Category Director (Taqueria Fresh)

Northgate Gonzalez Markets•Anaheim, CA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

This position has responsibility for the merchandising, marketing and financial objectives and decisions established for the Taqueria Category through building and maximizing an optimized strategy and plan for price, promotion, placement, assortment, quality, production, work content, sourcing strategies and tactics to achieve them. Works in partnership with Department Leader, Field Team, Procurement and Operations, all other operational entities to communicate and train and implement successful sales strategies that meet the company’s Center Store objectives. ADVANCEMENT TO CATEGORY DIRECTOR POSITION: A job title of Category Director will be considered for individuals who possess or have successfully demonstrated the following attributes or assignments: Demonstrated experience and proficiency managing high volume categories, capable of managing complex categories, categories with a large SKU and/or Vendor/Distributor Count, and/or can absorb added responsibilities of best practice training or leading other assigned direct reports.

Requirements

College degree preferred or minimum of 5 years equivalent experience in relevant field of work.
5-10 years of retail experience preferred.
2-5 years’ experience with category management practices
Knowledge Skills and Abilities Required: Skilled in the following areas using internal, market and/or Nielsen/IRI data: Product assortment Strategic retail planning Promotional planning Placement on shelf Sales analysis and planning
Demonstrated excellence in Strategic Planning as it relates to Merchandising and setting a plan for a category
Proficient with Microsoft Excel and other business applications
Working knowledge of Private Label strategies
Excellent financial and data analysis capabilities
Excellent supply chain knowledge
Self-distributing and warehouse experience
Able to discuss and negotiate: Terms Competitive cost of goods Menu pricing Fund management
Excellent communication and team building skills
Bi-lingual (English/Spanish) strongly preferred

Nice To Haves

Strong preference is given to applicants who have completed the WAFC Retail Management Certificate Program (RMCP)

Responsibilities

Maintain and grow our image as the premier Hispanic provider of Authentic Mexican Food Experience (AMFE)
Create products and programs that will deliver quality, service and customer satisfaction; Maintain our competitive edge through continuous improvement of products, processes, suppliers, training and development.
Collaborate with operations and training teams to equip store leaders and teams with the knowledge and tools to deliver Authentic Mexican Food Experience taqueria experience.
Perform frequent and regular store visits to monitor and adjust store strategies. Minimum of 8 hours per week.
Partner with the commissary and culinary teams to align production, portioning, and flavor profiles with store-level execution and brand standards.
Maintain close collaboration with the commissary to streamline communication, forecasting, and fulfillment, ensuring stores are supported without compromising authenticity.
Lead store implementation and operational consistency for new menu items, seasonal offerings, and category updates.
Develop and enforce operational standards that maintain quality, speed, and authenticity in all taqueria locations.
Drive store-level engagement and accountability to ensure consistent guest experience, visual presentation, and product quality across all locations.
Analyze sales, margins, and guest feedback to identify performance gaps and opportunities to strengthen category results.
Partner cross-functionally with marketing, operations, and culinary leadership to align execution with brand strategy and long-term business goals.
Lead continuous improvement efforts, balancing operational efficiency with cultural integrity and culinary excellence.
Serve as the bridge between corporate strategy and field execution, ensuring that growth initiatives are achievable, sustainable, and true to brand roots.
Develops and executes promotional and brand building plans, such as ad-planner, price changes, retail & cost, for each category to drive sales and support margin goals
Monitors raw materials and other food costs to ensure best quality ingredients and vendor pricing
Ability to manage retail prices effectively
Applies understanding of cost drivers along with negotiating skills to effectively negotiate the best costs with suppliers for all Northgate entities
Partner with Operations to review and constantly strive for improved processes that emphasize 5S cleanliness and sanitation, workplace organization, labor efficiency, associate safety, delivery of exceptional customer service, consistency of product quality, just in time, provision and utilization of appropriate equipment, and attractiveness of presentation.
Partner with the replenishment function to ensure product availability, consistency of supply, maintaining collaborative relationships with suppliers, service level objectives and apply cost-of-goods insights to drive increased efficiency.
Collects all funds available to support Shopper Marketing initiatives as appropriate.
Follows the Category Role Strategic Guidelines relative to pricing, assortment, plan-o-grams.
Assesses the competitive landscape to understand their strengths and weaknesses and identify opportunities and threats, including all trade channels.
Identifies and develops new sourcing of products with the goal of enhancing assortments and driving sales.