Category Manager – Beverage Procurement

Umanist Staffing•Austin, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Category Manager will lead category strategy, vendor relationships, product assortment planning, pricing optimization, and procurement execution for high-volume convenience retail categories. This role requires a highly analytical professional with deep experience in Direct Store Delivery (DSD), category management, vendor negotiations, and convenience retail procurement.

Requirements

5+ years of category management, procurement, or purchasing experience
Direct Store Delivery (DSD) experience is required
Experience in convenience retail, beverage distribution, or C-store procurement
Strong vendor negotiation and contract management experience
Proven analytical skills with data-driven decision making
Experience managing pricing, promotions, and product portfolio optimization
SAP and Microsoft Excel proficiency
Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain, or related field

Responsibilities

Own and manage assigned product categories across convenience retail channels
Develop and execute category growth strategies to maximize revenue and margin performance
Build and maintain strategic vendor relationships to negotiate pricing, promotions, and service levels
Generate and manage purchase orders to ensure product availability
Analyze category performance, pricing trends, consumer demand, and market opportunities
Drive SKU rationalization and optimize product assortment
Develop promotional pricing strategies and product launch plans
Conduct competitive market analysis and monitor industry trends
Lead quarterly vendor business reviews
Review daily operational reports including out-of-stock, pending PO’s, and price increase analysis
Partner cross-functionally with warehouse, sales, and operations teams to ensure execution excellence
Provide tactical procurement support to warehouse operations leadership