Director of Category Management & Merchandising

SSP•Ashburn, VA

3d•$133,000 - $155,000•Remote

About The Position

SSP America is seeking a strategic, commercially minded Director of Category Management & Merchandising to define and scale retail and category strategy across snack and impulse, non-alcoholic beverages, and an expanded portfolio of retail and travel essentials. Reporting to the Vice President, Commercial, this leader will build a multi-category retail program intended to grow revenue and margins and improve the customer experience alongside core food and beverage operations. The position is remote, with preference for candidates within commuting distance of the Ashburn, Virginia office, and requires less than 20% travel within the United States and Canada, including overnight extended stays. The Director will serve as the subject matter expert and strategic advisor for category management, merchandising, planograms, space allocation, pricing, and promotional strategy. The role leads the development and execution of retail programs, supplier partnerships, team performance, and cross-functional collaboration, translating commercial strategy into programs that can be consistently executed at airport locations.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or international equivalent in Marketing, Business Management, Finance, or a related field.
A minimum of 8 to 10 years of experience in the hospitality, retail, or food service industry.
Proven experience in multi-unit restaurant, retail, or foodservice operations.
Deep understanding of food and beverage category management, including market research, program development, planogramming, merchandising strategy and tactics, product demonstrations, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Experience leading, developing, and mentoring teams of category managers, retail buyers, or merchandisers.
Strong understanding of P&L, sales, and profitability, including analyzing sales and margin metrics to evaluate marketing and commercial initiatives.
Proven experience interacting with and advising senior leaders, with urgency, professionalism, and sound judgment under pressure.
Excellent communication, presentation, organization, and problem-solving skills, with exceptional attention to detail.
Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, Teams, Word, and PowerPoint), planogram software (Scorpion, Spaceman), and POS and inventory systems (MyMicros, MyInventory).
Ability to establish and maintain eligibility to work in the United States without sponsorship.
Ability to travel less than 20% within the U.S. and Canada, including overnight extended stays.
Ability to pass and maintain a criminal background check and, as required, meet airport security requirements such as TSA clearance, FAA, Transport Canada, and other applicable clearances.

Nice To Haves

Experience in travel retail, airport concessions, convenience, or grab-and-go foodservice formats.
Experience expanding merchandising into fresh and prepared food categories, such as pastry and sandwich programs.
Experience partnering with design and construction teams on retail buildouts, fixtures, and store layouts.
Experience managing supplier income programs, marketing funds, and trade funding.
Working knowledge of marketing and graphics software.

Responsibilities

Define and execute a holistic retail and category strategy integrating snack and impulse, non-alcoholic beverages, and expanded retail categories.
Establish SSP America as a competitor in travel retail and convenience formats, identifying revenue streams through fresh food, travel essentials, and emerging consumer trends.
Lead the creation and optimization of planograms, merchandising frameworks, and space allocation strategies across formats, including pastry cases and sandwich programs.
Partner with Design & Construction to establish retail design standards for new builds, renovations, and conversions, including grab-and-go environments, to-go formats, fixtures, equipment, and customer flow; ensure retail is included in concept development and capital planning.
Deliver commercial KPIs such as average transaction value, capture rate, margin, and incremental sales; use data and analytics to assess customer behavior, product performance, and market trends.
Develop pricing and promotion strategies with Commercial and Finance; partner with Operations and Marketing to execute promotions, limited-time offers, and seasonal programs.
Lead end-to-end new-program rollouts, including product selection and testing, POS setup and data integrity, operational readiness, marketing alignment, and post-launch analysis.
Build strategic supplier and distributor relationships, manage and grow the supplier income program, and partner with Procurement and Marketing on marketing funds and an integrated marketing calendar.
Lead and mentor category managers, retail buyers, and merchandisers.
Partner with Operations leaders, including GMs, DOs, and RVPs, to ensure programs are practical, scalable, and consistently executed at the unit level.
Build a high-performance culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement aligned with SSP America's Core Values of Ownership, Teamwork, Curiosity, and Passion.
Balance commercial results, customer experience, and operational practicality in category decisions; use sales data, customer insights, and field feedback to guide assortment, pricing, and space decisions.
Track trends in travel retail, convenience, and foodservice merchandising; hold suppliers accountable and pursue measurable value from partnerships.
Build trusted partnerships across Operations, Marketing, Culinary, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Design & Construction.