Category Merchant, Prepared Foods, Whole Foods Market

About the role

Supports Whole Foods Market's Prepared Foods merchandising workstreams. Supports program execution in partnership with marketing, e-commerce, operations, finance, and technology teams. Reviews category success, assortment, and financial health. Maintains and updates assortment.

Key job responsibilities

• Strategize & Innovate: Create data-driven customer centric category strategies that leverage customer insights, market trends, and competitive analysis.
• Drive Success: Take ownership of the financial performance for your category. Develop and execute pre-season strategies that align with our business goals.
• Curate Assortments: Collaborate with suppliers to bring the best products to our stores and online channels. Lead line reviews, assortment planning, and item forecasting.
• Pricing & Promotion: Help shape pricing strategies that balance profitability with customer value. Work with marketing teams to support impactful promotional events.
• Supplier Relationships: Build and maintain strong partnerships with suppliers. Negotiate for early access to new products, exclusive items, and competitive costs.
• Item Management: Maintain accurate item level data in partnership with support teams that adhere to regulatory compliance.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with E-Commerce, Merchandising Planning, Operations, Procurement, and other teams to ensure smooth execution of category goals.
• Analyze & Adapt: Monitor category performance and adapt strategies based on data insights. Lead testing initiatives to continuously improve our offerings.
• Brand Advocacy: Consistently represent and promote our brand values, products and mission, acting as a trusted representative internally and externally.
• Mentorship: Share your knowledge and experience by coaching new team members. Be a resource for the wider team on category management best practices.

Skills

• Category Management Skill Set: Knowledge of retail business, including all aspects of pricing, merchandising, retail operations, labor impacts, negotiation, and financial analysis and reporting including new product development and management.
• Analytical Skills: Proficient in pulling financial reports, analyzing business trends, and assessing underlying drivers of results.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Adept at learning new tools and systems.
• Leadership & Collaboration: Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and the ability to influence outcomes in a complex, fast-paced environment.
• Creativity & Problem-Solving: A creative mindset with a knack for solving problems and managing ambiguity. Ability to multitask and thrive under pressure.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages to different audiences. Strong listening, empathy, and partnership skills to work cross-functionally and build trust.

Basic Qualifications

• 1+ years of account management, project or program management or buying experience
• Bachelor's degree
• Experience using Excel and other business analytic tools

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with software and editing tools (including HTML, Excel and SQL)
• Experience in online retail
• Experience using analytical specific tools such as Google Analytics, SQL or HTML