Director, Category Management

Job Description

The Director of Category Management is a critical leadership position within our Merchandising organization who is accountable for overseeing the strategic development and performance of key back-room product categories.  This role involves leading a team to develop and execute category plans that drive sales growth, enhance profitability, and align with the company’s overall company objectives. This role will work closely with suppliers, analyze market trends, and utilize data-driven insights to optimize product assortments, pricing strategies, and inventory levels.

What will you do?

• Implement innovative merchandising strategies aligned to the customer journey to maximize sales growth and achieve overall company objectives. 

• Oversee the successful launch of category plans, ensuring that product and services will be executed flawlessly.  Leverage customer insights, industry, competitive and trend data to drive best in class assortments through SKU rationalization and space optimization.

• Negotiate with suppliers to secure favorable terms, manage supplier performance, and ensure product availability and quality.

• Collaborate internally with cross-functional teams to ensure cohesive execution of merchandising strategies

• Analyze sales, margin, and inventory data to continually assess category performance and root cause; Implement corrective action plans to address underperformance and capitalize on accomplishments.

• Monitor vendor performance and take corrective action with a high sense of urgency when fill-rates fall below goals, maintain inventory levels (days on hand), uncompetitive pricing and manage to the established goals.

• Partner with the Pricing function to ensure categories maintain competitive pricing in the market to include retail, promotional, and professional pricing strategies. 

• Develop product category expertise and maintain up to date information to react rapidly to industry changes.

• Lead and mentor a team of Merchandising professionals; foster a collaborative and high-performing culture. Coach and develop direct reports on core merchandising acumen, create bench strength for future roles.   

Top 5 Required Technical Skills:

• Category Management: Acumen in selecting and maintaining a line of products through vendor negotiation, industry and historical product trend research, inventory analysis, and financial analysis, maximizing the company's gross margin return on investment (GMROI).

• Performance Management:  Skill in the recruitment, development, management, and motivation of their team, planning developmental experiences tailored to individual needs, providing constructive feedback, driving outcomes, and identifying where coaching is needed.

• Data Analytics: Skill in the process of examining data sets in order to find trends and draw conclusions about the information they contain.

• Financial Analysis & Reporting: Experience planning, forecasting, budgeting, analyzing data, and reporting data to measure a company's financial health and support business decisions.

• Vendor Management: Experience managing vendor relationships, monitoring quality, performance, compliance, and troubleshooting when issues arise.

Top 5 Required Leadership Skills:

• Passion for Customers: Help Team Members understand how their work and performance impacts customers downstream.

• Decision Making: Proactively seek information that helps decision making process; Guides others in decision making process.

• Motivate Others: Make all Team Members feel like they are a part of the company’s mission; Uncover and address what individuals need to be more satisfied and engaged at work; Create a climate in which people want to do their best.

• Lead Change: Show optimism through change and provides clear guidance; Is sensitive to how change impacts others

• Collaborate Cross Functionally: Build relationships and break down silos to increase collaboration across teams and establish streamlined work processes.

Certifications, Experience, and Education:

• Certifications: None required

• Experience: 12 – 15 years minimum years of experience in Inventory Management, Vendor Relations, Merchandising, or related field; and