Associate category manager job description

At Delaware North, we care about our associates. We are committed to invest in our people's personal and professional journeys, without you, there is no us. These are just some of the benefits we offer: health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) with company match, performance bonuses, paid vacation days and holidays, and generous friends-and-family discounts at many of our hotels and resorts. Click here to learn more.

Responsibilities

• Work with category stakeholders and strategic sourcing team to develop new preferred programs that leverage spend, consolidate suppliers, and rationalize SKUs, with the goal of delivering savings and increased value to Delaware North.
• Negotiate terms and conditions that are consistent with company goals, standards, and ethics, while delivering the best overall value to the operating locations.
• Liaise between internal stakeholders and suppliers to ensure compliance with policies, procedures, and contract terms.
• Adhere to ethical procurement practices, including compliance with corporate and departmental policies and procedures as well as federal, state, and local regulations.
• Develop, evaluate, and prioritize ideas on new ways to grow the business through partnerships and cooperative deals that drive revenue and improve operational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Provide detailed analysis of category performance including growth objectives, savings opportunities, and trends.
• Maintain regular reports to track performance and identify the impact of variables on category performance against established metrics.

Qualifications

• Three years of applicable professional experience.
• Knowledge and experience in IT categories (HW, SW, IT Service).
• Knowledge and experience in working with IT agreements.
• Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, inventory analysis skills, and ability to communicate and interact effectively with managers, vendors and others.
• Ability to solve problems quickly, multi-task in a fast-paced environment, manage time and meet deadlines, and work independently as well as part of a team.
• Experienced in Microsoft Office Suite with emphasis on Excel.
• Bachelors degree preferred.

Who We Are

At Delaware North, you'll love where you work, who you work with, and how your day unfolds. Whether it's in sporting venues, casinos, airports, national parks, iconic hotels, or premier restaurants, there's no telling where your career can ultimately take you. We empower you to do great work in a company with 100 years of success, stability and growth. If you have drive and enjoy the thrill of making things happen - share our vision and grow with us.

Delaware North Companies, Incorporated and its subsidiaries consider applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status. Delaware North is an equal opportunity employer.

As Field Associate Manager of Category Leadership, you will lead category growth platform development for our Natural Channel, with Whole Foods being the largest strategic customer, and provide overflow support for the Dollar Channel as needs surface. Lead monthly Channels Category Leadership reporting. You will report to a Director of Category Leadership.
You Will:

Deliver category analysis and business impacts to our sales team, identifying the opportunity to enhance customer/category goals and those of the company Customize existing corporate category programs and plans to guide company and category sales at the customer Deliver category insights to develop collaborative business solutions Exceed established shelving and merchandising goals Deliver category insights to account in our priority categories, striving to, or confirming the position of lead vendor within the category review process Work with internal partners and retailer contacts to develop and help implement category growth plans Educate sales team on new item programs and category rationale for development; develop proposals for distribution and shelving changes to the account Ensure category programs and plans are delivered Lead monthly reporting for Channels team (includes Natural, Dollar, Drug, Club, and Convenience)

You Bring:

Bachelor's Degree required1+ years of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) related experience in sales or analytical roles Data integration and interpretation experience Experience building a holistic sales story from multiple sources of data. (syndicated, loyalty, consumer and industry trends) Understand the fundamentals of syndicated panel data Experience working directly with customers in growing category sales Advanced Excel skills (spreadsheet development, v lookup, pivot tables), Nielsen/IRI, space management tools Customer loyalty card knowledge helpful Working knowledge of retail merchandising and in store execution tactics

Our Modern Workplace:

Conagra's culture of collaboration enhances our ability to meet critical business goals, deliver value to customers and consumers and provide you with the flexibility you need to achieve a better work-life balance. We carefully consider each role and how often each team member needs to collaborate in-person. This position requires you work from our Chicago headquarters office up to 4 days a week.

Located in downtown Chicago along the Chicago River, our corporate headquarters is in the landmark Merchandise Mart building, aka "The Mart", with access to public transit, and several options for dining and shopping in the area.

