Director of Category Management, Produce

Job Description

Job Description

At Ferraro Foods, we are more than a distributor—we're a trusted partner to restaurants, pizzerias, retailers, and foodservice operators across the country. Through strong supplier partnerships, innovative product solutions, and an unwavering commitment to quality, we help our customers succeed every day.

We're looking for an experienced Director of Category Management – Produce to lead the strategic direction of our fresh produce business. This is a highly visible leadership opportunity for someone who understands both the art and science of category management and enjoys turning market insights, supplier relationships, and commercial strategy into measurable business results.

If you're passionate about fresh produce, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and enjoy building winning category strategies while working closely with Sales, Marketing, Procurement, and Operations, we'd love to meet you.

What You'll Do

• You'll own the complete lifecycle of Ferraro Foods' produce category, developing and executing strategies that drive sales growth, strengthen supplier partnerships, improve profitability, and enhance our competitive position within the foodservice industry.
• In this role, you'll lead strategic sourcing initiatives, manage the end-to-end RFP process, conduct category reviews, evaluate assortment opportunities, negotiate supplier agreements, and develop pricing strategies that balance customer value with margin performance.
• Working closely with our Sales and Marketing teams, you'll help shape commercial strategies, branding initiatives, promotional programs, and vendor-funded marketing opportunities that increase customer penetration and category growth.
• You'll monitor market trends, commodity pricing, seasonality, and consumer demand to identify opportunities for innovation while ensuring product quality, inventory availability, and supply chain continuity.
• You'll also serve as the produce subject matter expert, presenting category strategies and business reviews to executive leadership, supporting regional sales teams, participating in customer meetings, and building long-term relationships with growers, shippers, and supplier partners.

What We're Looking For

• We're seeking a commercially minded category leader with extensive experience managing fresh produce within foodservice or wholesale distribution.
• The ideal candidate has successfully developed category strategies, led RFPs, negotiated supplier agreements and vendor programs, conducted category reviews, optimized product assortments, and partnered closely with Sales and Marketing to deliver profitable growth.
• Success in this role requires someone who enjoys wearing multiple hats and is equally comfortable developing long-term strategy as they are rolling up their sleeves to execute it. You'll thrive if you enjoy solving business challenges, building supplier partnerships, and making data-driven decisions that directly influence company performance.

The Ingredients for Success

• 10+ years of progressive experience in Category Management, Procurement, Merchandising, or Strategic Sourcing with a focus on fresh produce.
• Experience within foodservice distribution, wholesale produce, or a closely related industry strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success leading strategic sourcing initiatives, RFPs, supplier negotiations, vendor programs, and contract management.
• Experience conducting category reviews, developing assortment strategies, and driving profitable category growth.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience partnering closely with Sales and Marketing on branding strategies, promotional initiatives, and commercial programs.
• Deep understanding of produce sourcing, seasonality, commodity markets, forecasting, inventory planning, and supplier management.
• Proven ability to analyze sales, margin, and market data to make strategic business decisions.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Food Science, Marketing, Finance, or a related field preferred.

Why Ferraro Foods?

This is an opportunity to make a significant impact within a growing organization where your expertise will directly influence category strategy, supplier partnerships, commercial initiatives, and long-term business performance. At Ferraro Foods, you'll have the autonomy to make decisions, collaborate with experienced leaders, and help shape the future of one of our most important product categories.

The Details

• Location: Piscataway, NJ (On-site)
• Schedule: Monday – Friday | Standard Business Hours
• Travel: Approximately 10–20% to support supplier relationships, regional sales teams, customer meetings, and industry events.
• Compensation: $125,000–$165,000, commensurate with experience.
• Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k) with company contribution, Paid Time Off, Paid Holidays, and additional voluntary benefits.

If you're ready to take ownership of a high-impact category and help shape its future, we'd love to hear from you.

Salary is commensurate with experience.

Ferraro Foods is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Mon - Fri | 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM