Manager, Category Management and Promotional Planning

Manager, Category Management and Promotional Planning

Job Summary:

This position is responsible for driving product category growth, optimizing assortments, and designing marketing campaigns. Analyzing data, current trends and customer satisfaction to set competitive pricing, negotiate vendor contracts, and align cross-functional teams to maximize sales, profitability, and brand awareness of our company brand as well as products being offered. This position is primarily focused on Grocery, Frozen and Dairy departments, with category crossover throughout fresh departments and the total store. This position will work across many vendor partnerships including wholesale, specialty and Direct Store Delivery(DSD).

Key Responsibilities:

Buying

• Maximize promotional opportunities through consistent negotiation and preparation of programs and offers in the marketplace.
• Forecast, plan, and order promotional purchases for each week of the year, including holiday merchandise, seasonal merchandise, etc.
• Ensure we reach as close to our goal of 100% of product assortment ordered and received for promotional and seasonal planning. Delivering on our commitment of high customer service expectations.
• Ensure items purchased for promotional planning are consistent with our assortment offering.
• Continually review opportunities for cost reduction either in services or cost of goods.

Shelf Management

• Develop and work with category manager to execute category strategies to maximize sales, profitability, and market share.
• Manage category assortment to maximize revenue, gross margin, and inventory turns.
• Build and maintain product assortments based on consumer demand, space constraints, and customer preferences.
• Lead new item introductions, product line reviews, and SKU rationalization. Support the review and execution of aisle layout planning.
• Collaborate with category manager and fresh food merchandising and store operations teams on planograms and shelf layouts, specialty grocery, frozen/dairy, healthy and beauty care/general merchandise (seasonal) and candy (seasonal and check-stand).

Vendor Partner Relations

• Maintain and foster good working relationships with all vendor partners and brokers.
• Partner with suppliers on innovation, supply continuity, and category growth initiatives. Developing these relationships has been a long-standing part of our culture and we continue to strive to be a local, fair, and respected partner in the marketplace.
• Negotiate services or costs with all vendor partners.
• Know and review contracts with vendor partners for performance, tracking, completion and renewal to maximize benefits of offers and work to improve contract return in the future.
• Analyze supplier and DSD vendor performance to communicate on goals achieved or missed opportunities. This performance can be service, fill rate, assortment, promotional offering, everyday pricing, promotional pricing, etc.

Retail Pricing

• Review and develop pricing strategies that remain competitive, engage with our customers, and meet our gross margin goals and budgets.
• Monitor competitive pricing and work with team to effectively manage retail pricing according to goal and budget.
• Review commodity markets and adjust base retail pricing or promotional pricing as needed. (i.e. Shell Eggs, Fluid Milk)

Ordering and Inventory Control

• Work with category manager to support demand forecasting and replenishment to minimize out of stocks and excess inventory using RIM/DISI.

eCommerce

• Know and understand how the efforts of this role support eCommerce, for example Festival Express Online shopping.

Operations Support

• Including, but not limited to supporting On the Rocks Wine & Spirits(OTR) with quarterly inventory.
• Including, but not limited to supporting OTR with assortment or promotional planning.
• Partner with marketing, operations, merchandising, and store teams to execute promotional sales plans.
• Support store execution and provide training and guidance with hands on merchandising to store operations teams as needed (i.e. store resets, end cap merchandising, new program implementation.)
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Education & Experience:

• 7 to 10 year of category management, merchandising, or buying experience in food retail or CPG retail environment.
• Strong analytical skills with experience using POS Data, Category Management Tools, Pricing Tools, or Any Third-Party Data.
• Current understanding of grocery consumer behavior, retail trends and overall retail marketplace.
• Strong relationship skills with both internal and external customers to maintain strong culture of vendor partnership.
• Proficiency with current software for efficient workflow as well as utilization of web-based tools and information access.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• In person, office-based role, with travel to stores, vendor meetings, food/trade shows, etc.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• AD&D insurance
• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Prescription drug insurance

Work Location: In person