Sr. Manager, Assortment Capabilities

Amazon • Austin, TX

2d

About The Position

The Sr. Manager of Assortment Capabilities leads the development and execution
of a multi-year strategy for advancing Whole Foods Market's (WFM) assortment
planning capabilities and drives adoption across end users to deliver
exceptional customer experiences. This leader establishes strategic business
direction for capability development that enables continuous improvement in
assortment relevancy and accuracy.

This role requires balancing near-term execution with long-term strategic
planning across a high-profile set of diverse stakeholders, including
Merchandising Teams, Merchandising Learning and Change, Merchandising
Presentation, Product Management, and Technology. The successful candidate will
take a total-store approach that facilitates solutions across all categories
within WFM's assortment.

The ideal candidate demonstrates a growth mindset with relentless focus on
delivering results in a complex, dynamic landscape, in-depth knowledge of retail
merchandising and supply chain planning, and resilient leadership committed to
long-term goals.

Requirements

• Lead with store-level, customer-centric mindset to support operational excellence
• Demonstrate exceptional team development practices through performance management and succession planning
• Exemplify change management and agility skills to support new process and team adoption
• Engage with leaders to design, maintain and champion organizational mission, vision and strategy
• Develop deep, credible relationships with senior-level executives, both inside and outside current areas of responsibility
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders to define, clarify and resolve issues related to supply management and performance expectations
• Identify gaps in strategic understanding, formulate resolution recommendations and deliver clear, compelling communication
• Demonstrate nuanced understanding of WFM business, food retail industry and business models of key strategic partners and competitors
• Assess how key functions, processes and operating models impact the business; deliver optimization recommendations
• Connect the dots across markets, customers, partners and programs to identify interdependencies and long-term growth opportunities
• Bachelor's degree, or 8+ years of equivalent experience
• Experience working with data and leveraging analytics to make decisions
• Experience owning program strategy, end-to-end delivery, and communicating results to senior leadership
• 8-10 years of relevant experience in product or program management, product marketing, business development, or technology
• 4-6 years of leadership experience managing operational processes, people management, and influencing across organizations
• Proven, deep expertise in retail merchandising and supply chain planning

Nice To Haves

• Experience leading teams and driving results through team members
• Experience recruiting and developing high performing teams that deliver outsized results
• Experience in verbal and written communication for executive level leaders
• Experience recruiting top talent and building high performing teams
• Bachelor’s degree, Master’s or MBA preferred
• Demonstrated ability as a strategic visionary, crafting and executing plans that drive organizational success
• Proven creative problem-solving ability, thinking innovatively to find effective solutions to complex challenges
• Ability to leverage resources effectively to overcome obstacles and achieve successful outcomes
• Nuanced understanding of grocery retail industry and business models of key strategic partners and competitors
• Proven ability to work under pressure, prioritize work, and balance a portfolio of programs
• Passion for sustainability, win-win supplier relationships and world-class retail
• Ability to travel up to 25%
• Ability to shift comfortably between big picture strategic thinking and tactical execution

Responsibilities

• Lead development of multi-year capability roadmap strategy while raising the bar on performance and measurement
• Manage implementation and optimization of software solutions for assortment planning
• Recruit and lead a team of highly proficient domain experts
• Own Operational Planning business cases and financial outcomes
• Deliver measurable KPI improvements for assortment planning across multiple time horizons
• Oversee development and implementation of assortment lifecycle strategies
• Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with third-party vendors and internal tech teams
• Create high-quality data integrity mechanisms and measurement for data inputs and outputs
• Establish business review practices for key stakeholders to track performance KPIs
• Model and reinforce Whole Foods Market values and culture, setting a strong example across the organization
• Influence broad organizational strategic direction and planning
• Plan, estimate, staff, organize and monitor significant task and project activity
• Oversee and advise direct leadership team on project-related issues and assist with overcoming barriers

Benefits

• health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage)
• 401(k) matching
• paid time off
• parental leave

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level