Category Manager

Job Description

The Category Manager is responsible for developing and executing the strategy for assigned product categories to drive sales, profitability, inventory productivity, market share, and customer value.

This position manages category financial performance, product assortment, pricing, promotions, vendor relationships, and inventory decisions while using customer, competitive, market, and business insights to identify opportunities and mitigate risk.

The Category Manager works cross-functionally with inventory management, supply chain, marketing, digital, store operations, finance, and other business partners to ensure category plans are effectively developed and executed across channels.

This role may also provide management, coaching, and development to direct report(s) supporting the assigned categories.

Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Assortment Management
• Develop and execute short-term and long-term category strategies that align with company objectives, customer needs, brand direction, and merchandising priorities.
• Create and maintain category assortments that optimize customer choice, sales performance, profitability, inventory productivity, and market share.
• Evaluate customer insights, industry developments, product trends, and competitive activity to identify assortment gaps, growth opportunities, and strategic initiatives.
• Develop category pricing, promotional, and product placement strategies that support financial objectives and enhance the customer experience.
• Lead category line reviews and assortment planning activities to ensure alignment with business objectives and customer demand.
• Identify and execute category expansion, localization, digital merchandising, product innovation, and other growth opportunities.

Financial Management & Business Performance
• Own the financial performance of assigned categories, including sales, gross margin, profitability, inventory productivity, inventory turns, and budget attainment.
• Develop annual and seasonal sales, margin, inventory, and assortment plans in partnership with inventory management and finance teams.
• Monitor category performance and adjust assortment, pricing, promotional, and inventory strategies to maximize results and mitigate risk.
• Analyze category performance using sales, profit, inventory, customer, vendor, and market data to identify trends and support strategic decision-making.
• Present business reviews, category performance updates, forecasts, and strategic recommendations to leadership.

Vendor Relationship Management
• Develop and maintain strategic vendor relationships that support category growth, innovation, profitability, operational performance, and long-term business objectives.
• Lead negotiations related to product costs, pricing, contract terms, service expectations, vendor funding, product quality, and performance metrics.
• Evaluate vendor performance and implement actions to improve service,...