Direct Marketing

Associate Category Manager, Confections

Position Summary:

The Associate Category Manager not only supports the Category Merchandise Manager, but also manages the execution of the entire category initiatives to meet sales and margin performance goals. The Associate Merchandise Manager is essentially a Merchandise Manager in training and is positioned to “shadow’ the Category Merchandise Manager in all aspects of running the business in order to be promotable to the Category Merchandise Manager position.  This position is located in Medford, Oregon.

Essential Functions:

• Partner with Category Merchandise Manager to build assortment plan from ground up to full fruition.
• Point person for all R &D.
• Key person on all product development projects.
• Be able to attach and build a financial strategy for the category that ties to the assortment plan and supports the achievement of the sales & margin goals.
• Be able to effectively present the category initiatives to executive level individuals.
• Be acutely aware of the daily business operations and performance of the category and understand how to react to opportunities and/or deficiencies.
• Be able to travel to trade shows as a team and independently, work with new vendors, and present the business in a professional, focused way.
• Help manage projects to the Assistant Merchandise Manager and if applicable the Merchandise Coordinator.
• Oversee a key part of the category exclusively.
• Be a team player in all aspects of the organization.
• Be able to meet with company partners in packaging, creative, production and communicate needs for the success of the product.
• Oversee PD sheet management and execution.
• Coordinate vendor meetings and communication with vendors.
• Understand where the business is by channel on a daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal, and annual basis.

Position Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business or Purchasing, or equivalent experience.
• At least 2-3 years of retail merchandising experience.
• Strong knowledge of industry trends, assortment planning, customer buying patterns, catalog and web merchandising, inventory management, logistics and marketing techniques.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of financial analysis and forecasting.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, written and oral, for effective interaction with all levels of company personnel and external vendors.
• Ability to perform multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment, consistently meeting deadlines with accurate and detailed results.

Application Process:

Please submit a resume and brief covAssoc Category Mgrer letter via email to Assoc Category Mgr. Your resume will be given careful consideration. If you are selected for an interview a Human Resources representative will contact you. If it is determined that your skillset does not match the requirements for this position, we will keep your resume in our database for future consideration.