Position Title: Category Manager - Fresh Foods / Dispensed Beverages
Department: Fresh Foods / Food Service
Position Summary:
Responsible for creating / managing multiple fresh food concepts across the entire organization. In concert with the development and execution of all category-related activities that includes vendor partnerships, pricing, product development, forecasting, reporting, merchandising, and most importantly financial growth within the categories of responsibility. The candidate for this position will be the subject matter expert in the specific categories of responsibility, working within departments to align on the best "go to market" strategy for the business.
Essential Job Functions:
Determine and manage product offering, ensuring it is compelling and relevant to our customers, and capitalizes on product and category trends, and major new item launches
Requires strong analytical skills to optimize category performance
Work with vendors proactively in building relationships and determining product offering
Follow all established processes for new and discontinued items and make recommendations for areas of improvement
In addition to managing national brands, should identify and initiate development of any relevant private label opportunities
Retail pricing: Propose, establish, and manage retail prices based on role of product and category, and monitor to ensure they are broadly competitive while delivering budgeted margin rate. Proactively work with vendors to negotiate support and appropriate costs to ensure attractive retail prices on key items
Cost pricing: Ensure continual strong negotiation with vendors to deliver best possible costs, and develop strong vendor relationships
Negotiate supply, cost and marketing fund contracts with vendors as necessary and relevant
Work with vendors to develop highly compelling promotional activity, negotiating strong funding support
Ensure promotional deadlines are met and accounting processes are followed
Conduct pre and post promotional analysis to optimize future promotional activity
Work with advertising for promotional signage and any special support needed
Proactively work with merchandising to optimize product offering and presentation, and determining where and how we should display and sell
Optimize range and space configuration on ongoing basis, based on market trends and new items
Work with merchandising and vendors to develop planogram updates, and ensure major resets are carefully pre-planned and managed
Proactive financial management, including reviewing profit/margin reports, and sales reports, compared to budget to ensure strong performance and trends, making recommendations for any necessary course correction to address gaps
Optimize category potential and proactively exploit opportunities and address weaknesses by reviewing category performance, analyzing and researching internal and industry sales data and trends, and relevant industry and vendor insights and data, including reviewing best practices across trade channels, to ensure strong performance vs. market trends
Stay informed on performance trends, competition and regional preferences as needed for fresh foods / QSR brand inclusion.
Collaborate with training and development to ensure proper training and evaluation of all team members within fresh foods.
Ability to work cross functionally through multiple departments for collaboration and execution.
Minimum Position Qualifications:
Bachelor's Degree in a business or marketing related discipline
2+ years of progressive experience in QSR restaurant brand relationships and or category management
Working knowledge C-Store industry within the field of food service or related fields
Proven experience of leading change within an organization
Experience with analyzing and interpreting data
Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Proficient in Microsoft Office
Ability to travel independently up to 25%
Ability to maneuver and regularly lift and or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and or move up to 40 pounds
Desired Previous Job Experience/Qualifications:
5+ year's category management experience with a discipline in Food Service
Experience with PDI reporting systems and portal resources for data insight
Proprietary / QSR / Food Service Development / Innovation