Category Analyst

About the role

Supports the company's growth and profitability goals through the evaluation of category analytics with the intent to develop strategies for improving category health including: growing sales, profitability, improving terms and conditions, growing incentive programs reducing category fragmentation, evaluation of market relevant cost and negotiation of into stock cost, and improving margins.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

• Analyzes key vendor performance by making comparisons with available benchmark metrics from other similar vendor for industry, product, market, and location.
• Responsible for ensuring product hierarchy assignment, attribute strategy, market basket identification, build-out of nomenclature for product descriptions and material group assignments.
• Supports category objectives, vendor initiatives and communications consistent with strategic vendor performance plans.
• Supports the Category Manager in providing analytics, category knowledge and category analysis on which to base our vendor strategies to better capitalize on opportunities.
• Participates in vendor meetings and assists with documenting, analyzing and accomplishing action items related to vendor key performance indicator improvements.
• Collaborates with Inventory Procurement to facilitate changes and updates to SAP data and costing.
• Ensures proactive cost competitiveness cost continuity with market levels and analyzes forward buy opportunities.
• Acts as the first point of contact for day-to-day category / product related questions.
• Analyzes inventory breadth and depth from a strategic, category perspective.
• Tracks BSE performance for manufacturer incentive programs.
• Analyzes data to model Vendor and AD Incentive programs maximization.
• Responsible for creation of cross reference tables for strategic vendors and products.

Non-essential Functions

• Supports various vendor and industry events by preparing vendor scorecards and obtaining BSE feedback for various vendor and industry events.
• Assists in setting up new suppliers, materials, and material groups in SAP, vendor promotions, and cost aggregation.
• Ensures the distribution and replenishment of assigned vendor product literature for assigned vendors.
• Attends and participates in meetings with suppliers.
• Assists in collecting, documenting and maintaining content, for rich product catalog content, promotional collateral, supplier scripts, and portal text/images.
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor or designate.

Qualifications

• Minimum four-year degree and two years of related work experience required.
• Strong working knowledge of the category preferred.
• Category management certificate preferred.
• Project management experience preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of Windows, Microsoft Office, Internet and SAP software.

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to use professional concepts, company policies/procedures and creativity to solve a wide range of problems.
• Ability and willingness to pursue continuous learning.
• Performs moderately complex problem solving with some assistance.
• Analytical thinker with the ability to create and execute well-rounded category strategies.
• Attention to detail.
• Excellent written, reading, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to be goal oriented and comfortable working with minimal supervision.
• Excellent customer service skills include being competent, accurate, responsive, and engaged.

Physical Requirements

• Frequency at which you would carry/lift in a typical day:
  • Occasionally 0 – 33%
  • Frequently 34 – 66%
  • Continuously: 67 – 100%
• Lift from Waist:
  • Less than 10 lbs. – Not at all
  • 10 to 25 lbs. – Not at all
  • 26 to 50 lbs. – Not at all
  • 51 to 75 lbs. – Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. – Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. – Not at all
• Lift from Floor:
  • Less than 10 lbs. – Frequently
  • 10 to 25 lbs. – Frequently
  • 26 to 50 lbs. – Occasionally
  • 51 to 75 lbs. – Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. – Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. – Not at all
• Carried for Distance:
  • Less than 10 lbs. – Not at all
  • 10 to 25 lbs. – Not at all
  • 26 to 50 lbs. – Not at all
  • 51 to 75 lbs. – Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. – Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. – Not at all
• Physical Activity Frequency in a typical day:
  • Sitting (a continuous period of being seated) – Continuously
  • Standing (for sustained periods of time) – Frequently
  • Walking (moving about on foot to accomplish tasks) – Frequently
  • Bending/stooping (downward and forward) – Occasionally
  • Crawling (moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet) – Not at all
  • Climbing/Walking Stairs (ascending or descending) – Frequently
  • Reaching (extending arms in any direction) – Frequently
  • Crouching/squatting (bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine) – Occasionally
  • Kneeling (bending legs at knee to come to rest on knee(s)) – Occasionally
  • Balancing (maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling) – Occasionally
  • Repetitive motion (substantial movement (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers) – Continuously
  • Pivoting (movement in any direction with one foot, keeping the other in contact with the floor) – Occasionally
  • Pushing/Pulling (using upper extremities to press against or draw or tug) – Occasionally
  • Grasping (Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm) – Continuously
  • Fingering (picking, pinching, typing; working with primarily fingers and not whole hand) – Continuously
  • Talking (expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word) – Frequently
  • Driving (the control and operation of a motor vehicle) – Occasionally
  • Desk work (work usually performed at a desk) – Continuously
  • Use of a computer – Continuously
  • Use of a telephone – Frequently
  • Hearing (Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels) – Continuously
  • Exposure (to adverse weather & temperature conditions) – Not at all
  • Travel (travel needed to perform job duties) – Occasionally