Category Manager

                                                       REMOTE • CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES

                                                    Purchasing • Natural Products • Retail Consulting 

Do you thrive at the intersection of product, pricing and promotions? Do you want to help empower community-focused grocery coops? We’re looking for two Category Managers who are passionate and will help strengthen our vendor partnerships while building and executing annual promotions. 

Come join National Co+op Grocers’ (NCG) collective movement towards a just, resilient and regenerative food system that is accessible for all! We are a business services cooperative that helps community-owned grocery stores thrive—strengthening local economies, promoting sustainable food systems, and empowering consumers. We are revolutionizing the grocery industry to make it work better for people and the planet!

This position will dive into consumer and SKU level data to shape category roles, shelf strategy and pricing, margins and vendor contributions and help guide decisions. This is an ideal position for those with strong analytical skills in retail/grocery category management and experience negotiating with vendors and brokers. 

Primary Responsibilities:

• Analyze data on consumer behavior and the performance of categories, sub-categories, product segments, and SKUs to identify trends, determine category role and position, and inform decisions regarding strategies and tactical plans for promotions, shelf placement, product assortment, and pricing within assigned categories.
• Develop optimal product assortment for presentation to member co-ops through NCG’s Core Sets program, including core national and regional assortment, items to be delisted and authorized, new item launch strategy and plans, suggested retail pricing, and planograms with category and item adjacencies, and category, brand, and segment space allocation.
• Develop annual promotional plans and strategies for all assigned categories and negotiate with vendor partners regularly to review business and evaluate, develop, and revise assortment, promotional and EDLP strategies and plans appropriate for NCG’s programs and member co-ops.
• Ensure proper contribution from vendors and secure all vendor support within assigned categories including but not limited to ad/insertion fees, program participation fees, free product, demo support, marketing support fees, discounts/pricing supports, coupon offers, and support for cause promotions.·
• Build and maintain relationships based on collaboration and trust with vendors and broker partners that increase overall support and investment over time and present our member co-ops with opportunities to differentiate themselves.
• Analyze post-promotional data to evaluate promotional strategies, determine optimal promotional vehicles, frequency, deal-depth, price points, seasonality/timing of promotion, and strategy.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 1 year experience with the category management process and demonstrated success developing and implementing category, promotional, pricing, and shelf-placement strategies required.
• Experience in developing relationships with sales representatives and brokers for brands or working as a brand or broker representative.
• Ability to design consumer-centric shelf plans and effective, visually attractive promotional displays.
• Strong understanding of both high/low and “Every Day Low Prices” (ELDP) pricing strategy.
• Familiarity with the cooperative business model and natural foods cooperatives.
• Familiarity with the health and wellness lifestyle, natural products industry, and buying behavior of health and wellness consumers.
• Up to 15% of business travel required, including overnights and weekends.

Compensation & Benefits

NCG offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package, as an example:

• 4 weeks Paid Time Off
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) with company contributions
• Company-paid life and disability insurance
• Company paid identity theft protection
• Matching 401(k) plan

The salary for this position is $127,910.

Workstation Options

• Home Office (Contiguous U.S.): Eligible if within 100 miles of a major airport and has sufficient internet bandwidth and mobile phone service.
• St. Paul, MN Office: Workstations available at 2610 University Ave W, with free parking and access to the Green Line Light Rail (Westgate Station)

Accessibility

NCG is committed to providing equal access to all interested candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact (866) 709-2667 ext. 2817 or email careers@ncg.coop for assistance. 

Our goal is to attract and retain qualified talent and encourage applications from all individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any characteristic protected by applicable law. 

No recruiters or agencies please.