Category Manager - Bakery

Bashas'•Chandler, AZ

23h

About The Position

Are you a strategic thinker with a passion for building winning product assortments, driving sales performance, and shaping a best‑in‑class customer experience? As a Category Manager, you’ll own the vision, performance, and innovation strategy for your assigned categories — ensuring the right products, at the right cost, reach our customers every day. In this role, you’ll lead category planning, cost negotiations, promotional strategy, supplier relationships, and product innovation. You’ll work cross‑functionally with merchandising, procurement, store operations, and global sourcing partners to drive margin growth, market share gains, and customer satisfaction. If you're analytical, growth‑minded, and energized by balancing both strategy and execution, we’d love to meet you.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field.
5+ years of retail grocery category management experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Strong understanding of buying, merchandising, and retail operations.
Knowledge of the grocery retail industry and its impact on category strategy.
Experience with forecasting and demand planning methodologies.
Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office and sales/merchandising systems.
Strong financial acumen, analytical capability, and negotiation expertise.
Ability to create category strategies and set functional direction.
Understanding of manufacturing processes affecting cost and quality.
Knowledge of international sourcing, distribution, and planning processes.
Strong influencing skills and the ability to navigate complex issues with senior leaders.
Ability to respond effectively to new priorities, challenges, and obstacles.
Demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to motivate and inspire teams.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute annual category plans to support sales, profit, and margin goals.
Build and optimize product assortment strategies, including the integration of global brands across store clusters.
Apply pricing strategies, cost drivers, and elasticity insights to deliver strong category performance.
Evaluate category results and lead continuous improvement efforts to reduce costs in goods, supplies, and equipment.
Conduct deep analysis of category performance to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities; implement adjustments that increase sales and profitability.
Monitor and scorecard supplier performance based on price, quality, assortment, and service.
Assess competitive retailers and market trends to identify threats and opportunities.
Develop and execute promotional plans that elevate category performance and support brand differentiation.
Monitor promotion effectiveness and refine plans to maximize ROI.
Participate in store layout and design conversations for new and remodeled locations, offering category expertise.
Conduct seasonal buying trips and contribute to product R&D to advance innovation and transformation within assigned categories.
Partner with international agents to identify global sourcing and pricing opportunities.
Build strategies for seasonal and one‑time buys, including sell‑through and markdown planning.
Guide marketing and merchandising teams to ensure successful new‑product launches and best-in-class category offerings.
Build and maintain collaborative supplier relationships that drive better costs, greater value, and stronger product offerings.
Leverage cost‑of‑goods insights and negotiation expertise to secure the best procurement costs.
Partner with Procurement Analysts to ensure consistent product availability and service levels.
Achieve promotional funding goals and secure additional funds to support margin and loyalty initiatives.
Support contract negotiations to align supplier agreements with budget expectations and business objectives.
Provide leadership that reflects our company values and inspires high performance within the merchandising team.
Interview, select, evaluate, and recognize team members based on business needs and performance contributions.
Collaborate with cross‑functional leaders on category initiatives and business priorities.