Category Manager, Food Service

CAMPBELL OIL COMPANY INC•Elizabethtown, NC

About The Position

The Category Manager, Foodservice leads the Proprietary Foodservice category across Minuteman Food Mart and owns its full category P&L. The role drives profitable sales growth through assortment decisions, competitive pricing, supplier partnerships, and marketing and promotional programs. It defines the products offered, pricing, sourcing, and go-to-market approach, while the Operations team owns in-store execution. This is a strategic, commercially focused role responsible for building and managing a differentiated, profitable, and scalable proprietary foodservice program. Success is measured by category sales, gross margin, supplier performance, and promotional effectiveness. The role requires a data-driven merchant mindset and an understanding of convenience-store foodservice customers. It partners closely with Operations, Marketing, and Finance and reports to the Vice President, Operations, Merchandising, & Marketing.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain, Food Science, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in category management, merchandising, buying, or a related commercial role; preferably in foodservice, convenience, grocery, or retail.
Demonstrated ability to own and manage a category P&L, including sales, margin, and promotional budget.
Experience in supplier negotiation, contract management, and vendor performance management.
Strong analytical skills and ability to interpret sales, margin, and customer data to guide category decisions.
Experience developing and executing promotional programs in partnership with a marketing team.
Strong Microsoft Office skills, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Nice To Haves

Experience in convenience store foodservice, QSR, commissary, or prepared food categories.
Experience developing proprietary or private-label food programs.
Familiarity with trade funding, supplier co-op programs, and promotional allowance management.
Experience working cross-functionally with Operations, Finance, and Marketing teams.
Experience with category management or reporting tools.

Responsibilities

Own the Proprietary Foodservice category P&L, including sales, gross margin, cost of goods, and promotional spend; set financial targets and report performance against plan.
Lead assortment strategy, including product selection, tiering, and assortment evolution based on customer demand, market trends, and financial performance.
Develop and manage competitive, market-informed pricing for proprietary foodservice items, balancing margins, customer value, and competitive positioning.
Own supplier relationships; negotiate contracts, pricing, trade funding, and service agreements, and hold suppliers accountable for quality, delivery, and performance.
Build and execute a promotional calendar in partnership with Marketing, including campaigns, limited-time offers, seasonal programs, and customer communications.
Partner with Marketing on merchandising standards, point-of-sale materials, digital promotions, and loyalty program integration.
Analyze sales, margin, and customer data to identify opportunities, address underperformance, and inform assortment and pricing decisions.
Lead new product development and program launches from concept through commercialization, including sourcing, costing, pricing, and go-to-market planning; hand off execution readiness to Operations.
Partner with Operations to make the program executable in-store and provide product specifications, pricing, promotional materials, and supplier contacts. Operations owns in-store execution.
Manage the proprietary foodservice product pipeline, including new item introductions, discontinuations, and seasonal rotations.
Monitor foodservice industry trends, competitor programs, and consumer preferences; provide category insights and recommendations to leadership.
Perform other duties as assigned based on business needs.