Assistant Category Manager

Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc. • Oklahoma City, OK

36d

About The Position

Welcome to Love's! The Assistant Category Manager (I) is responsible for supporting and executing merchandising strategies across assigned product categories within a fast-paced convenience store environment. The Merchandising Planner ensures product offerings are optimized to meet customer needs, drive sales, and maintain profitability. Working closely with field merchandising, marketing, replenishment, analytics, purchasing, and space planning teams. The Merchandising Planner helps develop and implement tactical plans that align with business objectives. The Merchandising Planner also coordinates with external partners to maintain product assortment, execute resets, and track performance.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a related field preferred.
• HS Diploma or equivalent required
• 1-2 years of experience in merchandising, category management, or a related field, ideally within the retail or convenience store industry.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate with cross-functional teams and external partners.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel; experience with merchandising or replenishment systems is a plus.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret data and make actionable recommendations.
• Hard skills: proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, robust Excel capabilities
• Ability to work within a fast-paced environment
• Self-motivated
• Keen attention to detail
• Excellent oral and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to lead multiple projects and work cross-functionally.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to identify relevant data sources, interpret data, and make actionable recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for day-to-day category management activities, collaborating with internal teams and external vendors to ensure execution of merchandising strategies.
• Coordinate new product introductions and execute item and planogram maintenance.
• Facilitate vendor meetings and promotional planning.
• Oversee rebate management to optimize category performance.
• Participate in weekly collaboration calls with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment and integration of strategies.
• Lead weekly and monthly business reviews, providing insights into category performance and recommending adjustments as needed.
• Support the execution of special projects, including store task creation and other category-specific initiatives.
• Resolve vendor service issues promptly, ensuring smooth communication and collaboration with all stakeholders.
• Collect and analyze data on sales, pricing, margin, and product proposals to support category reviews and decision-making processes.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Industry: Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
• Education Level: High school or GED
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees