Sr. Category Manager - Water & Chemicals

Job Summary

The Sr. Category Manager (“CM”) is primarily responsible for developing and executing category strategies for water management in support of field operations. This role oversees sourcing, contracting, and supplier performance across wastewater trucking, disposal, storage, reuse, pipeline transfer, third‑party water sharing, and related logistics. A key focus of the position is driving cost optimization, ensuring supply availability, and enhancing safety while partnering closely with Drilling & Completions, Field Operations, and HSE teams. The role supports logistics and route optimization initiatives to improve hauling efficiency and reduce capital and LOE water related expenses.

In addition to water management, the CM serves as the category manager for production treatment chemicals. This includes maintaining a working understanding of the oilfield chemicals market, commodity chemical inputs, and underlying cost drivers. The role collaborates with technical stakeholders to define performance requirements, evaluate product alternatives, and align sourcing strategies with production objectives. Responsibilities include supplier selection, commercial negotiations, contract development, and ongoing supplier and category performance management.

The position requires strong analytical, commercial, and stakeholder‑management skills, with an ability to balance technical requirements with cost, operational, and risk considerations. Success in this role is driven by effectively combining the required expertise and skills into delivering reliable supply, industry-leading cost, and durable process improvements in a dynamic oil and gas operating environment.

Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Develops and implements category management strategies for assigned spend categories
• Utilizes thorough understanding of market conditions in developing go-to-market approach, cadence, and company position
• Analyzes internal data and external market intelligence sources to identify areas of opportunity within managed categories
• Works with Operations to understand current and forecast demand and participate in solution scoping and development
• Creates RFx and conducts sourcing events, commercial and technical analysis, proposal normalization, and recommendation
• Conducts commercial negotiations, authors and negotiates resulting contracts through execution under minimal supervision
• Maintains record of agreements through price books, smart contracts, or similar assurance mechanisms
• Assures timely delivery and quality of managed goods/services
• Engages in contract lifecycle management, monitoring supplier performance and realized cost, addressing issues as identified
• Understands current and potential market conditions, prepared to respond to supply disruption, price volatility, etc.
• Manages supplier and stakeholder relationships, acting as Company’s commercial representative
• Self-directs planning and prioritization of work responsibilities
• Reports to SCM Leadership on areas of responsibility including spend, supplier performance, and process improvements
• Performs other duties as assigned

Job Specific Skills

• Enhanced knowledge of E&P business functions and field operations – specifically water management and production chemicals
• Enhanced knowledge and proficiency in category management, market research, sourcing strategy development and execution, supply chain best practices and techniques
• Enhanced knowledge of water logistics, including: produced and freshwater trucking, pipeline water transfer, completions water reuse, water staging and storage, route planning and optimization, use of SCADA and logistics data in water operations, emerging risks and opportunities
• Enhanced analytical capabilities to access data from multiple sources, combine and analyze, provide meaningful insights, and actionable recommendations
• Enhanced knowledge of regulatory standards, ethical behaviors, safety requirements for O&G industry
• Enhanced negotiation and supplier management skills

Education

Minimum: High school diploma or GED

Preferred: Bachelor’s degree - from accredited university - Business, Math, Finance, Economics or related field

Experience

Minimum: 5 - 8 years related work experience

Additional Qualifications

• Enhanced ability to identify, assess, recommend, design, and communicate cross functionally in an appropriate manner
• Enhanced customer-service abilities to receive feedback, develop appropriate response, and deliver value to stakeholders
• Strong time management capabilities to balance and prioritize concurrent demands and responsibilities
• Strong business insight and financial acumen
• Strong decision-making capabilities
• Strong ability to self-motivate, as well as motivate others
• Demonstrates self-awareness
• Values team inputs, observations, suggestions, and differences for their contribution to higher quality results