Merchandise Category Lead - Truck

Summit Racing Equipment•Tallmadge, OH

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Merchandise Category Lead drives sales and profitability within an assigned product category by owning product assortment strategy, optimizing brand programs and pricing, and supporting SKU rationalization. The role combines merchandising expertise with category specialization to guide brand performance and growth. It works with vendors to evaluate performance, recommend inventory strategies, and identify new brand opportunities, while partnering with cross-functional teams—including Tech Data Management (TDM) and Marketing—to ensure accurate, compelling product presentation across digital and print channels. The Category Lead manages assortment and SKU mix, monitors product data and category performance, supports margin strategy, and is accountable for return on invested capital in the assigned category. The position evaluates new brands and vendors, recommends stocking levels and fulfillment methods, prepares sales information for vendor meetings, and supports accurate product content and marketing materials. It also contributes to category-related special projects, including vehicle builds and events. The role uses internal systems, reports, vendor portals, and JIRA workflows to analyze sales, margins, inventory, product content, and service issues. It collaborates with Pricing, Vendor Onboarding, Supply Chain, Inventory Planning, TDM, and other teams, and may attend tradeshows as needed. Initial training is 100% on-site. Following training, the role is hybrid, with at least two on-site days each week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Candidates must be located in Ohio.

Requirements

Deep understanding of the classic and late model truck market.
Hands-on experience with vehicle builds, aftermarket products, and platform-specific applications.
Knowledge of emerging industry trends.
Ability to analyze category, brand, sales, margin, inventory, and competitor data to inform merchandising decisions.
Experience or capability in merchandising or product management, or equivalent relevant work experience.
Candidates must be located in Ohio.
Ability to work on-site during initial training and, afterward, on a hybrid schedule with at least two on-site days per week.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Supply Chain, or a related field is preferred.

Responsibilities

Manage product assortment and SKU mix within assigned brands, focusing on category performance, profitability, and customer experience.
Monitor product detail page data, including attributes, digital assets, and pricing, and work with internal teams and vendors to correct gaps or inaccuracies.
Analyze sales trends, vendor feedback, returns, availability, and competitor activity to guide SKU rationalization, brand optimization, and growth initiatives.
Collaborate with Pricing on margin strategy and review brand-level performance and competitor activity.
Drive return on invested capital by evaluating new SKUs, vendor onboarding, stocking strategies, long-term profitability, and resource efficiency.
Evaluate new brands based on industry trends, manufacturer opportunities, employee suggestions, profitability goals, and category fit; coordinate with Vendor Onboarding on pricing and vendor programs.
Determine initial stocking levels for new SKUs and brands, and work with vendors to review performance and identify inventory expansion opportunities.
Recommend stocking or drop-ship fulfillment based on vendor capabilities and internal requirements.
Prepare sales information and performance summaries for vendor meetings, and develop actionable plans to improve sales, service, and quality.
Partner with TDM to prioritize product attributes, digital assets, and other website data needs; submit content tickets, set SKU priorities in Active Oscar, and monitor completion reports.
Participate in catalog and advertising processes by selecting products for print and digital marketing materials.
Support category special projects, including vehicle builds and event-related needs, coordinating product selection, content accuracy, and vendor participation.
Analyze department reports and communicate year-over-year category and line performance, rationalization progress, JIRA ticket resolution, audit status, and vendor service issues to the supervisor and department manager.
Manage JIRA workflows for merchandising and cross-department projects, including onboarding, stocking requests, cost-file analysis, and product-content needs.
Use MicroStrategy, the main business system, and vendor portals to evaluate sales trends, margin data, and stock status.
Audit product data and work with a support team to onboard new SKUs.
Review new-brand recommendations submitted through JIRA and initiate onboarding requests when pursuing a brand.
Recommend removal or deactivation of underperforming SKUs or brands to reduce redundancy and align assortment with profitability and customer value goals.
Collaborate with Supply Chain and Inventory Planning on stocking strategies, inventory turns, overstock, and inventory feed compliance.
Collaborate with Pricing to monitor brand performance, spider data, margin trends, competitor activity, and pricing opportunities.
Attend recurring one-on-one and department meetings to report on category performance and address issues or initiatives.
Demonstrate proficiency in internal merchandising platforms and mentor newer team members on workflows and best practices.
Attend tradeshows as needed.