Director of Category Management

Ferraro Foods of New Jersey LLC•Piscataway, NJ

7h•Onsite

About The Position

At Ferraro Foods, we are more than a distributor. We help customers across the food industry succeed by delivering quality ingredients and building strong partnerships. We are looking for a Director of Category Management to lead enterprise-wide category strategy and drive profitable growth across key product lines. This role partners closely with Sales, Merchandising, and supplier partners to develop and execute initiatives that strengthen our position across the foodservice distribution landscape.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required
10+ years of progressive experience in merchandising, category management, or foodservice distribution
Expertise in private brand product development
Experience sourcing products across domestic and international markets
Strong strategic thinking with the ability to execute against financial targets
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present to executive leadership
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
Experience with data visualization tools such as Tableau or similar platforms
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
Willingness to travel as needed

Nice To Haves

Experience in non-foods category management preferred
Experience working in multi-division or enterprise environments preferred
Strong background in supplier negotiations and contract management

Responsibilities

Drive category growth by increasing exclusive brand penetration across all divisions
Recruit, train, and develop top talent with expertise in category management
Collaborate with Sales and Margin Management teams to optimize profitable sales growth within assigned categories
Coordinate regional sales initiatives and category-focused sales blitzes in partnership with local sales teams
Develop and execute promotional activities in collaboration with division leadership
Implement brand strategy initiatives by working closely with merchandising to enhance product offerings
Identify and close product gaps by converting accounts to exclusive brands and expanding product lines
Develop category-specific training programs to support local leadership and sales teams
Present category strategies and performance results to senior leadership
Enhance customer retention and penetration by partnering with Sales leadership to target existing customers
Support acquisition integration efforts, including onboarding new suppliers and aligning product strategies across the enterprise
Negotiate marketing programs and supplier agreements in partnership with merchandising teams
Participate in RFP processes to secure competitive supplier contracts
Build and maintain strong supplier relationships to ensure competitive pricing and product availability
Drive key performance metrics including sales growth, exclusive brand penetration, cases per drop, and lines per drop