#LI-PM1

#LI-Hybrid

#LI-MSL

Our Benefits:

We care about your total well-being and will support you with the following, subject to your location and role:
Health: Medical, dental and vision insurance, company-paid life, accident and disability insurance Wealth: great pay, incentive opportunity, matching 401(k) and stock purchase plan Growth: online courses, virtual and classroom development experiences Balance: paid-time off, parental leave, flexible work-schedules (subject to your location and role)

Our Company:

Conagra Brands is one of North America's leading branded food companies. We have a rich heritage of making great food, and a team that's passionate about innovation and growth. Conagra offers choices for every occasion through iconic brands, such as Birds Eye , Marie Callender's , Banquet , Healthy Choice , Slim Jim , Reddi-wip , and Vlasic , and emerging brands, including Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP , Duke's , Earth Balance , Gardein , and Frontera .
We pride ourselves on having the most impactful, energized and inclusive culture in the food industry. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.

Conagra Brands is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, pregnancy, leave status, disability, veteran status, genetic information and/or any other characteristic or status protected by national, federal, state or local law.

The Fresh Market & You:

Our mission is to make everyday eating extraordinary for our guests. We create a warm, welcoming, memorable experience with exceptional, personal service. We're looking for a new team member who strives for excellence and brings positive energy, commitment, and a "can-do" attitude to work every day. We value teamwork and celebrate our successes as a team and will value your contribution!

Added Benefits for choosing The Fresh Market Team:

* Team member discount up to 40%
* Health, Dental & Vision insurance available for individual, spouse, partner, and family.
* And much more!
* 401K contribution and match for part-time and full-time team members.
* Personal time off and additional time off purchase plans available

About the Position:

The Fresh Market is seeking an Assoicate Category Manager, Own Brands to join our Merchandising Team in Greensboro, NC at our Store Support Center (099). Private Label is a differentiator for The Fresh Market and we're looking for a Associate Category Manager to join our team. We are a high energy group with a passion for food, delivering results, and a collaborative mindset. We have audacious goals and are well on our way to achieving them. The Own Brands Associate Category Manager works in support of the Directors and Category Managers across departments in a collaborative effort to grow The Fresh Market private label portfolio. We provide exceptional, delicious offerings that meet and/or exceed the standards required for a product to carry our name.

What You'll Do:

The ACM of Own Brand manages multiple product development projects simultaneously. Each project will have differing timelines based on each particular product's 'to shelf' or launch date/ Department reset. Activities in any given project can include:

* Product Development Opportunity - identify new product opportunities for development by keeping abreast of trends in the branded sectors and through category reviews, line extensions, SPINS data, and competition checks.
* Product testing - test products before a sensory panel and stake holders to determine viability for development
* Vendor Vetting - review vendor credentials to determine if all certifications are current and in compliance with TFM standards
* Bid Process / Bid Review / Cost Negotiations - request bids from vendors and present analysis to stakeholders
* Business case analysis - provide stakeholders with profit and loss information based on how the new product may affect the business (i.e. category level, item level, retail comps, etc.)
* Finalizing contractual agreements with vendors
* Creative Brief and ideation for label design/development
* Artwork proofing & finalization with vendor & graphic design
* Oversight of product into distribution centers - communicate lead time, minimum order acceptable, proper palletization
* Product Launch - work with marketing teams to provide information such as product availability, attributes, images, promotional pricing, and placement in marketing materials

The development process is lengthy and requires cross collaborations between numerous departments within The Fresh Market in addition to communications with outside vendors and organizations such as design and production firms, vendor's legal, QA, marketing teams and printers, as well as supply chain and logistics.

Qualifications:

At a minimum, what you'll need:

* Bachelor's Degree
* Experience in a retail environment or CPG
* Private Label development experience or strong project management skills
* Works well in fast paced, challenging and changing environment
* Deadline and results driven
* Strong critical and analytical thinking
* Strong business acumen related to profit and loss
* Passion for food
* General FDA, NLEA, and food based certification knowledge
* Positive, can-do attitude
* Strong Excel skills
* Ability to multitask
* Ability to collaborate with numerous people on various projects simultaneously
* Deadline and results driven

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS: Consistent with applicable laws, TFM will make reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and team members, unless doing so would result in an undue hardship to TFM. This guiding principle applies to all aspects of employment, including hiring and job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.

At The Fresh Market, we have a COVID-19 vaccination policy that requires all Store Support Center Team Members to be fully vaccinated absent an approved religious or medical accommodation by the company.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer:

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy and related medical conditions, national origin, genetic information, uniformed service, veteran status, disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal or state law.

The statements in this job description are provided to describe the general nature and level of work expected in this role. While these statements include the essential functions of the job, they are not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required. As we work as a team, there may be times team members are needed to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities based on business needs.