Raley's Associate Category Manager of Fresh - Sacramento, CA

Associate Category Manager

The Raley's Companies is a private, family-owned, and purpose-driven retail company headquartered in West Sacramento, CA. Since our founding in 1935, our store operations have grown to include more than 235 locations across four states and four Tribal Nations under eight well-known banners: Raley's, Bel Air, Nob Hill Foods, Raley's O-N-E Market, Bashas', Food City, AJ's Fine Foods and Bashas' Din Market. In addition, The Raley's Companies bridges the divide between the physical and digital retail experiences through the operation of Apium Logistics, Fieldera and FieldTRUE. Built on a higher purpose, the organization and our over 21,000 employees are committed to quality offerings, exceptional service and doing right by our team members, communities, and planet.

Today, the Raley's, Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods and Raley's O-N-E Market banners carry on Tom's legacy of innovation by serving as more than grocery stores. Our purpose of changing the way the world eats, one plate at a time, has made Raley's a trusted source for nutrition and wellness. We strive to enhance transparency and education in the food system to help customers make more informed, healthy food choices. We also serve as the destination for the best fresh products, affordable offerings, and personalized service.

As an Associate Category Manager, you will play a key role in supporting the development and execution of category strategies that drive sales, profitability, market share, and customer satisfaction. In this highly collaborative role, you will partner with Category Managers, Directors, suppliers, pricing, advertising, operations, supply chain, and cross-functional teams to support buying, merchandising, promotional planning, assortment optimization, pricing strategies, and supplier relationships.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to grow a career in category management, merchandising, and strategic retail leadership while gaining hands-on experience managing categories that impact millions of customer shopping decisions each year. This role is on-site in West Sacramento, and final candidate must reside in CA.

Perks & Benefits

• Competitive compensation, paid weekly
• Work with and lead a motivated and inspired team
• Paid vacation, sick days and holidays
• 401K Program, including company contributions and matching funds
• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance for yourself and eligible dependents
• Family leave
• 10% discount on groceries
• Employee discounts on event/ sports tickets, gym memberships, mobile phone plans, etc.
• Tuition Reimbursement for qualified courses
• Scholarship opportunities for continued education
• Flexible Spending Account (pre-tax commuter, childcare, and medical expenses)
• Dependent Care
• Life Insurance
• Charitable contribution opportunity and volunteer time off and community events
• Employee Assistance Program (free financial, legal, and mental health services)

What You'll Do & How You'll Make a Difference

• Support Category Performance & Merchandising Strategy
• Conduct buying and merchandising activities within assigned categories
• Analyze category performance using scorecards, budgets, P&Ls, and market reports
• Monitor sales, margin, market share, and cost performance to identify opportunities
• Support the development of strategic category plans that drive business results
• Assist in creating assortment and shelf merchandising plans that maximize sales and profitability
• Report on the effectiveness of business recommendations and merchandising initiatives
• Learn and apply category management principles and best practices

Drive Promotions, Pricing & Profitability

• Support the development and execution of category promotional plans
• Measure and report promotional results to evaluate effectiveness
• Assist in pricing analysis by evaluating competitive positioning, elasticity, and category trends
• Help develop pricing recommendations that support sales and margin objectives
• Manage and track manufacturer promotional funding opportunities
• Support efforts to achieve or exceed margin goals through effective vendor funding management
• Contribute insights that help improve category performance and profitability

Build Supplier Partnerships & Support Product Availability

• Strong supplier relationships are critical to delivering quality products and exceptional customer experiences.
• Participate in supplier meetings to evaluate products, promotional opportunities, and category performance
• Build collaborative relationships with manufacturers and suppliers
• Support negotiations to secure favorable costs and business terms
• Partner with suppliers and supply chain teams to maintain product availability and service levels
• Monitor supplier performance related to pricing, quality, assortment, and service
• Assist with supplier scorecard reviews and performance evaluations
• Help ensure consistent product supply and execution across the business

Research, Innovate & Grow the Business

• You'll help identify new products and innovation opportunities that keep our assortments fresh, relevant, and customer-focused.
• Research emerging trends, products, and category opportunities
• Evaluate product performance and customer needs
• Identify opportunities to enhance category assortments
• Present recommendations to Category Managers and Directors
• Support product launches and assortment optimization initiatives
• Contribute ideas that improve the customer shopping experience and drive category growth

Who You Are

• Passionate about retail merchandising, category management, and business performance
• Naturally curious and eager to learn the grocery retail business
• Analytical and comfortable working with financial and operational data
• Highly organized with strong prioritization skills
• Detail-oriented and committed to execution excellence
• Collaborative and relationship-focused
• Comfortable working with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities
• A proactive self-starter with a strong sense of urgency
• Innovative, creative, and solution-oriented
• An effective communicator who can influence and build partnerships across the organization

Must Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Two (2) or more years of related grocery, merchandising, retail buying, category management, or management experience
• Knowledge of buying, merchandising, retail operations, and category management fundamentals
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• Strong financial, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to learn and utilize merchandising and reporting software tools
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities
• Ability to work effectively both independently and within a team environment