Job Description:
The
Category Manager, Fresh Foods is responsible for leading the strategy, development, and execution of fresh food products, programs, and initiatives that drive sales, margin growth, and overall category performance. This role requires hands-on experience in fresh food product development, strong financial ownership, and deep understanding of food safety and regulatory requirements. Up to 25% travel may be required.
What You'll Do:Category Leadership & Team Development- Lead, mentor, and develop the fresh foods category team, ensuring they have the tools, knowledge, and support needed to drive category growth.
- Prioritize and manage daily team activities, ensuring alignment with business goals.
Fresh Food Product Development- Lead hands-on development of fresh food items, including formulation, testing, packaging, quality evaluation, and commercialization.
- Partner with FSQA to ensure all products meet food safety standards, regulatory requirements, and operational feasibility.
- Support and manage recall processes, quality concerns, and compliance-related initiatives.
Category Strategy, Pricing & Financial Ownership- Own the category P&L, including pricing strategy, margin management, cost-of-goods structure, and promotional planning.
- Build and manage product assortments that align with consumer trends, operational capabilities, and financial targets.
- Analyze internal and external data to identify trends, refine strategies, and drive continuous improvement.
Vendor & Supplier Management- Lead vendor negotiations, contract development, and supplier performance management.
- Resolve pricing discrepancies, manage rebates, and troubleshoot supplier issues.
- Build strong relationships with suppliers to drive innovation, cost optimization, and product quality.
Cross-Functional Collaboration- Partner with Operations, Marketing, Accounting, Business Analysis, FSQA, and other internal teams to execute category initiatives.
- Represent the category in cross-functional meetings and lead ad-hoc projects as needed.
Compliance & Industry Awareness- Stay current on legislation, regulatory changes, and food safety requirements that impact fresh food products.
- Develop cost-reduction strategies and savings plans in partnership with leadership.
What We're Looking For- Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
- 2-5 years of direct experience in fresh foods category management, including hands-on product development and assortment strategy.
- Demonstrated ownership of category-level P&L, including pricing, margin strategy, and cost-of-goods management.
- Working knowledge of FSQA standards, food safety regulations, and recall processes within a fresh food environment.
- Experience negotiating vendor contracts and managing supplier relationships in fresh or perishable goods.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex financial and operational data.
- Experience managing and developing others preferred.
- Proficiency in MS Office Suite; intermediate to advanced Excel skills preferred.
Responsibilities:
- Serves as a leader by managing, developing, and mentoring the current category team. Focuses on sharing knowledge and providing the tools necessary to increase growth within the category. Manages and prioritizes the team's daily tasks.
- Manages all category expenditures and targets; manages variances and communicates developments in performance and trends to management. Creates action plans for improvement or continuation of positive performance and results.
- Monitors the industry and competitive landscape. Analyzes internal data such as sales, sourcing, and pricing. Identifies patterns and market trends to help refine product strategies.
- Collaborates cross-functionally by developing and maintaining key business relationships with Category Management, RaceTrac Operations, Marketing, Accounting, Business Analysis, and outside vendors or suppliers in order to effectively manage existing, and implement new products, programs, and category initiatives.
- Manages key vendor relationships including, but not limited to, responding to vendor requests, contract negotiations, pricing discrepancies, rebate processing, and troubleshooting any issues that arise.
- Manages and is accountable for the financial performance of the category. Analyzes trends and re-evaluate pricing strategy or cost of goods structure as necessary.
- Represents the category in various cross-functional meetings and manages various ad-hoc special projects for the category as necessary.
- Stays up to date with all legislation, regulation changes, and requirements that may affect a product or service in our geographies.
- Works with leadership to create cost reduction strategies and savings plans.
Qualifications:
