Category Specialist

About the role

The Category Specialist supports the onboarding, enablement, and ongoing management of vendors within the Consumables category. This role partners closely with cross-functional teams to onboard vendors accurately and efficiently while resolving any discovered issues. The role serves as a key operational contact for vendors and internal customers, helping drive a high-quality experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage the onboarding process for assigned Consumables vendors from setup through launch, providing guidance, timelines, and status updates
• Partner with the Merchandising Operations team to coordinate onboarding activities, resolve issues, and remove blockers
• Ensure vendors are accurately configured across systems, tools, and requirements
• Support product setup, configuration, and ongoing maintenance
• Troubleshoot product issues and coordinate resolution with Operations, Product, and Technology teams
• Identify recurring issues or risks and surface insights to improve processes and product performance
• Respond to and resolve internal and vendor-facing tickets related to onboarding and category execution
• Triage issues appropriately, track them through resolution, and ensure vendors and internal partners are informed
• Communicate clearly and professionally with vendors, building and maintaining strong working relationships
• Proactively identify vendor risks, gaps, or opportunities tied to execution
• Share vendor feedback and operational insights to inform process and product improvements
• Support category-level operational initiatives as needed

Requirements

• Completion of a BS/BA degree desired
• 1+ years of experience in category operations, vendor management, merchandising support, or related roles
• Experience working with external vendors and cross-functional internal teams
• Experience managing tickets, workflows, or operational requests
• Familiarity with merchandising or onboarding support systems
• Strong written and verbal communication skills