Grocery Category Manager

Earth Fare • Asheville, NC

8d • $58,000 - $72,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Use your category expertise to curate clean, wholesome products that help thousands of families live healthier lives every day. The Opportunity At Earth Fare, we believe food is medicine and every product we carry should support our customers' wellness journeys. As our Grocery Category Manager for Center Store, you'll be the strategic leader and curator behind the snacks, beverages, pantry staples, and dry grocery categories that form the heart of our stores. This is an individual contributor role with real ownership — where your decisions directly influence what healthy options families discover and choose. If you're an experienced category manager who wants your work to matter — who gets excited about bringing innovative natural and organic products to market, building authentic vendor partnerships, and advancing a genuine mission — this role was made for you.

Requirements

• 3–5+ years of progressive category management, merchandising, or procurement experience in grocery retail.
• Natural/organic or specialty grocery background is highly valued; center store expertise is a strong plus.
• Proven analytical and strategic skills — comfortable with data analysis tools (Excel, BI software, ERP) and using insights to drive assortment, pricing, and promotional decisions.
• Strong negotiator and relationship builder who creates value for both Earth Fare and our vendor partners.
• Genuine passion for natural & organic products and a desire to help people make healthier choices through better assortment and education.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain, or a related field (or equivalent combination of education and experience).

Responsibilities

• Curate standout assortments: Lead category and line reviews that introduce exciting new clean-label products, refresh the mix based on trends and seasons, and gracefully exit items that no longer serve our customers or standards.
• Build win-win vendor relationships: Develop deep partnerships with national and local vendors. Negotiate pricing, programs, promotions, and terms that drive mutual profitability while positioning Earth Fare as the premier destination for innovative natural products.
• Craft pricing & marketing that converts: Set smart everyday and promotional pricing, build compelling 52-week marketing calendars, and partner with our marketing team to create campaigns that highlight the benefits of clean eating and drive category growth.
• Lead with data & insight: Analyze sales, inventory, margins, and performance to uncover opportunities, improve forecasting, reduce out-of-stocks, and make fact-based decisions that grow category contribution and profitability.
• Protect our clean promise: Ensure every product in your categories meets Earth Fare’s rigorous ingredient guidelines and quality standards. You’ll be a guardian of the trust our customers place in us.
• Collaborate for company-wide impact: Work closely with operations, procurement, marketing, and store teams to deliver consistent execution and support sustainability and waste-reduction goals.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level