Category Merchant Ii - Austin, United States - Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market

Verified Company

Austin, United States

3 weeks ago

Posted by:

Mark Lane

beBee recruiter

Description

Job Description :
Join us at Whole Foods Market as our Exclusive Brands Sourcing Leader for Candy and Beverages.

In this role, you'll be the architect behind our category's success, shaping strategies and product assortments that resonate deeply with our beloved customers.

Your mission is clear:

drive financial performance for 365 Branded Candy & Beverages products while staying true to our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.

With a keen focus on data and customer insights, you'll craft assortments that not only meet but exceed expectations.

Collaboration is key, as you'll work hand-in-hand with various teams'"from Merchandising Planning to Marketing'"to ensure seamless execution of our sourcing strategies.

Additional Information:
'¢ This role will observe the 3-day hybrid office model and be based in Austin, TX.

Responsibilities:

Accountable for the financial performance of assigned high volume, complex, and/or financially significant categories.
The category merchant will be overseeing the following products and will be expected to tastetest products: _Candy & beverages _
Works with Merchandising leadership to help drive change and support WFM evolution to Category Management
Works with leadership to help develop category strategy based on financial expectations, category role, category performance, customer and product trends, competitive landscape and WFM differentiators.
Develops and executes category promotional planning including planning and executing key promotional events and reacting inseason bases on sales performance and the competitive landscape.
Works with leadership to set category price strategy and develop pricing tactics to achieve financial and customer objectives.
Conducts ongoing analysis of category performance, trends, and competitive assortment and pricing.
Develops strategic relationships with key suppliers to ensure early insight into new trends and products; early and exclusive access to new items; differentiated product; merchandising and promotions and competitive costs.
Partners across teams to integrate branded / exclusive programs into overall category strategies as well as with Marketing on marketing and promotional events.
Engages with Exclusive Brands to integrate branded / exclusive programs into overall category strategies.
Works with business partners to identify gaps in analytical processes and reporting; problemsolves with various other teams to fill gaps.
Leads and ensures an integrated approach with business partners in vendor negotiations and cost increase justifications.
Serves as thoughtleader in pricing and category analysis.
Leverages strategic supplier / vendor relationships to ensure early insight into new trends and products; early and exclusive access to new items; differentiated product; merchandising and promotions and competitive costs.
Leverages experience to contribute to master category strategy development and key initiatives.
Leads creation of customercentric category owned brand vision.
Ensures vision integration and alignment with higherlevel objectives and encompasses a breadth of forwardlooking insight.
Supports leadership efforts to identify, assess, and hire new TMs.
Helps with TM onboarding, training, and development.
Remains calm and composed in the face of ambiguity.
Provides project leadership on various merchandising initiatives.

Skills:

Proven ability to take complex business analyses and projects from concept to completion and make results accessible and relevant to business users at all levels.
Ability to staff, structure, plan and lead projects.
Exceptional change management skills.
Applies experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals with a wide degree of creativity.
Able to facilitate and/or lead the work of others.
Expert in the implementation and use of various retail software solutions.
CM: Demonstrates expertise in the discipline of Category Management.
EB: Demonstrates expertise in new product lifecycle development
Leverages skill set and exemplary judgment to make independent business decisions and deliver results.
Leverages proficiency to serve as a resource across the team '" for pulling financial reports, analyzing business trends and assessing underlying drivers of results.
Attuned to category business performance; understands impact on master category, resolves underlying issues and delivers financial results.
Expertly navigates through ambiguity given a blend of experience, input and intuition.
Effectively presents to a wide range of audiences (direct reports, TMs, peers leadership, suppliers), tailoring communication to audience needs.
Serves as voice of WFM with suppliers and other external audiences.