Specialist, Category - Grocery

Pilot Company•Knoxville, TN

About The Position

The Grocery Specialist supports the development and execution of category strategies across more than 650 locations in 42 different states by coordinating key merchandising, pricing, promotional and operational activities that drive sales, profitability and execution excellence. This role serves as a critical liason between Category Teams, Operations, Marketing, suppliers and store teams to ensure programs are communicated effectively and executed consistently across the enterprise. The Grocery Specialist manages core merchandising systems, maintains item and promotional data integrity, and oversees category execution processes that support business objectives and enhance the guest experience. The position leads communication and issue resolution through ServiceNow, ensuring store feedback is addressed, operational opportunities are identified, and category initiatives are executed effectively. Additionally, the Grocery Specialist partners with suppliers and cross-functional teams to support promotional execution, new store openings, signage distribution, and merchandising programs. Through strong collaboration, organization, and attention to detail, this role helps deliver category growth, operational excellence, and a consistent guest experience across the Pilot store network.

Requirements

High School Diploma or Equivalent Required
Minimum One Year Experience
Candidates to be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent Preferred

Responsibilities

Serves as the primary owner of the ServiceNow process for the Grocery category, partnering with store teams to identify, prioritize and resolve operational opportunities and issues while ensuring timely Communicationand execution of category initiatives.
Leads the development and distribution of the Grocery "On Ramp" execution guide, providing stroes with clear direction on resets, promotional programs, marketing signage, displays, shippers and other merchandising initiatives to ensure consistent execution across the chain.
Coordinates exectuion planning and alignment with strategic supplier partners, leading cross functional meetings to ensure the accurate and timely delivery of product launches, promotional programs, pricing updates and merchandising assets to stores.
Partners with New Store Opening teams, suppliers and internal stakeholders to support successful store openings by coordinating assortment setup fixtures, signage, product deliveries and execution timelines.
Manages category execution within merchandising systems, including new item setup, retail pricing, promotional maintenance, product lifecycle management and data accuracy to support category performance and operational effectiveness.
Collaborates with Marketing, Operations, Distribution and supplier partners to ensure promotional signage, point of sale materials and merchandising assets are produced, allocated and delivered accurately to support in-store exectuion and the guest experience.