Field Category Manager

Essential Functions

• Supports national and regional strategic direction.
• Owns frontline pricing decisions (with promotional guidance from National or Regional for floor/ceiling).
• Responsible for vendor operations and local relationships.
• Responsible for planogram implementation – resets (including all 3rd party relationships).
• Selects local vendors, negotiates costs, terms for products, and develops schematics by applying category management principles in accordance with the departments' National and Regional strategic objectives.
• Increases sales revenues by developing promotional concepts and overlay programs on local assortment; develops.
• Contributes to team effort by accomplishing Financial and Key Result Area targets pursuant to Company plan guidelines.
• Foster positive relationships between the National, Regional and Business Unit team and Operational team.
• Supports pilots/testing activities, including preparation and delivering communication materials. Also tracks of results and feedback to the appropriate team.
• Establishes and monitors gross margins by forecasting and developing annual sales quotas, projecting expected sales volume and profit for existing and new products and determining placement and promotions.
• Projects and measures category sales and gross profit results by developing and maintaining records of item cost, retail, and gross margin dollars.
• Maintains external local and national vendor relations by providing direction, guidance, and information, resolving concerns.
• Recommends changes in products, service, and policy by evaluating results and competitive developments.
• Achieves financial objectives by preparing an annual category review, budget, scheduling expenditures, analyzing variances, initiating corrective actions.
• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reading professional publications, establishing personal networks; or participating in professional societies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in advertising, business, or related field preferred.
• Other combinations of job-related experience and education that meet the requirements may be substituted.
• Five years of experience or more preferred; including a minimum of three years of management responsibility.
• Expertise in MS Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word preferred.
• Must have strong relationship management, analytical thinking, and financial acumen skills.
• May require up to 30% of travel.
• Valid driver’s license required.