Careers

About the Role:

This specific role will be responsible for managing our portfolio of products in a designated group of categories. The primary focus will be on overseeing the product lifecycle management and financial performance of these items. This includes leading the sourcing, product development, and commercialization processes. The goal is to develop a category roadmap based on identified business opportunities, collaborate with key stakeholders, and successfully execute the roadmap through flawless commercialization. This role is part of a new team tasked with developing the foundation and future of sourcing. It reports to the Brands Product Director and is a newly created position.

Responsibilities Include:

• Developing and implementing short, medium, and long-term category management plans and sourcing strategies for specific Brands categories.
• Conducting industry analyses and competitive assessments to prioritize white space sales and/or margin opportunities that would provide incremental value to the company.
• Leading and managing the RFP (Request for Proposal) process for identified Brands categories, from start to finish. This includes identifying capable supplier partners, performing market research and benchmarking, and handling supplier communication.
• Negotiating contracts and business terms with suppliers using a strategic sourcing process focused on should-costs, advanced scenario modeling, design to value thinking, and vertical interference concepts.
• Developing business recommendations and presenting them to business leaders for decision-making, including the Purchasing Leadership Team and the Independent Operators network.
• Executing legal contracts with awarded suppliers, partnering with the legal team on all legal indemnifications and business terms and conditions.
• Monitoring supplier performance, assessing service levels, understanding capacity planning, reviewing innovation pipelines, and driving continuous cost improvements.
• Providing ad hoc category or business analysis and support for stakeholders across the company, serving as a key thought partner with the business.
• Creating and commercializing new products, collaborating with suppliers to ensure targeted quality expectations are met and delivering excellent value to customers and stores.
• Building financial decks summarizing Brands category performance, cost analysis, and important financial metrics in collaboration with the finance, purchasing, and strategy teams.
• Using clear and insightful data visualizations to create reports and dashboards that facilitate data-driven decision-making across the Brands and Purchasing departments.
• Providing input to the Brands design agency for each responsible category, considering category activity and private label competitive positioning, and working towards a packaging design solution.
• Reviewing and approving label claim documentation, quality certifications, specifications, plant audit reports, certificates of insurance, and other legal or regulatory documents to manage risk for the company.
• Generating sales and marketing content for planned digital marketing events, including advertisements, seasonal events, promotional activities, industry activation, and ad hoc Independent Operator needs.
• Effectively managing the Brands portfolio within assigned departments to ensure comp sales growth and enhanced margin performance while continuing to offer value to customers.

About The Pay:

• Base Salary Range: $110,000 - $130,000 Annually
• Annual Bonus Program
• Equity
• 401(k) Profit Sharing
• Medical, Dental, Vision & More!
• Final compensation will be determined based upon experience and skills and may vary based on location.

About You:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Food Science, Economics, or Supply Chain. MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of analytical experience with a data-driven approach to problem-solving. Ability to quickly model financial impacts and identify opportunities. Advanced Excel skills required.
• 7+ years of experience in private label, sourcing, and/or product commercialization across multiple consumable product categories. Expertise in all aspects of private label commercialization, including legal, quality, regulatory, and print production. Experience in grocery retail highly preferred.
• Action-oriented and self-starting individual with the ability to lead change and implement operational improvements.
• Familiarity with clean-sheeting, should-cost modeling, tolling, and developing financial models to reverse engineer the total costs of ownership for consumer-packaged goods.
• Knowledgeable about category industry activities and risks, such as regulatory restrictions and needs, certification standards, brand positioning, claim values, and shopper behavior drivers.
• Collaborative worker with the ability to quickly build trusted relationships with internal and external business partners.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize, work independently, and maintain a high level of focus.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, especially in front of peers and executive audiences. Strong PowerPoint skills required.
• Experience working within a mainframe ERP system is a plus, as well as familiarity with multiple data sources.