Category Specialist
About The Position
YOU: Act as if the universe is rigged in your favor See new responsibilities as opportunities Are happiest when busy Figure out how to fix it, not who's to blame See mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow Enjoy spreading joy WE: Care more about attitude and work ethic than your experience Love to promote from within Have dynamic and interesting coworkers and customers Have faith in people's potential Make friends at work Take pride in all of our 5 star reviews The Category Specialist is responsible for tactical Category Management execution work and assisting with analytical and supplier-facing responsibilities. This role provides a clear advancement path to Associate Category Manager. This position builds core competencies in supplier management, product strategy, pricing, and data analysis through department meetings, training, one-on-one mentorship, and special projects focused on supplier negotiations and category analysis. This position is located in-office 5 days a week at our Central Store Support office (Rockville, MD).
Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
- 1-2 years’ experience in retail, category support, merchandising or purchasing
- Proficiency in Excel (including pivot tables, lookups and experience with large data sets) and Google Suite
- Ability to interpret and organize data; interest in learning how to draw actionable insights
- Organized, dependable, and detail-oriented
- Comfortable juggling shifting priorities and deadlines
- Strong verbal and written communication skills with internal teams and external suppliers
- Self-motivated learner with initiative and curiosity
- Interest in natural/organic products and MOM’s values
Responsibilities
- Manage item set-up process and documentation for new, seasonal and discontinued products
- Maintain & organize supplier records, approved product lists, promotional calendars and certifications
- Support item-level decisions and seasonal rollouts with the Category Manager
- Communicate with brands, brokers, and suppliers to verify product information and resolve pricing/paperwork issues
- Assist with supplier onboarding and participate in vendor meetings
- Maintain vendor contact database and internal supplier notes
- Create & share sales and performance reports for team use
- Assist with basic analysis of cost, unit, sales, and margin data & track category trends
- Learn to interpret SPINS data and identify product opportunities Category Manager guidance
- Conduct promotional and waste analysis, prepare Category Review data packages
- Support planogram updates and space planning with Merchandising
- Coordinate with Supply Chain and Pricing for accurate product flow and cost setup
- Communicate product recalls and updates to stores and other CSS teams
- Track project tasks and deliverables using Asana and other internal tools
Benefits
- Paid Time Off, plus holidays
- Paid Pregnancy and Child Bonding Leave
- 30% employee discount
- exceptional medical, dental, and vision plans
- 401k with company matching and more !
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
