Category Manager

Category Manager – Purchasing, Supply Chain & LogisticsLocation: Livingston, TNEmployment Type: Full-TimeReports to: VP Sales & MarketingFind out more about the daily tasks, overall responsibilities, and required experience for this opportunity by scrolling down now.Position OverviewWe are seeking an analytical, commercially minded Category Manager to oversee purchasing, inventory planning, supplier management, supply chain, and logistics across our entire pet product portfolio.This hands-on role is responsible for having the right products, in the right quantities, at the right cost, and at the right time—while controlling stockouts, excess inventory, freight costs, and supply-chain risk.The Category Manager will own inventory and purchasing across all products and SKUs and work closely with suppliers, Operations, Sales & Marketing, and Finance to support availability, margin, and growth.Core OwnershipOwn purchasing and replenishment across the entire product portfolioMaintain appropriate inventory levels across all SKUs and suppliers.Develop purchasing plans using sales forecasts, velocity, lead times, seasonality, promotions, and growth.Monitor inventory, inbound shipments, open POs, and future requirements.Proactively identify and address stockouts, overstock, and supply risksManage supplier relationships, pricing, terms, MOQs, lead times, and performance.Coordinate domestic and international freight and inbound logisticsImprove product and landed costs, turns, availability, and capital efficiency.Support sourcing, new products, packaging changes, and assortment expansion.Serve as the primary owner of the company's purchasing, inventory planning, and product supply pipelineSales, Marketing & MerchandisingPartner with Sales and Marketing to align inventory with promotions, customer opportunities, seasonal demand, and growth plansAnalyze sales by SKU, category, channel, and customer to identify opportunities and trends (CRO, pricing).Identify high-potential products and recommend opportunities to increase inventory and drive salesForecast inventory needs for key accounts, wholesale, private label, and new customer launchesEnsure inventory supports promotions, campaigns, trade shows, and eventsIdentify overstock and slow-moving inventory for promotional opportunities.Data driven recommendations: bundles, multipacks, sizes, assortment changes.Evaluate products based on sales, margin, inventory turns, and contributionIdentify assortment gaps and new product opportunities w/Sales and Marketing.Support pricing & promos with accurate cost, margin, inventory, and supply dataManage product lifecycle recommendations, including when to expand, reposition, reduce, or discontinue SKUsPlan inventory for new product launchesCommunicate supply constraints and cost changes that could impact sales, pricing, promotions, or customersHelp prioritize products with strong inventory, margins, and reliable supplyIdentify opportunities to improve product mix, AOV, gross margin, and inventory productivitySystems & Analytical SkillsStrong Microsoft Excel skills, including PivotTables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, SUMIFS, conditional formatting, and large datasets.Build and maintain inventory, purchasing, forecasting, and supplier reportsStrong SKU-level analysis skills for identifying sales trends, stockout risks, overstock, and purchasing needsExperience with ERP, inventory management, purchasing, and/or WMS systemsStrong understanding of reorder points, safety stock, lead times, days of supply, inventory turns, forecasting, and SKU velocityEvaluate and improve forecasts & purchasing recommendation systemsMaintain accurate item, supplier, cost, lead-time, and purchasing data.Reconcile data across systems: inventory/warehouse, sales, purchasing & financeExperience with ERP/WMS integrations, e-commerce, or BI/AI reporting toolsExperience & Qualifications5+ years of experience in purchasing, procurement, inventory management, supply chain, category management, or a related field.2+ years directly responsible for purchasing and inventory planning in a product-based business.Experience managing a large, multi-SKU portfolio and multiple suppliers.Experience making purchasing decisions based on sales, forecasts, inventory, lead times, and demandProven supplier negotiation and relationship-management experience.Experience with domestic and international supply chains and inbound freightExperience in e-commerce, wholesale, retail, or multi-channel distributionStrong hands-on experience with Excel and inventory/ERP systemsTrack record of improving availability, inventory levels, purchasing and freight costsExperience partnering with Sales and Marketing on forecasting, promotions, launches, and assortment planning.Pet products, consumer products, food/treats, importing, or high-volume distribution experiencePrivate label, contract manufacturing, or international sourcing experience. xhyhwjd Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, Finance, or a related field preferred; equivalent hands-on experience will be considered