Fruit, Vegetable and Dairy Director

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Position Summary:

Fruit, Vegetable and Dairy Director leads the end-to-end category vision and Fruit, Vegetable, and Dairy product strategy for North American distribution units, Gordon Stores, and specialty produce companies. Expertly balances centralized scale with regional supplier agility to optimize supply chain efficiency, maximize margins, and drive enterprise-wide sales growth. This role leads a category team leveraging deep market intelligence and strategic partnerships with suppliers to ensure a winning product portfolio. Proven at integrating regional merchandising needs with divisional marketing goals to deliver a competitive advantage in a complex, high-volume marketplace.

Essential Functions:

Leadership

• Interviews, hires, trains and retains staff.  Conduct bi-annual performance reviews for direct reports, initiating follow through with disciplinary action and termination in consultation with Human Resources.

• Ensures that personal development plans are created and actively managed for each individual -- direct reports through front-line employees.

 

Vision & Planning

• Creates and advocates for a compelling Category vision and strategy that proactively leverages cultural, market and customer insights, and supports the ongoing enhancement of the overall customer experience.

• Leverages the Category vision and strategy to support the North American Strategic Long Range Plan.

• Develops, monitors and manages an Annual Plan that supports corporate goals for growth and earnings. Analyzes for variances and takes appropriate action 

• Develops and manages an annual expense plan for the Category. Monitors, manages, and controls the budget; analyzes variances and takes appropriate action to ensure budget is at/under plan.

 

Strategy Development

• Using market research, customer insights, and industry experience, works closely with the North American Strategic Procurement Director to create and execute North American procurement strategies to grow sales and grow overall market share.

• Using market research, customer insights, and industry experience, work closely with the US and CA Sales and Merchandising Leadership teams to identify Category strategies and ensure communications are on-strategy and resonate with all customer segments in a relevant manner.

• Ensures collaboration with the Brand team to create Private Brands growth opportunities via vendor change, conversions from manufacturer brands and market share from competitors.

 

Communication & Relationship-Building

• Using market research, customer insights, and industry experience, works closely with all Business Units and Shared Service stakeholders to establish Category growth targets across North America and within Gordon Food Service Stores.  Ensures growth objectives are met via front-line knowledge and embracing of Category vision.

• Builds and leverages strong, collaborative relationships with North American Division marketing teams and Gordon Food Service Stores.

• Collaborates with Regional Merchandising Director to ensure optimal and profitable enterprise and local product mix for the Category.

• Ensures that appropriate product support is provided to National Multi-Unit customers and NA National Multi-Unit teams via the National Multi-Unit Product Specialist(s).  

• Builds strong, collaborative relationships with Regional Merchandising and Divisional Marketing teams across North America by conducting quarterly ride-alongs with front-line Sales and Marketing employees.

 

Category & Vendor Management

• Using market research, customer insights, and industry experience, provides a relevant and profitable enterprise product assortment (variety, quality, price, velocity etc.) that optimizes the efficiency of warehouse and logistics and supports GFS’s financial and strategic initiatives for select category. 

• Works collaboratively throughout the supply chain to drive cost, quality and supply improvements through Vendor management, standardization, and negotiations for assigned commodities.

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