Job Description:

The Director of Deli and Prepared Foods is responsible for maximizing sales and profits for all product categories by targeting customers and competitive positioning. The Director plans and directs merchandising and procurement programs and provides strategic vision and goals for the assigned categories. The Director should have a strong knowledge of market and trends to make strategic promotional planning decisions. The Director is responsible for establishing and achieving department sales and gross profits by establishing and monitoring category performance against budgeted goals. The Director is a strategic business partner that ensures effective communication between Operations, Merchandising and cross-functional support teams.

The Director is responsible for the functions below, in addition to other duties as assigned:

• Provide strategic vision and goals for the Deli and Prepared Foods categories.
• Plans and directs merchandising and procurement programs.
• Plan and developments for merchandising assortments, buying programs and in-store presentations which drive department sales, profits and product turnover.
• Direct and control category buying and pricing activities.
• Direct category selection, promotional activities and advertising plans.
• Complete financial forecast reporting within assigned categories. ‘
• Establish departmental budget with consistent monitoring of the department’s P&L performance to achieve the department’s financial goals.
• Create, enhance and standardize processes and best practices for production, display, ordering, waste reduction and freshness management.
• Champion new ideas, identify market trends and implement initiatives that create the best-in-class departments and position Weis Markets as the leader within the retail grocery industry.
• Partner with Merchandising, Operations, Supply Chain and Store Leadership teams to ensure effective execution of category plans.
• Drive food safety and compliance, including sanitation, date coding, temperature controls, regulatory adherence and risk prevention.
• Develop prepared food programs that align with customer trends, convenience needs, seasonal opportunities and competitive positioning.
• Support innovation and continuous category improvement.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position manages a team of 3 direct reports (Merchandisers and Category Managers).

Qualification Requirements

To perform this job successfully, the associate must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required:

Education and/or Experience

Bachelor's degree (BA/BS) in Business preferred.

Minimum of 10 years previous management experience in deli/prepared foods retail operations in positions with increasing responsibility. Previous experience in the supermarket industry preferred.

Demonstrated experience in merchandising and field operations in a multi-site retailer.

Leadership Skills

• Leadership presence among executive team, direct reports and in the community.
• Leading and developing talent; preparing them for potential advancement.
• Ability to effectively partner with functional peers and internal partners.
• Ability to remain flexible in changing business needs and react to those needs in a professional positive manner.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to analyze financial & statistical reports
• Ability to travel as business dictates.