Category Manager-Energy and Utilities

INDIRECT PROCUREMENT CATEGORY MANAGER Utilities, Energy & Industrial Gases Location - Hybrid, Alpharetta, GA (Corporate Headquarters) Reports To - Director, Indirect Procurement & Energy WHAT YOU'LL DO The Indirect Procurement Category Manager - Utilities, Energy & Industrial Gases is a highly specialized category leader responsible for developing and executing enterprise-wide sourcing strategies for electricity, natural gas, renewable energy, utilities, and industrial gas categories across Arclin's manufacturing network. This role serves as the company's subject matter expert for energy procurement, utility market intelligence, forecasting, budgeting, risk management, and supplier relationship management. The successful candidate will partner closely with Operations, Manufacturing, Finance, Engineering, EH&S, and executive leadership to optimize energy spend, secure supply reliability, improve cost predictability, and support long-term business objectives. In addition to energy procurement responsibilities, this role will lead complex strategic sourcing initiatives involving industrial gas suppliers and manufacturing operations, developing long-term partnerships that improve operational reliability, commercial performance, sustainability outcomes, and supply resilience. The position requires balancing strategic market analysis and long-term procurement planning with active participation in contract negotiations, supplier management, hedging strategies, and sourcing execution. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Energy & Utilities Strategy Develop and execute enterprise sourcing strategies for electricity, natural gas, renewable energy, and utility services across manufacturing sites in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the United Kingdom. Establish short-term and long-term energy procurement strategies aligned with operational requirements and corporate financial goals. Monitor regional energy markets and regulatory developments to identify opportunities, risks, and emerging market trends. Advise leadership on energy market conditions, supply risks, pricing forecasts, and procurement recommendations. Collaborate with business stakeholders to support energy sustainability initiatives, emissions reduction programs, and renewable energy strategies. Drive continuous improvement initiatives related to energy consumption, procurement efficiency, and utility cost optimization. Energy Procurement, Hedging & Risk Management Lead competitive sourcing events and negotiations for electricity and natural gas supply agreements across deregulated and regulated markets. Develop and execute energy purchasing strategies utilizing fixed-price, index-based, layered purchasing, and hedging approaches where appropriate. Manage energy price risk through market monitoring, procurement timing strategies, and approved hedging programs. Evaluate supplier proposals, pricing structures, risk premiums, transportation costs, and market assumptions. Provide recommendations regarding natural gas and electricity purchasing positions based on market intelligence and business objectives. Develop procurement strategies that balance price certainty, market opportunity, operational flexibility, and risk exposure. Support business continuity planning by identifying and mitigating utility supply risks. Energy Forecasting, Budgeting & Financial Management Lead annual energy budgeting and forecasting processes across all manufacturing locations. Develop consumption forecasts, budget models, and energy cost projections for natural gas, electricity, and utility spend categories. Partner with Finance and Operations teams to support budgeting accuracy, financial planning, forecast variances and cost management objectives. Maintain energy market models and reporting tools used for strategic decision-making. Track and report savings, cost avoidance, budget performance, and procurement effectiveness. Demand Response & Energy Optimization Develop and manage demand response strategies across eligible manufacturing facilities. Identify opportunities to monetize load flexibility through utility programs, grid services, and demand response participation. Partner with plant leadership to implement energy curtailment strategies that minimize operational impact while maximizing financial returns. Work with utility providers, energy consultants, and operations teams to evaluate energy efficiency and load management opportunities. Industrial Gas Category Management Develop category strategies for industrial gases including hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, specialty gases, bulk gas systems, cylinder programs, and related services. Lead strategic sourcing initiatives involving large-scale industrial gas supply agreements, on-site generation assets, pipeline supply arrangements, and bulk storage systems. Establish long-term supplier partnerships that align supplier capabilities with manufacturing operational requirements. Evaluate supplier technologies, supply models, commercial structures, and capital investment opportunities. Lead complex commercial negotiations involving long-term contracts, pricing mechanisms, escalation structures, service guarantees, capital investment, and supply assurance. Drive value creation by identifying opportunities for consumption optimization, process improvements, supply chain efficiencies, and operational reliability improvements. Partner closely with Operations, Engineering, and site leadership to support critical manufacturing processes dependent on industrial gas supply. Supplier Relationship Management Serve as executive relationship manager for strategic energy and industrial gas suppliers. Conduct supplier business reviews focused on pricing performance, service levels, innovation, sustainability initiatives, and continuous improvement. Establish supplier scorecards and key performance indicators. Drive