Director of Merchandising and Category Management
About The Position
The Director of Merchandising and Category Management leads the strategic direction, growth, and profitability of all product categories across Quality Mart convenience stores. The role provides guidance and works directly with leadership of the Quality Plus and GOGAS divisions to enhance profitability. The Director builds and manages strategic vendor relationships, negotiates contracts and programs, develops in-store marketing campaigns, optimizes inventory productivity, and establishes pricing strategies. The role monitors industry trends, consumer behavior, and the competitive landscape to identify opportunities and help Quality Oil retail brands deliver a best-in-class customer experience.
Requirements
- At least 7 years of experience in retail category management.
- Strong collaborative skills across operational and support staff.
- Ability to develop and deliver a strategic plan, measure and monitor results, and make recommendations to achieve growth targets through category leadership.
- Strong leadership ability and self-motivation.
- Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Strong data analytics and organizational skills.
- Proficiency with MS Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Valid driver's license and clean driving record to operate a company vehicle.
Nice To Haves
- Bachelor's degree in business.
Responsibilities
- Develop and execute category strategies across all merchandise categories to drive sales, gross profit, and market share.
- Implement category pricing strategies that balance customer value, competitive positioning, and margin objectives.
- Establish category roles, objectives, and assortment strategies to achieve financial targets.
- Optimize product assortment, shelf space, SKU productivity, and category adjacencies.
- Lead vendor selection, negotiations, relationships, and annual business planning to maximize sales and profitability.
- Develop and execute annual promotional strategies and calendars in partnership with Marketing, Operations, and key vendors.
- Serve as Category Manager for age-restricted items, including tobacco and alcohol (beer and wine).
- Partner with Food Service category management and operations to enhance programs and offers.
- Partner with Operations and field leadership to drive consistent merchandising, pricing, promotional, and in-stock execution.
- Develop and maintain planograms and merchandising standards.
- Identify opportunities to introduce new products, private-label items, and emerging categories.
- Monitor industry trends, competitive activity, pricing, and assortments to identify opportunities and risks.
- Lead cross-functional initiatives involving new stores, remodels, category resets, and major merchandising programs.
- Lead, develop, and coach the Merchandising and Category Management team, building capabilities through training, analytics, and best practices.
- Foster a culture of fact-based decision-making, cross-functional collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Education Level
No Education Listed
