Associate Category Manager

MOM's Organic Market•Rockville, MD

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Category Manager I is responsible for supporting the Category Management team in all aspects of category management, supplier management, and COGS control. This role builds subject matter expertise in assigned categories with growing independence. This role works 5 days a week out of our Rockville, MD headquarters.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
1-3 years’ experience in retail, category support, merchandising or purchasing
Developing negotiation skills and exposure to supplier relationships
Knowledge of natural/organic food industry trends, products, and ingredient standards
Advanced proficiency in Excel (including Pivot tables, V-Lookups, Index Matching), with experience working with large data sets, Google Suite and Asana (or other project management software)
Experience interpreting data and dashboards; ability to spot broader dataset issues
Highly organized, dependable, and detail-oriented
Comfortable juggling shifting priorities and deadlines
Strong verbal and written communication skills with internal teams and external suppliers
Self-motivated learner with initiative and curiosity
Interest in natural/organic products and MOM’s values

Responsibilities

Collaborate with the Category Manager to achieve sales, margin, and unit growth, while fulfilling MOM’s promise of an incredible selection.
Participate in negotiations with Director of CM oversight; support profitable promotions and EDLP programs
Perform category reviews and period close in collaboration with CM, implement category strategies to support sales, units and margin dollars while reducing waste and identify areas of improvement.
Make suggestions on category strategy based on data analysis and product knowledge.
Collaborate with the merchandising team to create & update planograms.
Collaborate across departments including Planogramming, Pricing, and Supply Chain to support seasonal forecasts, allocations, and vendor/product setup.
Support the Category Manager in upholding ingredient and sourcing standards, including affidavits.
Assist in the exiting of disco items, new item set up, service agreements and season items rollout.
Exposure to managing vendor relationships with oversight; participate in broker, brand, and supplier meetings.
Assist with supplier management on multiple facets including fill rate, service level, product quality, shelf life, in collaboration with Supply Chain.
Perform regular competitor visits, and as needed - store visits and supplier site visits.
Follow department SOPs, making suggestions on process improvement and using internal systems as intended.
Guide and train Category Specialists as needed.
Support new store responsibilities per Asana board; assist with SPINS analysis.
Grow knowledge and skills by participating in tasks/projects/training and attending career-related MOM’s learning events.