Category Manager

The primary purpose of this position is to be responsible for the management of the assortment, sales, markdowns, margins, net profit, and inventory of specific product categories; Floral, Deli, Grocery, HBC/Non-Foods, Meat, Produce and Seafood categories. The successful candidate will be a strategic thinker with the ability to innovate in order to anticipate the needs of the grocery retail customer. In addition, they will be tactical and detail-oriented with strong analytical and project management skills to promote sales growth, profitability and increase basket size by offering a wide variety of products. Frequent independent judgments are essential. The incumbent is also required to perform all tasks in a safe manner consistent with corporate policies and applicable laws. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The associate is responsible for the functions below, in addition to other duties as assigned:Analyze weekly, monthly, and quarterly sales results.Achieve sales and margin targets as developed in the planning process.Develop assortment plans by product group.Manage category advertising including assortment, product mix, sales, and gross margins.Oversee the inventory management of product life cycles, including promotional purchases.Negotiate favorable terms, trade allowances, advertising allowances, new item allowances with suppliers.Develop marketing and promotional programs for the items and categories.Oversee incremental income such as advertising cooperatives, markdown monies, coupon redemption, rebates, scan backs, and temporary price reductions.Identify and implement private label opportunities.Coordinate and communicate effectively with Operations team to ensure precise implementation of category offerings of products.Work closely with other Category Managers to optimize merchandising strategies and overall store performance.Develop and implement category and product line business strategies. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES This position directly supervises DSD and Merchandising Clerks for only Grocery categories and carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with company policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include training, directing, rewarding, and appraising. All other categories have no direct supervisory responsibilities. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTSTo perform this job successfully, the associate must be able to perform each essential dutysatisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required: Bachelor's degree (BA/BS) in Business or Marketing or related field, plus five (5) years'experience in retail buying or equivalent combination of education and experience. In addition, the associate should have retail store experience.