Assistant Category Manager

Assistant Category Manager, Merchandising – Corporate Headquarters
 

About This Role

As an Assistant Category Manager (internally called Assistant Merchant or Assistant Buyer) you’ll play a key role in defining the strategic direction of our product categories, driving profitability, and ensuring alignment with market trends and consumer preferences. You will be responsible for developing and executing comprehensive category strategies that are closely aligned with our business objectives.
 

What You’ll Do

• Conduct in-depth analysis of sales data, market trends, competitive landscape, and customer preferences to identify opportunities and risks
• Utilize data-driven insights to prioritize investment opportunities, develop go-to market strategies, and optimize assortment, pricing, and promotional activities
• Accountable for development and delivery of savings targets and measuring savings achievements
• Oversee the product lifecycle including pre-season planning through execution and tracking management; in-season sales forecasting management; and the application of the obtained data for upcoming seasons
• Develop, implement, and manage the performance of national category strategies and short and long-term category objectives aimed at driving the category to meet and/ or exceed business growth targets and objectives
• Analyze and maintain category assortments including making recommendations for promotions, new item introductions, item replacements, item discontinuations, and pricing
• Establish, maintain, and grow relationships with suppliers and lead negotiation efforts
• Attend relevant industry trade shows and conferences to evaluate industry trends, as well as identify and source new items
• Coordinate with product development team on new item opportunities and to assist in direct sourcing including partnering with our international team to create new products and oversee package designs
• Perform category reviews based on a set review schedule

Now hiring Assistant Merchants in the following categories:

• Bird & Pet 
• Hardware
• Paint Sundries
• Impulse & Candy
   

Required Skills

• 3-5 years’ experience in consumer products related industries like retail, wholesale buying, category management
• Bachelor’s Degree required, concentration in Retail Management, Merchandising, a plus
• MS Office proficiency including Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint required
• Ability to work onsite at our Corporate Headquarters in Oak Brook, IL & Mock Center in Woodridge, IL
• Ability to travel an estimated 15 days/annually
• Strong verbal, written and presentation skills required with the ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams
• Highly motivated, ability to prioritize and self-direct, strong business acumen and interpersonal skills
• Must possess, or be able to rapidly develop, a strong knowledge of products within assigned category 
  
  #LI-JW1

Compensation Details:

$74700 - $93600

Why should you join our team?

We live our values - W.E.L.I.G.H.T (Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility, and Teamwork). Gratitude. Humility. Love. You don’t often see values like these in most corporate statements, but Ace is different. These things are important to us. They represent our commitment to the company, our employees, to Ace retailers and to the Ace brand.

In addition to providing our employees a great culture, Ace also offers competitive benefits* that address life’s necessities and perks, many of which expand and improve year after year, including:

• Incentive opportunities, based on role/grade level (rapid company growth over the past 5 years resulted in incentives being paid out at an average of 122% of your target opportunity!)
• Generous 401(k) retirement savings plan with a fully vested matching contribution the first year in addition to quarterly contributions and annual discretionary contribution (once eligibility requirements have been met). Over the past 5 years, company contributions (matching, quarterly & discretionary) for fully eligible employees have averaged 10.4% of total eligible compensation.
• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision and disability – up to 26 weeks short-term disability and long-term disability) & life insurance benefits for you and your dependents
• 21 days of vacation immediately available (prorated in the first year) and up to 6 paid holidays depending on the month of hire
• Your car