Associate Category Manager

Role Overview

• Work closely with Category Manager to develop the end-to-end category strategy for assigned categories, including assortment, pricing, promotion, planogram placement, and vendor management to deliver the annual financial plan.
• Drive the strategic direction of assigned categories by focusing on product selection, promotion planning, pricing strategy, and in-store presentation.
• Partner with Category Manager to lead the category review process to develop, communicate, and implement category strategies aligned with CHEF’STORE objectives.
• Utilize internal and external market data, competitive intelligence, and customer insights to anticipate trends and future customer needs.
• Define assortment strategies and execute tactics to capture sales, margin, and profit targets while ensuring the optimal product mix for each CHEF’STORE location.
• Collaborate with Category Manager in partnership with Pricing team to review analytics and optimize pricing decisions.
• Create promotional strategies and calendars that support category objectives and financial targets.
• Evaluate promotional effectiveness and implement improvements to drive year-over-year volume and profitability growth performance.
• Collaborate with Inventory Analysts to align inventory levels with promotional and assortment strategies.
• Build and maintain strong vendor relationships that drive both short
• and long-term growth.
• Collaborate with Category Manager to negotiate product costs, net landed cost, vendor funding, markdown support, and returns to optimize category profitability.
• Deliver profitable sales by actively managing category mix, vendor costs, pricing, promotions, and assortment.
• Work closely with Finance to develop annual financial plans, forecasts, and ongoing performance reviews.
• Monitor daily and weekly category performance to ensure margin and sales targets are met.
• Conduct action-oriented analysis to identify underperforming SKUs, growth opportunities, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Partner with Space Planning to develop, approve, and maintain planograms, store layouts, and adjacency plans.
• Regularly visit CHEF’STORE locations and competitive stores to assess assortments, pricing, merchandising execution, and store presentation.
• Collaborate with Store Operations to ensure effective execution and the right local product mix.
• Mentor, train, and develop cross-functional partners as needed.
• Lead or participate in special projects as assigned.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in retail, foodservice, wholesale, or merchandising-related roles
• Knowledge of merchandising principles, pricing, and product lifecycle management.
• Computer skills required: Proficient in Microsoft Office
• Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Office 365, and Teams.
• Ability to travel: 10%.

Tech Stack

• Chef

Benefits

• health insurance
• pre-tax spending accounts
• retirement benefits
• paid time off
• short-term and long-term disability
• employee stock purchase plan
• life insurance
• annual incentive plan bonus up to 10% of base salary