International and Air Transport for the company.
    • Responsible for the development, review, and execution of category strategies & Sourcing Strategies.
    • Manage Relationships with Key suppliers.
    • Provide Headwind/Tailwind forecasts based on market data/conditions.
    • Manage urgencies as they arise.
    • Work closely with Stakeholders to provide solutions or support to any issues.

Operational Responsibilities:

  • Process owner for ocean export flow path for U.S. originating cargo to ensure consistent service and on time delivery.
  • Act as an escalation point to facilitate on time exports from U.S. locations and develop effective means of tracking shipments and identifying issues needing addressed by site and providers.
  • Coordinates with Arconic location transportation, supply chain, finance, and export suppliers to ensure on time revenue recognition.
  • Liaise with Sales and Customer Service to provide status of in-transit shipments. 
  • Publishes lead times for U.S. exports and works with Sales to dynamically modify transit times sold to customers. 
  • Partner with Trade Compliance and Legal Department to comply with regulatory requirements.

Other Key Challenges:

  • Achieve Procurement targets globally or regionally for assigned categories inclusive of cost, innovation, quality, and supplier performance to assigned categories.
  • Develops and executes Procurement strategies to arrive at the best total value solution for the company.
  • Maintains business relationships with representatives of strategic carriers.
  • Supports non-commercial events as required to meet objectives, including, but not limited to Kaizen workshops, Working Capital/Inventory Workshops.
  • Executes contract authoring and Terms and Conditions negotiations with suppliers classified in assigned categories and projects.
  • Accountable for Performance areas: Cost Savings (SRT), Supplier performance, challenging of material & service specifications (demand management).
  • The candidate will be responsible for contract management of assigned categories and fully accountable for developing Supplier Metric Scorecards for Indirect Categories, where applicable.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Engineering, or Supply Chain, Logistics from an accredited Institution.
  • Employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States.  Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of Hire.  Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
  • This position requires access to controlled technology, as defined in the Export Administration Regulations (15 C.F.R. §730, et seq.) and/or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Authorizations from the relevant government agency may be required to meet export control compliance requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • 3-5 years in Procurement or supply chain / operations at leading companies or International Logistics.
  • High-energy individual with a can-do attitude. Willing to jump in and work alongside folks of all levels to identify issues and quickly find solutions.
  • Analytical, organized, meticulous, and detail oriented.
  • Able to manage various competing initiatives and prioritize accordingly.
  • Strong Microsoft office skills required (PPT & Excel) 
  • Strong Analytical Skills
  • Collaborative teamwork skills
  • Communication and negotiation skills
  • Decision-making
  • Innovative, Strategic thinker
  • Customer-oriented with business acumen

Travel Requirements:

  • The position requires travel, average 10% of the time. Some of the travel may be international with the majority being in North America.  Travel will generally be planned well in advance.
Arconic Corporation is a leading provider of aluminum sheet, plate and extrusions, as well as innovative architectural products, that advance the automotive, aerospace, commercial transportation, industrial and building and construction markets. Building on more than a century of innovation, Arconic helps to transform the way we fly, drive, and build. We are proud that 77% of our employees are happy working for Arconic and would recommend it as a great place to work and that 80% of our employees would recommend their managers to others. 
We live our core values and commit to delivering sustainable value to our customers, our employees, our communities and our stakeholders. 
At Arconic, we: 
Act With Integrity. 
We lead with respect, honesty, transparency and accountability. 
Safeguard our Future. 
We protect and improve the health and safety of our employees, communities and environment. 
Grow Stronger Together. 
We cultivate an inclusive and diverse culture that advocates for equity. 
Earn Customer Loyalty. 
We build customer partnerships through best-in-class products and service. 
Drive Operational Excellence. 
We pursue continuous improvement through innovation, agility, people development and collaboration. 
Create Value. 
We achieve success by generating and growing value for our stakeholders. 

This position is subject to Export Control Law
This position requires access to controlled technology, as defined in the Export Administration Regulations (15 C.F.R. §730, et seq.) and/or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Authorizations from the relevant government agency may be required to meet export control compliance requirements.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Arconic is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.

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