Category Manager, Commissary

Are you curious about solving complex business challenges for a leading convenience retailer? Do you have a passion for cross functional collaboration? Then you may be the perfect addition to our team! 

Cumberland Farms is one of the fastest-growing convenience retailers in the United States, committed to becoming America's #1 'one-stop' destination. The business has an established pedigree of delivering excellent fuel, grocery and merchandise, and food service. Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, our Company has grown to over 1,500+ locations across the United States employing over 18,000 team members. You can find us operating under the following store banners: Certified Oil, Coen Markets, Cumberland Farms, Fastrac, Kwik Shop, Loaf N Jug, Minit Mart, Sprint Food Stores, Tom Thumb, Turkey Hill, and Quik Stop. Our US headquarters in Westborough, MA is home to our Store Support Center, Company Warehouse, and Culinary Center.

What We Offer:

• Competitive Wages
• Work today, get paid tomorrow through our earned wage access program*
• Paid Time Off
• Medical/Health/Dental Coverage
• 401K with Company Match
• Team Member Discounts
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program
• Health Savings Account
• Company Spirit Days
• Employee recognition and awards
• And much more!

Position Summary:

The Category Manager, Commissary is responsible for developing and executing the merchandising strategy for one of Cumberland Farms' most important foodservice categories. This leader owns the commercial performance of the refrigerated packaged foods business, including sandwiches, salads, wraps, snack packs, protein offerings, fruit, and other grab-and-go solutions, with accountability for sales growth, gross margin, guest satisfaction, product quality, innovation, and operational execution across 1,500 stores.

The ideal candidate combines deep food industry expertise with strong commercial acumen and financial leadership. They are a proven sales driver, with the ability to understand the customer and tailor products, pricing, and promotions to them. They also understand net margin deeply, including the operational realities of convenience retail. This role requires a data-driven merchant who can identify opportunities, translate insights into action, and consistently deliver profitable growth while helping to build a food culture across the organization.

Responsibilities:

Set category strategy

• Develop and execute long-term strategy for cold packaged foods across all of our geographies
• Build category plans that drive sales, traffic, margin, market share, and loyalty
• Identify emerging food trends and translate consumer insights into differentiated products and merchandising strategies
• Build a balanced assortment that delivers both everyday value and premium offerings while optimizing SKU productivity and regional preferences
• Lead seasonal, limited-time, and innovation programs that keep the category fresh and relevant

Be industry expert

• Serve as the company's subject matter expert on refrigerated grab-and-go foods
• Maintain deep knowledge of foodservice trends, competitive offerings, ingredient innovations, packaging developments, consumer behaviors, and convenience retail best practices
• Benchmark category performance against leading convenience retailers, grocery retailers, and foodservice operators
• Evaluate evolving consumer preferences around health and wellness, protein, fresh ingredients, indulgence, convenience, and value

Deliver financial results

• Own category P&L performance including sales, gross margin, product mix, inventory productivity, total loss, and promotional ROI
• Develop pricing strategies that balance guest value perception with profitability
• Build annual operating plans and financial forecasts
• Analyze elasticity, promotional effectiveness, competitive pricing, and product mix to maximize financial performance
• Leverage data and analytics to identify growth opportunities and quickly address underperforming products

Manage vendor partnerships

• Develop strategic partnerships with manufacturers, distributors, and fresh food suppliers
• Lead supplier negotiations focused on cost, quality, innovation, funding, and service levels
• Drive joint business planning activities with key vendor partners
• Evaluate supplier capabilities to ensure consistent product quality and reliability

Develop products and innovation pipeline

• Partner with culinary, health & safety, operations, and supply chain teams to develop, test, and launch new products
• Lead product lifecycle management from concept through launch and post-launch evaluation, following defined innovation stagegate framework
• Ensure products align with Cumberland Farms' customer preferences around taste and value

Support field execution

• Develop merchandising standards, planograms, and promotional strategies that drive consistent execution across all stores
• Collaborate closely with advertising to ensure in-store signage is accurate and on-brand
• Solicit and regularly action feedback from operations to optimize and improve programs

Continuously improve category performance

• Monitor KPIs and business performance through regular reporting and business reviews
• Utilize POS data, consumer insights, syndicated research, and competitive intelligence to guide decisions
• Continuously optimize assortment, pricing, and promotions based on measurable results

Working Relationships:

Collaborate closely with Marketing, Operations, Culinary, Supply Chain, Health & Safety, Legal, and Finance teams.

Minimum Education:  Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Food Science, Supply Chain, or related field

Preferred Education:  MBA

Minimum Experience: 

• 5–8+ years of progressive experience in category management, merchandising, foodservice, grocery, consumer packaged goods, or convenience retail
• Strong understanding of food industry economics, sourcing, product development, and trends
• Demonstrated success growing category sales, profitability, and market share
• Experience negotiating with national and regional suppliers
• Proficiency with Excel and category analytics tools
• Strong commercial acumen, with ability to leverage data to make actionable decisions
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and influencing skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced retail environment

Preferred Experience:

• Direct experience managing refrigerated food or fresh food categories strongly preferred
• Experience with food innovation, culinary commercialization, and product lifecycle management
• Strong understanding of food safety, quality assurance, and cold chain logistics
• Experience with syndicated data (Circana, NielsenIQ, etc.) is a plus

Licenses/Certifications: None

Soft Skills:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite

Travel  Ability to travel independently up to 20%. Must have clean driving record.

Hours & Conditions  Monday – Friday 8 hour day in office setting

Physical Requirements:  Ability to maneuver and regularly lift and or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

At Cumberland Farms, it's important that our employees reflect the world we live in and the communities we serve. We celebrate our differences, so your unique background and skillset could bring a wonderful new perspective to our team. If you have a passion for delivering exceptional results, thrive in a fast-paced corporate environment, and bring experience in business management or related areas, we'd love to meet you - even if you don't meet every single requirement.

Consistent with Massachusetts Pay Transparency Law, we're sharing the base salary range for this position. Final pay within this range will be based on your skills, experience, and qualifications. Base pay represents just one part of our total rewards approach. We're proud to offer a variety of financial and non-financial benefits that invest in your overall growth, well-being, and career journey.