Category Director

Northgate Market•Anaheim, CA

7h•$106,571 - $145,000•Onsite

About The Position

This position has responsibility for the merchandising, marketing and financial objectives and decisions established for the assigned product categories 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 to communicate, train and implement successful sales strategies that meet the company’s Center Store objectives.

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
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, Lower cost of goods, Menu pricing, Fund management
Excellent communication and team building skills

Nice To Haves

Strong preference is given to applicants who have completed the WAFC Retail Management Certificate Program (RMCP).
Experience managing Center Store Categories Highly Recommended: Grocery, Beverage, Beer/Wine, Liquor
Bi-lingual (English/Spanish) strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Maintain and grow our image as the premier Hispanic provider of authentic goods and flavors. 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.
Deliver a portfolio of products that deliver on our goal of differentiation through Hispanic authenticity and cultural and customer relevance while also staying true to current customer trends and eating habits.
Analyzes and ensures planned category performance across a variety of indicators – sales, gross profit, shrink, contribution and profitability and develops annual category plans based on a thorough understanding of the category, consumer, and the marketplace.
Develops and executes strategic plans to support category sales and margin goals. Manages assortment for best use of space and ability to meet consumer needs both annually and seasonally.
Develops and executes promotional and brand building plans for each category to drive sales and support margin goals.
Monitors raw materials and other product costs to ensure best quality ingredients, vendor pricing and ability to manage retail prices effectively.
Applies understanding of cost drivers along with negotiating skills to effectively negotiate the best costs with suppliers.
Perform frequent and regular store visits to monitor and adjust store strategies – Minimum of 6 hours per week.
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, provision and utilization of appropriate equipment, and attractiveness of presentation.
Directs the replenishment function (via assigned Replenishment support) to ensure product availability, consistency of supply, maintaining collaborative relationships with suppliers, service level objectives and applies cost-of-goods insights to drive increased efficiency.
Reviews and recommends new products and launches, rotational seasonal offerings, quality and the number of items carried. Responsible for size of product inventory and rate of turnover.
Works with Marketing and Operations to ensure successful communications and launch.
Monitors and reports supplier performance with regards to price, quality, assortment and service. Frequency of review is driven by category review schedule and category role basis.
Collects all funds available to achieve or exceed gross margin targets and to support Shopper Marketing initiatives as appropriate.
Follows guidelines defined by 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 and procurement of products with the goal of enhancing assortments and driving sales.
Partners with our Fresh team to develop solutions that will drive customer engagement, sales and fits within our standards for service, production, quality and availability.
Considers and integrates Private Label merchandising into the appropriate categories according to strategic direction defined by leadership.