supplier accountability and performance improvement initiatives. Identify opportunities for innovation, operational efficiencies, and strategic collaboration with key suppliers. Resolve commercial, operational, contractual, and supply-related issues. Contract Negotiation & Strategic Sourcing Lead end-to-end sourcing events including RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, auctions, and contract negotiations. Negotiate complex commercial agreements involving energy supply, industrial gases, utility services, infrastructure, and related categories. Develop contract structures that balance cost competitiveness, supply security, operational flexibility, and risk management. Ensure supplier agreements align with legal requirements, corporate policies, and business objectives. Manage contract implementation, renewals, and supplier transition activities. Support mergers, acquisitions, expansions, and capital projects requiring utility or industrial gas procurement expertise. Analytics, Systems & Continuous Improvement Utilize energy market data, consumption analytics, supplier performance metrics, and procurement reporting tools to support decision-making. Develop dashboards and management reports related to energy spend, budget performance, supplier performance, and category savings. Maintain procurement records, supplier agreements, and sourcing documentation within enterprise systems. Drive adoption of best practices in energy procurement, category management, forecasting, and supplier management. Support continuous improvement initiatives across procurement and manufacturing operations. TO BE SUCCESSFUL, YOU WILL NEED Required Qualifications 4+ years of experience in energy procurement, utility sourcing, category management, strategic sourcing, energy marketing, energy risk management, or related commercial roles. Demonstrated expertise in natural gas and electricity procurement for industrial or manufacturing environments. Direct experience managing natural gas transportation, utility contracts, energy hedging programs, or retail energy supply agreements. Experience managing energy sourcing strategies across multiple sites and geographic regions. Proven experience developing and executing energy hedging or risk management strategies. Strong understanding of deregulated and regulated electricity and natural gas markets. Experience leading large-scale utility and industrial gas sourcing initiatives. Advanced analytical and financial modeling skills. Experience developing energy forecasts, budgets, and market outlooks. Strong negotiation, supplier management, and stakeholder engagement capabilities. Ability to communicate complex market dynamics and procurement strategies to senior leadership. Systems & Technology Requirements Experience leveraging ERP, utility, and consumption data to support forecasting, budgeting, sourcing decisions, and performance management. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Power BI, and data visualization tools. Experience working with energy market reporting platforms, pricing databases, or risk management systems. Preferred Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, Engineering, Energy Management, Economics, or related discipline. Experience utilizing enterprise ERP systems including: JD Edwards EnterpriseOne SAP S/4HANA Experience with both platforms strongly preferred. Strong preference for experience utilizing SAP Fiori applications for analytics, procurement workflows, supplier management, reporting, and approvals. Experience sourcing energy across North America and Europe. Knowledge of energy regulatory frameworks in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and European markets. Experience supporting chemical, industrial manufacturing, forest products, building products, or process manufacturing operations. Professional certifications such as CPSM, CPM, ERP, CEM (Certified Energy Manager), or equivalent. Experience leading strategic industrial gas partnerships with suppliers. Experience supporting sustainability, carbon reduction, renewable energy, or decarbonization initiatives. SUCCESS IN THIS ROLE Success is measured by the ability to: Reduce enterprise energy and utility costs while maintaining supply reliability. Develop effective natural gas and electricity sourcing and hedging strategies. Improve forecasting and budgeting accuracy across global operations. Maximize value from demand response and energy optimization programs. Build strategic industrial gas partnerships that enhance manufacturing performance. Deliver measurable savings, risk reduction, operational resilience, and long-term supplier value across Arclin's global manufacturing footprint. You can find Arclin everywhere. Our technologies make homes and transportation safer, help crops flourish, keep water clean, protect first responders and members of the military, and preserve the purity of essential pharmaceuticals. These vital, everyday products can't fail, and we’re here to give the world an extra layer of performance and peace of mind. With ~4,000 team members across more than 30 global manufacturing facilities, we operate with the scale to make a global impact and the agility to solve complex challenges at the molecular level. Rooted in scientific discovery and innovation, Arclin’s materials redefine performance across industries - from Firepoint®’s patented intumescent technology that helps stall flames and save lives to the iconic Kevlar® and Nomex® brands trusted to protect those who serve, strengthen aerospace and industrial systems, and perform where reliability and safety are top of mind. As we expand our mission‑critical materials portfolio and shape the next era of performance technologies, we’re looking for people who want to grow, lead, and solve the challenges others can’t. Together, we’ll advance the innovations that keep the world moving. Because at Arclin, our people are truly Vital Beyond Measure.