REMOTE • CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES
Purchasing • Natural Products • Retail
Join our team as an Associate Category Manager and help shape winning product assortments for NCG member co-ops! This is a great opportunity to collaborate with multiple stakeholders, develop category strategies and make a measurable impact on our members’ success.
Come join National Co+op Grocers’ (NCG) collective movement towards a just, resilient and regenerative food system that is accessible for all! We are a business services cooperative that helps community-owned grocery stores thrive—strengthening local economies, promoting sustainable food systems, and empowering consumers. We are revolutionizing the grocery industry to make it work better for people and the planet!
This position will support Category Managers in developing strategic core sets, pricing plans and promotional programs. This is an ideal position for those who enjoy working with data to inform product assortments, pricing and product assortments while also building relationships with vendors and suppliers.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Support Category Managers in developing optimal product assortments through NCG’s Core Set program, new item launch strategy and plans, regular retail and EDLP pricing strategies, and planograms with category and item adjacencies, and category, brand, and segment space allocation.
- Identify emerging brands, brand opportunities, and potential supplier partnerships for NCG’s Category Managers.
- Review business plans for brands participating in NCG’s programs and secure contracts for promotional and everyday pricing support, program participation, and product allowances to support those business plans and NCG’s promotional calendar from vendors and brokers.
- Support Category Managers to optimize the level of investment from participating brands; analyze vendor spending and returns on investment from program participation with support from analysts to propose go-forward plans for including program participation and recommended assortment.
- Manage the Core Sets Cost Support EDLP Renewal Process including brand communication, brand confirmation of submissions and auditing contracts in Partner Connection.
- Evaluate store mapping data and develop proposals for target schematic sizes based on category set sizes, adjacencies, and category performance.
- Proof program data including promotional flyers, signs, price and item data files and ensure alignment with Category Manager’s pricing, promotional, and product strategies and objectives, NCG business rules, and member co-op needs.
- Analyze post-promotional data to determine optimal promotional vehicles, frequency, deal-depth, price points, seasonality/timing of promotion, and strategy as assigned by NCG Category Manager.
- Develop category review presentations for member co-ops by consolidating data, information, and insights from multiple sources.
- Visit competitor stores, evaluate competitor programs and strategies, and contribute to the development of appropriate responses to ensure NCG member co-ops are competitive within assigned categories.
- Familiarity with the category management process and understanding of retail grocery merchandising and promotions.
- Familiarity with the cooperative business model and natural foods cooperatives.
- Familiarity with the health and wellness lifestyle, natural products industry, and buying behavior of health and wellness consumers.
- Willingness to develop skills necessary to advance to category manager position.
- Up to 15% of business travel is required, including overnights and weekends.
Qualifications:
Compensation & Benefits
NCG offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package, as an example:
- 4 weeks Paid Time Off
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) with company contributions
- Company-paid life and disability insurance
- Company-paid identity theft protection
- Matching 401(k) plan
The salary for this position is $84,115.20.
Workstation Options
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Home Office (Continuous U.S. excluding AK, CA, WA, HI and territories): Eligible if within 100 miles of a major airport and has sufficient internet bandwidth and mobile phone service.
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St. Paul, MN Office: Workstations available at 2610 University Ave W, with free parking and access to the Green Line Light Rail (Westgate Station).
Accessibility
NCG is committed to providing equal access to all interested candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact (866) 709-2667 ext. 2817 or email careers@ncg.coop for assistance.
Our goal is to attract and retain qualified talent and encourage applications from all individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any characteristic protected by applicable law.
No recruiters or agencies please.
