Category Manager - Wireless Routers
Cleveland, OH, USA
Category Manager – Wireless Routers
Eagle Wireless is a connectivity company delivering secure, reliable, and scalable cellular modules and solutions for automotive and IoT applications. With a strong presence in the United States and global R&D teams across North America, Europe, and APAC, Eagle Wireless supports customers worldwide with long-life, compliant, and cyber-secure connectivity products. Focused on trust, supply chain resilience, and regulatory compliance, Eagle Wireless helps OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and IoT innovators deploy connected technologies with confidence in an increasingly complex global environment.
We are looking for an experienced Category Manager – Wireless Routers to lead sourcing and category strategy for our new Wireless Routers product line. You bring deep segment expertise: you know the supplier landscape (ODMs, chipset vendors, and component suppliers), you understand cost structures and BOM economics, and you have existing relationships across the wireless router / CPE ecosystem. This is a build-from-scratch mandate — you will define supplier strategy, negotiate commercial terms, and establish the cost and quality foundation for a brand-new category at Eagle Wireless.
You will own the Wireless Routers sourcing category end-to-end from day one — a hands-on, single-owner mandate to start, with clear scope to grow the function (and, over time, a team) as the category scales. Day-to-day purchase order execution, expediting, and delivery scheduling are owned by our plant procurement teams; this role is focused on the strategic layer above that.
Key Requirements
Two requirements are non-negotiable: (1) several years of hands-on strategic sourcing / procurement experience, and (2) direct experience sourcing wireless routers, CPE, or Wi-Fi networking hardware, including existing ODM and Wi-Fi chipset-vendor relationships.
Applications that do not clearly evidence both will not be considered.
- 5+ years of hands-on strategic sourcing / procurement experience, of which at least 3 years sourcing wireless routers, CPE, or Wi-Fi networking hardware (general category-management or non-procurement backgrounds are not a fit for this role)
- Existing, direct working relationships with router / CPE ODMs and Wi-Fi chipset vendors — be prepared to name the specific ODMs and chipset vendors you have personally sourced from
- Strong command of BOM costing, cost breakdown negotiation, and should-cost analysis
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field
- Excellent negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills
- Experience with ERP/procurement systems (e.g. SAP, NetSuite)
- Willingness to travel internationally to Asia for supplier visits (approx. 20–30%)
- Fluent English
Required Qualifications
Strategic Sourcing and Category Strategy:
- Develop and execute the sourcing and category strategy for the Wireless Routers segment
- Identify, qualify, and select ODM and component suppliers (chipsets, RF front-end, PCB, mechanicals, packaging)
- Establish a dual/multi-sourcing strategy to mitigate supply chain risk
- Lead cost modeling and profitability analysis to assess suppliers’ cost structures and identify opportunities for cost reduction and value optimization
- Conduct competitive bidding processes to ensure the selection of the best suppliers based on quality, price, delivery, and service performance
Supplier Relationship Management:
- Own the strategic supplier relationship: performance scorecards, quarterly business reviews, and escalation ownership for cost, quality, and capacity issues
- Represent the category in senior-level supplier business reviews and executive escalations
Cost Management:
- Lead commercial negotiations on pricing, BOM cost breakdowns, payment terms, and contracts
- Build and maintain cost benchmarks and should-cost models for router platforms
- Establish Cost-Down and Design-to-Cost principles for the category
Category & Product Strategy:
- Own category strategy across the product lifecycle — from initial sourcing and supplier selection through NPI and cost-downs — partnering with plant procurement teams on execution and delivery
- Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Engineering, Quality, and Program Management on RFQs and new product introductions
- Ensure supplier and category compliance with industry regulations, certifications (e.g. FCC, CE, Wi-Fi Alliance), and quality standards
Market & Industry Insight:
- Monitor component market trends, allocation risk, and pricing movements (e.g. Wi-Fi chipsets, memory, RF components) and translate them into sourcing action
- Stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes affecting the wireless networking and consumer electronics sectors
- Perform market analysis to track competitor offerings and pricing strategies to maintain a competitive edge
Cross-Functional Collaboration:
- Work closely with Sales, Marketing, and Product Development teams to ensure sourcing strategies align with market demands and customer requirements
- Provide strategic sourcing input and guidance for new product development and portfolio management
Sourcing Analytics & Reporting:
- Prepare regular reports on category performance, supplier metrics, cost savings, and other key performance indicators
- Use data-driven insights to guide decision-making and continuously improve category strategy
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in automotive or IoT wireless module procurement
- Existing network with ODMs such as Sercomm, Arcadyan, Askey, Gemtek, Compal, or Wistron NeWeb
- Familiarity with Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 chipset roadmaps (Qualcomm, MediaTek, Broadcom)
What We Offer
- The opportunity to build a new product category from the ground up
- Preference to be given to candidates in Cleveland Ohio location who are able to work on-site; hybrid candidates / other geographies to be considered if hiring out of Cleveland not possible
- Competitive salary and benefits package
- A fast-growing, international environment with direct customer and supplier exposure
Eagle Wireless offers medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid vacation and paid parental leave to support you and your family.
We Want to Work With You!
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