UNFI · 5 hours ago
Manager Category - Region Lead - Remote - East (Pittsburgh area)
Providence, RI
Full-time
Remote
Mid, Senior Level
5+ years exp
Maximize your interview chancesFood and BeverageSupply Chain Management
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Responsibilities
Ability to train and mentor new Category Managers.
Leadership role(s) in a department-wide initiative, overseeing planning, communication, and successful implementation both within the departments and with supporting teams.
Representation of the Department and/or Region in a Corporate-wide initiative or effort.
Initiate and implement new sales-driving opportunities whether in response to changing needs/environment or to create a new source of excitement/demand through creative merchandising.
Participate in the process of interviewing and hiring new staff.
Understand workings of department P&L, ability to research and analyze financial metrics and create solutions.
Leadership in key vendor or broker relations, overseeing planning, communication and successful implementation of sales initiatives and major changes that span multiple CM desks/departments.
Liaison for key retailers in conjunction with the sales team to strengthen business relationships, work through merchandising opportunities or obstacles, and improve customer service and satisfaction.
Develop category business plans for assigned categories using all available resources, including analysis of both internal and syndicated data, (validated) manufacturer input and expertise, commodity reports, trade/industry news, consumer trends, and customer feedback. Measures results and adjusts plans as needed.
Develop and manage communication with the retail sales team for all selling programs and category management initiatives. Track participation and sales by DC, sales team, and retail customers on all selling programs and category management initiatives.
Ensure that New Items are accurately launched on a timely basis with appropriate communication to retail.
Champion UNFI Brands+ assortment, manage Brands + role in category and programs as appropriate.
Maintain relevant assortment necessary to meet retail customer needs, including regional and local brands and unique demographic requirements. Rationalize SKU assortment to maximize sales while controlling the cost of carrying inventory, shrink, and spoilage.
Responsible for working with Shelf Management to support timely plan-o-gram execution.
Accurately Manage sell price including vendor cost, freight, BIV, and active sell.
Actively participate in the promotional planning process, including Weekly Ads, Selling shows, Region programs, Long Term Promotional Pricing (SED), and Temporary Price Reductions. Ad Groups & Ad Item Play, suggested retails, all promotional costs and windows, and any specific requirements of performance are communicated in collaboration with the Sales & Promotion team.
Negotiate with brokers and vendors on all aspects of category merchandising plans. Solicits support to drive profitable sales that meet and exceed retail customer demands and marketplace competition.
Responsible for proofing all deals, communications, and advertising vehicles for accuracy.
Perform post-promotional analysis to validate plan execution and adjust future plans.
Provide sales team with retailer needs on request, providing data points, facilitating, and participating in meetings, and serving as liaison to brokers/vendors as required.
Collaborate with Corporate Merchandising on local broker and vendor opportunities and concerns. Uphold terms and conditions of all Corporate Vendor Agreements. Collaborate with Procurement and Warehouse operations to meet customer's service level requirements and maximize sales through proper planning and forecasting. Assists in developing purchasing paths to insure the lowest possible cost of goods and handling while meeting shrink and spoilage goals. Assists in inventory disposition as required.
Collaborate with Customer Service on any retail issues regarding product costs and fees.
Collaborate with the Dated Order Team to ensure orders are fulfilled correctly as requested, or provide alternative solutions when that is not possible.
Resolve internal and external customer requests and concerns with a high level of professionalism.
Supervise Category Merch Specialist.
Ensure SOX compliance for deal acceptance and sell audit reporting.
Manage applicable state/local tax requirements at the category or item level as needed.
Qualification
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Required
Five (5) years of Category Management experience, with proven performance using Category Management tools (e.g., Spectre Daata, Syndicated Data Sources, and Category Management applications.)
Solid negotiating skills.
Possess good communication skills, both verbal and written.
Ability to collaborate effectively with a wide variety of people in person, via phone, and electronic communication.
Ability to influence without authority.
Computer skills required including spreadsheet and database tools and electronic communication tools. Requires the analytical ability to handle administrative duties and mental alertness to ensure accurate, safe, and thorough completion of work activities. Possess the ability to concentrate and deal with frequent interruptions.
Analytical skills to measure sales performance, item performance within a category and overall vendor funds management performance.
Good judgment is required for this position as there may be times when direct supervision may not be immediately available.
Preferred
Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Retail and/or vendor experience preferred.
Basic knowledge of the internal Buying system is preferred.
Company
UNFI
UNFI is North America’s Premier Food Wholesaler.
10,001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
UNFI has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2023 (2)
2022 (6)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Andre Persaud
President and Chief Executive Officer Retail, UNFI
Santhosh Kumar
Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer
Recent News
PR Newswire
2023-12-20
Providence Business News
2023-10-06
2023-10-05
Company data provided by crunchbase
