Category Planner

7-Eleven • Enon, OH

1d

About The Position

7-Eleven is an iconic family of brands with over 86,000 locations, revolutionizing convenience, restaurants and fuel through cutting edge innovation. The company empowers employees to "activate awesome" and make a meaningful impact. The Category Planner role is critical in supporting the strategic and financial performance of assigned merchandise categories. This role acts as a Business Partner for Category Managers, leading financial planning, forecasting, and performance analysis using advanced analytics to drive data-backed decisions. The Category Planner partners cross-functionally to support assortment, pricing, and promotional planning, ensuring alignment with 7-Eleven’s business objectives and financial targets. 7-Eleven's top priority has always been to give customers the most convenient experience possible, aiming to be a one-stop shop and expanding into operating Speedway®, Stripes®, Laredo Taco Company® and Raise the Roost® Chicken and Biscuits, as well as proprietary products and services including 7NOW®, 7Rewards®, Speedy Rewards® and 7‑Eleven Fleet™.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in retail planning, merchandising, demand forecasting, inventory management, finance, or analytics.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and intermediate AI tools, including use of AI for diagnostics and planning.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to make actionable recommendations.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Comfortable working in a matrix organization with fast-paced, cross-functional collaboration.
• Financial acumen and forecasting
• Critical thinking and analytical reasoning
• Strategic business partnership
• Agile mindset and adaptability
• Data visualization and storytelling
• Proficiency in Technical tools

Nice To Haves

• Experience with merchandise planning tools
• Previous category management experience

Responsibilities

• Develop monthly and annual category financial plans through partnering with Category Managers and cross-functional teams (e.g., Demand Chain, Marketing, Delivery, Finance) to deliver sales and profit financial targets.
• Conduct monthly verification of merchandise performance and initiatives across categories, ensuring accountability and progress toward annual financial goals.
• Build and input mid-month and end-of-month forecasts using historical performance, current trends, and insights on planned strategies from cross-functional teams (e.g. Marketing, Delivery, Pricing, Promo).
• Provide reporting and insights about results by month, quarter, and annually to support category teams by understanding performance drivers (assortment, seasonality, innovation, resets), communicating cross-functionally through MBRs, and reassessing category plans to drive growth and ensure strategies are achieved.
• Partner with Demand Chain to monitor inventory levels and sales, identify product performance and inventory needs, and provide forecasting guidance for new items targets, promotions, overstocks.
• Create insightful executive-level reports and presentations (e.g. BOD, IR, SLT) detailing merchandise performance and proposing fact-based strategies to optimize results and meet annual financial goals.
• Support the merchandising team with scenario planning and financial modeling to ensure effective development of category plans, mitigate risk, and improve profitability.
• Provide insights and thought leadership in developing tactical and strategic category and merchandise plans (1-5 Years).
• Showcase ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple competing priorities while consistently executing at a high level.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees