NA Category Strategy Manager - Fruits, Vegetables, & Dairy

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Position Summary: 

The NA Category Strategy Manager - Fruits, Vegetables, & Dairy responsible for developing North American strategy and objectives to maximize sales, margin and profits through end-to-end category management.  Owns category management strategy and process informed by knowledge of current trends, internal and external category data, and feedback from engaged relationships with GFS merchandising and division marketing teams.  Develop Joint Business Plans (JBP) with suppliers that drive go-to-market strategies to achieve sales, margin, product innovation and brand goals. Influence other functional teams (operations, finance, revenue management, strategic alliances, strategic procurement,  supply chain, transportation, sales, digital) to enable go-to-market and margin strategy execution. Collaborate with strategic procurement on supplier sourcing and agreements.

What you will do:

Product Portfolio Management 

• Business owner of category strategies that drive company KPI’s for sales and margin.

• Responsible for supporting all segments of the business.

• Responsible for all aspects of the product lifecycle management process from initial sourcing, market introduction, and   product positioning to deletion. (Category Management Playbook)

• Manage the strategy for category management insights (Vendor/NPD/Direct link) to achieve volume and margin targets in support of segmented customer and brand marketing plans.

• Responsible for product taxonomy and portfolio organization.

• Create category conversion strategy: Preferred Portfolio,  Forced (SKU rationalization), Selling conversions (Sales / NMU)

• Approves new product setup and executes introduction,  conversion, and discontinuance resulting from end-to-end category management process.

• Manage  new product Innovation pipeline/ Portfolio Gaps (Brands and NB) and bring product  to commercialization.  

• Develop marketing strategy utilizing  multiple  tools and tactics in collaboration with the Brands, Marketing Communications, and merchandising regions.

• Responsible for acquisition, accuracy, timeliness and relevance of core product data information.

• Initiate Brand packaging process  (workfront)

• Collaborate with Lead Category Buyer with Competitive Market Review strategies for assigned product lines. 

• Maintains knowledge of industry trends and developments by reading appropriate books, journals and other literature and attending related conferences, seminars, supplier training visits, etc.  Maintains industry relationships to share issues and ideas.

Financial KPI Management

• Responsible for achieving Key Performance Indicators (KPIs- Top Line Growth, Vendor Income, Net Margin, Market Share) Executes Cost Strategy initiatives identified through Variant Tree &  Cost Stratification activity.

• Develops and maintains Brand/Cost/Indexing (BCI) rules and attributes

• Collaborate with Revenue Management on executing BCI strategies that influence Cost for Price.

• Manage variant tree cost stratification strategy

• Effectively manages expenses within budget for associated tools and promotions.

• Review and monitor KPI dashboard measures for all segments making correct action when necessary

Supplier Business Strategy Alignment 

• Develops and manages strategic relationships with vendors through regular communications and Joint Business Planning (JBP) reviews to optimize supplier value to Gordon Food Service.

• Responsible for  JBP strategy and execution plans with the supplier

  • Inclusive: all segments/products

  • Common Goals / KPIs

  • Top to Top Collaboration

  • Innovation - planning, timing, launch plans

  • Digital, Foodshow, promotions

  • Vendor direct/broker sales force

  • CCOV-Co-Creation of Value

  • Sales Execution- Waterfall