Sr Manager Category Management - Maintenance & Repair

Vallen • Belmont, NC

36d

About The Position

The Sr. Category Manager is a high-impact leadership role responsible for
defining and executing long-term strategic category plans across a portfolio of
key product categories. This individual will serve as a trusted partner to
Sales, Integrated Site Leadership, IT, Sourcing, and Supply Chain, with a
mandate to optimize gross margin performance, drive profitable growth, and align
Vallen’s category strategies with evolving customer needs and market dynamics.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Marketing, or related field (MBA preferred)
• 7+ years of experience in category management, strategic sourcing, merchandising, or product management, preferably within industrial distribution
• Strong financial acumen and experience managing category-level P&L
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement strategic plans
• Deep understanding of market dynamics, competitive positioning, and customer requirements within distribution or B2B environments
• Proven success in leading cross-functional initiatives and driving organizational alignment
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship management skills
• Experience working with ERP systems and advanced data analytics tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Excel)

Responsibilities

• Assortment Optimization: Define core vs. extended product assortment strategies using data-driven analysis of customer demand, market trends, and supplier performance with a focus on the customer.
• Strategic Planning: Lead the development of multi-year strategic category plans including customer segmentation, pricing strategy, competitive positioning, and value proposition development.
• Supplier Strategy: Develop and maintain strategic supplier relationships; identify consolidation and partnership opportunities to improve profitability, service, and innovation.
• Analytics & Insights: Leverage business intelligence tools and market data to monitor category performance, identify growth opportunities, and guide decision-making.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner with Sales, Sourcing, Marketing, and Operations to ensure category strategy execution aligns with enterprise objectives.
• Innovation Pipeline: Identify emerging trends and new product opportunities; champion innovation in collaboration with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Financial Performance Management: Own category-level P&L and working capital performance, including margin optimization initiatives, cost management, and supplier program execution.
• Other duties assigned by departmental leadership

What This Job Offers

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