How to hire a category manager

How to hire a category manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step category manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a category manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new category manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a category manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a category manager, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A category manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, category managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of category manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Category Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Category Manager	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$35-66
   Business Development Manager	A business development manager's duties include identifying business opportunities, developing effective models and strategies to improve business performance, searching for potential clients to generate income and attract partnerships. A business development manager must have extensive knowledge of the market trends and adjust strategies as needed to meet the needs of the client... Show more	$32-72
   Manager, Strategy	A strategy manager is a professional who reviews a company's objectives for growth and works with executives to formulate actionable plans to achieve these objectives. To make comprehensive recommendations, strategy managers must conduct data analysis of the organization as well as the overall industry... Show more	$37-73

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Strategic Sourcing
   • Category Strategy
   • Supplier Performance
   • Supplier Relationships
   • Customer Service
   • Cost Savings
   • Data Analysis
   • Nielsen
   • Market Trends
   • Category Management
   • IRI
   • Macro
   • Cost Reduction
   • Business Reviews

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead team to manage predominantly seasonal fashion apparel by reacting to trends with appropriate buys and proactive exit strategies.
   • Manage and create purchase plans and OTB's.
   • Design and manage all BTL plans for the brands.
   • Manage multiple sources of data to mine for business voids and opportunities at both macro and micro levels.
   • Deliver profit and sales forecasts, manage merchandising budget, and used IRI data to produce optimal product mix.
   • Lead a high performance jewelry merchandising team in a digital commerce environment through television, e-commerce, and social media.

   More category manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your category manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A category manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, category managers' average salary in hawaii is 46% less than in nevada.
   • Seniority. Entry-level category managers earn 46% less than senior-level category managers.
   • Certifications. A category manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a category manager's salary.

   Average category manager salary

   $102,035yearly

   $49.06 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level category manager salary

   $74,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 23, 2025

   Average category manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$128,152	$62
   2	Rhode Island	$118,613	$57
   3	Washington	$114,522	$55
   4	Oregon	$106,971	$51
   5	New York	$105,797	$51
   6	Massachusetts	$104,884	$50
   7	Maryland	$100,407	$48
   8	Pennsylvania	$93,925	$45
   9	Virginia	$93,635	$45
   10	Ohio	$93,460	$45
   11	District of Columbia	$93,308	$45
   12	Arizona	$93,287	$45
   13	Texas	$92,709	$45
   14	Wisconsin	$92,348	$44
   15	Indiana	$91,633	$44
   16	Illinois	$91,367	$44
   17	North Carolina	$91,312	$44
   18	Minnesota	$89,099	$43
   19	Georgia	$88,997	$43
   20	Kentucky	$86,980	$42

   Average category manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	McKinsey & Company Inc	$141,781	$68.16	9
   2	DoorDash	$138,133	$66.41	101
   3	BP America Inc	$135,055	$64.93
   4	Chewy	$129,091	$62.06	13
   5	CrowdStrike	$128,201	$61.64	28
   6	Amazon	$127,485	$61.29	928
   7	Microsoft	$126,641	$60.89	223
   8	The Walt Disney Company	$126,467	$60.80	96
   9	Chevron	$125,786	$60.47
   10	FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies	$124,763	$59.98	3
   11	Novartis	$124,041	$59.64	1
   12	AbbVie	$122,770	$59.02	135
   13	American Tower	$122,324	$58.81	3
   14	Adobe	$120,466	$57.92	80
   15	NetApp	$120,462	$57.91	27
   16	Michaels Stores	$119,536	$57.47	7
   17	Gap Inc.	$119,436	$57.42
   18	CDW	$118,901	$57.16	25
   19	Koch Industries	$118,408	$56.93
   20	Citrix	$117,921	$56.69	2

4. Writing a category manager job description

   A good category manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a category manager job description:

   Category manager job description example

   You will like working for us as we have amazing people and a highly collaborative culture. Global success hasn't changed our tight-knit feel - we've simply grown into a larger, more diverse family. We have thousands of jobs around the globe and encourage all of our associates to chase their dreams without having to find them in another company - it truly is a special place.
   
   While reporting to the Director - Global Category Management Indirect Services, you will lead corporate supply management efforts for their assigned spend pools in the Indirect Services area. You will be responsible to ensure the business units have goods and services to operate at the most competitive cost driving the optimal value. In this role you will directly affect Sonoco's cost structure and will have a direct impact on profit and loss (P&L). You will lead the development of cost reduction, process improvement, and productivity projects. You will align with the corporate business unit and identify, develop, and execute category strategies across their assigned area to ensure customers are supported at best value for Sonoco.
   
   Create a clear vision and develop long term strategic plans for the specific category spend area to support overarching category plans Serve as liaison point for aligned business area (e.g., Human Resources, Travel, Finance, Flexibles, Plastics, Reels etc.) Ensure that the category strategies are highly aligned to current and future business needs (and overall category strategy) and that the supply base is aligned with and capable of supporting these strategies.Drive communication/reporting of strategy to keep internal clients informed of progress and benefits Identify and initiate focused projects (sourcing, demand management, etc) and manage pipeline of projects within selected categories to ensure results meet targets Engage strategic sourcing team and tactical sourcing team to drive execution of projects in support of category strategies Lead supplier relationship management for strategic suppliers within the responsible indirect services category Define KPIs and Targets and manage scorecards Become subject matter expert in this functional area and provide commodity knowledge to internal clients on spend data, supply base, industry trends, benchmarking, and best practices
   This position is located in Hartsville, South Carolina at our Global Corporate Headquarters.
   Bachelor of Science in Finance, Business, Operations or Supply Management; MBA preferred5-7+ or more years of experience in Supply Management Leadership.Experience managing spend of $100MM to $200MM
   
   www.sonoco.com/careers!This is a progression position and could be a level I, II or III. Compensation and progression level will be based on candidate's experience and education, and current business needs.
   
   We offer a comprehensive benefits package that makes it easier to manage your health and provide financial security for you and your family. In addition, we offer competitive wages and retirement plans.
   Apply today and help us grow stronger.
   For more information, visit
   
   We are an equal opportunity employer, and we strictly prohibit and do not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants or any other covered persons because of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any legally protected characteristic.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find category managers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any category managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level category managers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   To find category manager candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting category managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new category manager

   Once you've selected the best category manager candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new category manager. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a category manager?