Assistant Category Manager

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About the company

Albertsons Companies is at the forefront of the revolution in retail. With a fixation on raising the bar with innovation and building belonging through our culture, our team is rallying our company around a unique purpose: to create joy around each table and inspire a healthier tomorrow for every community.

Albertsons Companies is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, with over 2,200 stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Our well-known banners include Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, Carrs, Kings Food Markets, and Balducci's Food Lovers Market. We support our stores with 22 distribution centers and 19 manufacturing plants.

Placing a premium on adaptability, safety and family well-being, our work model, Presence with a Purpose, offers a hybrid work environment between remote work and office time. A one-size-fits-all approach does not apply to everyone, and teams are empowered to make decisions best for them.

Bring your flavor

Building the future of food and well-being starts with you. Join our team and bring your best self to the table. #LI-MG1

What you will be doing

The Assistant Category Manager will report to the National Category Director and be responsible for partnering with the National Category Director and division merchants to develop and manage the overall merchandising strategy for your category(s).

This is a new role and a significant opportunity to make a difference in transforming Albertsons Companies to better serve our customers. As a member of your category pod, you will help manage the merchandising planning process for your category(s). You will work closely with the National Category Director and national and division merchandising leadership. You will develop deep category expertise and own the execution of key analyses to drive category-level decisions. You will develop an understanding of category trends, innovations, consumer preferences, nuances by geography and customer segments, and competitor activity.

The position will be in our Division office in Pleasanton, CA or in our national headquarters Boise, ID. Some travel will be required to interact with division merchandising teams and national suppliers.

Main responsibilities

• Category Management - Partners with the National Category Director to strategically manage category(s) to meet sales, profit, and market share targets. Assists the Category Director in developing the assortment, shelf planograms, and pricing & promotions strategy, based on a detailed and analytically driven category planning process with divisions and functional leaders. Partners closely with national and division merchants to maximize category performance. Serves as the company's Subject Matter Expert (SME) for assigned category(s). Researches category trends, innovations, competitors, and regional preferences.
• Supplier Relationships - Assists the Category Director to prepare supplier negotiations strategies. Attends key vendor meetings as needed. Evaluates supplier performance, working with the divisions and procurement team as needed. Communicates negotiations outcomes to divisions to enable them to plan and execute promotional events and local ads. Prepares data analyses, including category / supplier trends, to be used as leverage for negotiations.
• Data & Analytics - Leverages data to drive category planning. Partners with the National Category Director to maintain weekly, quarterly and yearly scorecards to track sales, profit, and market share of each category. Utilizes merchant tools to conduct category data analysis (for example, customer decision trees, profitability and growth trends, promotional assessments, pricing trends, and sales trends). Works closely with functional team members and division merchants to collect and synthesize inputs (for example, division promotional funding, local assortment considerations, Own Brands considerations, eCommerce strategy, and competitor benchmarking sets) to be used during the merchandising planning process.
• Collaboration - Collaborates with the category(s) pod members to understand division needs and commitments and integrates these into the overall category plan. Works with cross-functional teams to develop both strategic and tactical solutions. Helps to cultivate team morale, motivation, and loyalty by assisting the Category Director in developing training and mentorship programs for the category pod members.
• Diversity & Inclusion - Develops an approach that considers associates and leaders from across the organization and draws diverse perspectives into recommendations. Fosters a diverse and inclusive team and work environment and role models our culture and leadership practices.

The salary range is $95,000.00 to $123,000.00annually. Starting salary will vary based on criteria such as location, experience, and qualifications. There may be flexibility for exceptional candidates.

A copy of the full can be made available to you.

What we are searching for

• Experience with merchandising tools (e.g., Periscope, Demand Tech, I2E, BI Dashboards, GOLD, OMNI tool)
• Bachelor's degree
• Workday is fast paced; some evening and weekend work may be required.

We believe the successful candidate has these qualifications and experience:

• 1+ year of category experience. 3+ years' experience in the grocery industry. Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience with a related degree in Business, Marketing, or related field.
• Previous store operations experience or similar experience where a strong understanding of operations and merchandising approaches has been gained.
• Quantitative, marketing, merchandising and consumer research background to read, interpret and understand how internal and external factors influence financial results.
• Ability to read and interpret profit and loss statements and understand how components of the P&L affect category performance.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and experience taking initiative and making decisive, yet appropriate decisions.
• Strong planning, facilitating, and organizational skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills as well as interpersonal skills to develop and maintain effective business relationships within and outside the company.
• Able to effectively participate in a collaborative process with multiple stakeholders.
• Familiarity with Category Business Planning
• Familiar with procurement, logistics and inventory management
• Familiar with computer applications (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint)
• Up to 20% travel depending on location.

What is it like at Albertsons?

Our 290,000 associates have a passion for great service and building lasting relationships with our customers. Through a companywide focus on innovation, we are continually enhancing our digital and product offerings, making it easy for customers to get what they need, wherever they are.