Category Specialist – Procurement and Supply Chain

At ABB, we help industries run leaner and cleaner—and every person here makes that happen. You’ll be empowered to lead, supported to grow, and proud of the impact we create together. Join us and help run what runs the world. ABB Canada is seeking a Category Specialist – Procurement and Supply Chain. This is a dynamic and highly collaborative role focused on strategic sourcing and procurement of mechanical commodities supporting ABB Canada’s manufacturing operations. The Mechanical Category Specialist works closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Planning, Quality, Logistics and suppliers to ensure a continuous supply of mechanical components while meeting cost, quality, delivery and sustainability objectives. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and implementing category strategies for mechanical components such as machined parts, castings, forgings, sheet metal, fabricated assemblies, plastic molded components, enclosures, hardware and other mechanical products. The role requires a strong understanding of supplier capabilities, manufacturing processes, cost drivers and market trends to optimize supplier performance and ensure continuity of supply. Success in this role requires excellent analytical, negotiation and project management skills, as well as the ability to build strong supplier relationships and collaborate across multiple functions. The Mechanical Category Specialist will proactively identify supply risks, lead continuous improvement initiatives, negotiate commercial agreements and contribute to the achievement of ABB’s operational and strategic objectives. This role contributes to ABB Canada’s Measurement & Analytics and Automation division and is based in Quebec City (3400 rue Pierre-Ardouin). The work model is hybrid, with three days per week onsite in Quebec City. Responsibilities Category Strategy: Develop and implement category strategies for mechanical components, castings, forgings and plastics, ensuring that suppliers are capable of meeting the company’s current and future requirements, and ensuring that all stakeholders understand and execute processes in accordance with these strategies. Strategic Sourcing: Lead requests for quotation (RFQs), supplier evaluations, commercial negotiations and contract management activities for mechanical components and assemblies. Conduct market research and analysis to identify trends, price fluctuations and opportunities to collaborate with new suppliers. Communicate market trends, including factors influencing the market, cost structures, supply outlooks and technical developments. Supplier Relationship Management: Build strong relationships with strategic suppliers while monitoring their performance using key performance indicators, including quality, on-time delivery, responsiveness, cost competitiveness and production capacity. Cost Optimization: Identify and implement cost reduction opportunities through supplier competition, negotiations, value engineering, productivity initiatives and should-cost analysis. Supply Continuity and Risk Management: Identify and mitigate supply chain risks, including those related to supplier capacity, raw material availability, geopolitical events, long-lead-time components and single-source suppliers. Develop contingency plans to ensure business continuity. Continuous Improvement: Lead initiatives to increase category maturity, including the use of digital tools to improve visibility into spend across lower-tier suppliers (tier-N) and proactively manage risks. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Planning, Quality, Logistics, Operations and global counterparts to resolve supply issues, meet manufacturing requirements, improve supplier performance and implement sourcing initiatives. Engineering Change and Lifecycle Management: Support Engineering Change Orders (ECOs), supplier changes, product transfers and lifecycle management a…

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