Sr. Category Manager - In-Store Bakery

Position Summary:

This role is responsible for driving sales, margin, and guest satisfaction across assigned foodservice categories through a customer-led, data-driven strategy. This role owns category strategy, assortment, pricing, promotions, supplier partnerships, and in-store execution in close partnership with U.S. Business Units and cross-functional teams. The Director manages category P&L performance, ensures food safety and quality standards, and accelerates innovation and continuous improvement by building scalable tools, processes, and reporting that enable consistent execution across U.S. markets. As a people and process leader with direct reports, the Director develops talent, sets clear expectations, and drives efficient, standardized ways of working that create value for the company. Also, any additional duties as assigned.

Key Responsibilities:

People & Process Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop direct reports; build a high-performing team through clear goals, feedback, and accountability
• Act as a process leader by identifying opportunities, standardizing ways of working, and improving tools and routines to create value and efficiency

Category Strategy & Performance Leadership

• Own assigned foodservice categories and deliver sales, traffic, margin, and customer satisfaction targets
• Serve as the trusted source and subject matter expert for assigned categories
• Lead category P&L performance management, dashboards, and forecasts
• Translate customer, market, and competitive insights into actionable category strategies

Assortment, Pricing & Promotion

• Lead assortment architecture, pricing strategy, and promotional planning
• Partner cross-functionally to ensure store-ready, executable programs

Supplier & Cross‑Functional Partnership

• Build and manage strategic supplier relationships including negotiations and joint business plans
• Align with Global Procurement while protecting quality and service levels

Execution, Training & Continuous Improvement

• Deploy simple, scalable execution standards and tools
• Conduct store visits to validate execution and identify opportunities

Food Safety & Compliance

• Ensure food safety, QA, and regulatory compliance across all categories

Qualifications:

• 7+ years of progressive experience in foodservice, category management, merchandising, or operations
• Strong analytical and financial acumen with P&L ownership
• Experience and/or professional training in vendor negotiations
• Proven cross-functional leadership and communication skills
• Experience in fresh or prepared foods
• Advanced Excel, PowerPoint, and reporting tools