Sr. Category Manager

Advance Stores Company•Raleigh, NC

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Highly strategic and experienced Senior Category Manager leads the development and execution of innovative category strategies that align with our corporate vision and accelerate long-term business growth. This role demands deep expertise in category lifecycle planning, financial oversight, supplier negotiations, and cross-functional leadership. Requires strategic thinking and capabilities to turn complex market insights into actionable plans and mentor teams to deliver exceptional results.

Requirements

10 + years of experience in category management, merchandising, or strategic sourcing.
Proven track record of managing complex category portfolios and leading strategic initiatives.
Strong financial acumen with experience in budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis.
Advanced negotiation skills with experience managing top-tier supplier relationships.
Exceptional leadership, communication, and coaching abilities.
Proficiency in category management tools, ERP systems, and data analytics platforms.
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain, or related field (MBA preferred).

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred

Responsibilities

Defines the role of a category
Defines category strategy based on the role
Organizes and synthesizes industry, competitor and consumer trends into workable category strategies
Defines future category needs and opportunities
Defines categories to be included in box-level strategy
Integrates and links the business plan with the category plan
Monitors and adjusts resources based on the category role
Manages complexity of multiple categories and varying sub-class roles (i.e., prominent category with stake-in-the-ground sub-class) to improve business performance
Plans and coordinates financial management and budgeting tasks
Provides input and assists in creating Advance Auto Parts strategic financial plan
Sets budgeting guidelines
Sets guidelines for risk tolerance in financial programs
Communicates targets and objectives to business units based on strategic plan
Addresses complex/ extreme gaps related to budgeting and financial management
Determine supplier value targets and selects supplier audience for strategic sourcing discussions
Determine appropriate facts
Synthesizes facts gathered from multiple sources to be used in the negotiations
Executes supplier negotiations across product categories
Anticipates and rebuts supplier's points and counterpoints during the negotiations
Assesses effort and time needed to obtain value target sourcing opportunities with each supplier
Applies BATNA principles during negotiations
Evaluates and utilizes supplier performance information/data for future negotiations and decisions-making
Coaches employees in strategic sourcing processes and actions
Develops milestones that will help implement the vision
Creates thorough implementation plans that address possible hurdles and involves support throughout the organization
Translates corporate strategic vision into day-to-day operational goals
Articulates and reinforces Advance Auto Parts vision and goals to business team
Coaches employees to support vision and strategy through operational goal
Establishes trust and rapport with senior executives having diverse views on an issue
Changes others' opinions and perspectives to gain commitment to action
Uses communication tools and techniques to shift focus in response to group dynamics
Creates environments conducive to productive communication
Manages the formation of teams and ensures team can perform
Facilitates the designation of team roles, goals and expectations
Removes barriers (resource or other outside constraints) to effective teamwork
Analyzes team process inefficiencies and recommends improvements
Assess other team members’ capabilities and provides feedback for improvements
Creates team recognition structure and reward possibilities
Coaches employees on building teams and the business value driven by teams