Manager, Private Brands - Center Store

Wawa, Inc.

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Manager, Private Brands – Center Store owns the overall strategy, performance, and growth of Wawa’s Center Store Private Brand portfolio from concept through lifecycle management. This role leads portfolio planning, assortment, innovation, pricing, packaging, branding, commercialization, vendor strategy, and go-to-market execution to deliver sales, margin, penetration, profitability, and customer experience objectives. The Manager leads major brand launches through disciplined timelines, stage gates, governance reviews, financial business cases, and executive reporting. The role establishes clear quality and commercialization standards, builds a flexible and responsible supplier network, and ensures that customer insights, category strategy, and measurable financial returns guide portfolio decisions.

Requirements

Demonstrated P&L ownership, retail merchandising, portfolio, category management, innovation, commercialization, and lifecycle management experience.
Ability to translate customer insights, market trends, competitive intelligence, and financial analysis into actionable strategies.
Strong financial acumen in business cases, budgeting, forecasting, KPIs, pricing, promotions, and cost analysis.
Highly developed project management, facilitation, negotiation, and supplier relationship skills.
Ability to lead complex cross-functional initiatives through stage gates, governance reviews, executive decisions, and changing business conditions.
Ability to set priorities, manage multiple workstreams, anticipate risks, and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
Strong leadership skills with the ability to coach, influence, create accountability, and build team capability without relying solely on formal authority.
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to work effectively across organizational levels, functions, suppliers, and external partners.
Commitment to product quality, food safety, operational readiness, customer experience, and continuous improvement.
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Finance, or a related field preferred; advanced degree a plus
Experience in Private Brand, category management, retail merchandising, consumer packaged goods, food retail, or the convenience store industry.
5+ years of category management, merchandising, marketing, product development, sourcing, or related commercial experience, including experience leading cross-functional teams or projects.
Proven experience developing assortment strategies, commercializing products, managing vendors, and delivering financial results.
Experience with direct P&L responsibility, financial business cases, pricing strategy, budgets, and performance reporting.
Proven negotiation skills and experience managing strategic supplier relationships.
Demonstrated servant leadership and the ability to influence across functions and levels.
Proficient in Microsoft Office, with advanced Excel and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the Center Store Private Brand strategy, multi-year roadmap, and annual business plans to drive growth, profitability, penetration, loyalty, and differentiation.
Own portfolio performance, including sales, margin, market share, customer adoption, profitability, and return on investment; address gaps with timely corrective actions.
Lead assortment, innovation, pricing, packaging, branding, and product lifecycle decisions from concept through launch, optimization, renovation, and discontinuation.
Identify category opportunities and portfolio gaps using customer insights, competitive activity, category strategy, operational feasibility, and financial returns.
Lead major brand launches through integrated timelines, stage gates, governance reviews, risk management, launch readiness, and executive updates.
Partner with Finance to develop business cases, budgets, forecasts, KPIs, and executive reporting, and track financial performance throughout each initiative.
Develop pricing, promotion, and cost-management strategies, including commodity- and component-based pricing principles.
Align packaging, brand positioning, customer value propositions, launch plans, promotions, advertising, and communications with Marketing and other partners.
Ensure portfolio decisions are grounded in customer insights, market research, data, and analytics.
Partner with Product Development, Quality Assurance, and Operations to meet product, food safety, packaging, commercialization, and customer experience standards.
Build and manage a responsible, flexible supplier network with Procurement, including manufacturer onboarding and clear performance expectations.
Negotiate and manage strategic supplier relationships to improve quality, cost, service, innovation, logistics, commitment, and supply resilience.
Oversee supply chain performance, inventory health, service levels, continuity, and readiness across the Private Brand portfolio.
Lead cross-functional teams and provide oversight of planning roles and project teams by setting priorities, accountability, and transparent communication.