Director of Category Management
About The Position
The Director of Category Management is a senior leadership role responsible for driving enterprise-wide category strategy and profitable growth across assigned Non-Foods product categories. This position partners closely with sales, merchandising, and supplier teams to develop and execute targeted category strategies that align with the unique needs of foodservice distribution. The Director of Category Management will lead initiatives focused on exclusive brand growth, supplier partnerships, promotional strategy, and sales enablement, while supporting cross-functional collaboration and long-term category performance.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required
- 10+ years of progressive experience in merchandising or category management within foodservice distribution
- Expertise in private brand product development
- Experience sourcing products from multiple global regions
- Strong strategic and financial acumen with the ability to execute against growth targets
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including presenting to executive leadership
- Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Tableau
- Willingness to travel as needed to support regional sales teams and supplier engagements
Responsibilities
- Drive category sales growth by increasing exclusive brand penetration across all divisions.
- Recruit, develop, and lead high-performing category management talent.
- Partner with sales and margin management teams to optimize profitable growth within Non-Foods categories.
- Coordinate regional sales blitzes and category-focused initiatives in collaboration with local sales teams.
- Develop and execute promotional strategies aligned with category objectives and division leadership.
- Support brand strategy initiatives by working closely with merchandising to enhance product offerings.
- Identify and close product gaps by expanding exclusive brand lines and converting customer accounts.
- Develop category-specific training programs for local leadership and sales teams.
- Present category strategies, performance updates, and results to senior leadership.
- Partner with sales leadership to enhance customer retention, penetration, and account growth.
- Support acquisition integration efforts to onboard new suppliers and maximize enterprise-wide synergies.
- Negotiate supplier marketing programs in collaboration with merchandising partners.
- Participate in RFP processes for assigned categories to secure competitive supplier agreements.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
Number of Employees
501-1,000 employees
