Senior Category Manager

Role Overview

• Develop and manage the national category strategy and consistently monitor performance to ensure objectives are met.
• Develop short
• and long-term category objectives aimed at driving the category to meet business growth and profitability targets.
• Monitor and analyze category performance on a national, regional and market level.
• Based on analysis, adjust category strategies as required to drive overall category performance, including sales growth.
• Lead the effort to drive Exclusive Brand (EB) penetration across the category by ensuring EB products are primary considerations in the development and implementation of category strategy.
• Measure customer and EB penetration of assigned category and benchmark against our industry.
• Establish, maintain and grow relationships with suppliers and lead negotiation efforts.
• Identify market, new product and category growth opportunities.
• Manage vendor communications and consistently provide vendor performance feedback and resolve complex issues.
• Work with suppliers on new, innovative products.
• Work with Product Development and Commercialization Manage on innovations and supplier selection.
• Manage overall category product assortment, to include the execution of assortment reviews, determining core SKUs, reviewing new vendor items, driving national assortment harmonization, and reducing product duplication.
• Develop category level pricing strategies, continually reviewing pricing structure and implementing changes to maximize performance.
• Collaborate with pricing analytics team on segment specific Sales Representative Cost (SRC) and Price to Customer (PTC).

Requirements

• 7 years of Category Management or related experience, including vendor management and pricing.
• 3 years of people management and/or leadership experience.
• Ability to operate successfully in a matrix environment and work effectively across multiple groups and levels.
• Solid quantitative and analytical skills and ability to work in a team setting, drive team results and support change management within the organization.
• Possess, or be able to rapidly develop, a strong knowledge of products within assigned category and division sales requirements.
• Ability to provide fact-based recommendations across various levels of management.
• High degree of motivation, ability to prioritize and self-direct, strong business acumen and sound interpersonal skills.
• Strong verbal, written and presentation skills.
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office, especially Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as Microsoft Outlook.

Benefits

• health insurance
• pre-tax spending accounts
• retirement benefits
• paid time off
• short-term and long-term disability
• employee stock purchase plan
• life insurance