Category Lead

Profile

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The Category Lead also oversees all forecasting responsibilities, orders, and distribution of products inclusive of understanding inventory levels and making sure we are accomplishing owned inventory and in-stock goals. The Category Lead manages the Analyst to make sure that all the individual functions across merchandising, demand planning, forecasting, fulfilment, and ecommerce all happen, and the team is functions as one unit against the goals of the business.

The Category Lead works in partnership with the exclusive brands team to develop a detailed category roadmap across up to 4 brands. The Category Lead collaborates with their team on cross functional partners to create a digital first approach in the ecommerce space. The Category Leads manages three different types of analysts and need to aid in development and career planning. The Category Lead need to have general management experience and have the background knowledge to manage across all the different functions of running a category.
Category Strategy:
Provide strategic category plan for the next 12 months.
Utilize customer and industry insights to develop multi-channel vendor, assortment, solutions, pricing and promotional strategies to guide business planning and execution.
Provide strategic input to Marketing, Retail and Merchant Operations in development of a customer experience plan reconciled with category and enterprise strategies. Is responsible for communicating strategy to internal and external partners.
Vendor Management:
Vendor contact for category covering topics such as product, price, promotions, forecast, orders, and digital needs. Responsible for developing strong relationships with both domestic and international vendor partners. Owns getting programs done across all vendors in their category..
Category Lead key person who delivers messages around assortment, inventory, promotional, and digital needs.
Customer Experience Development
Strong partner with the customer experience team and works to utilize all the customer information and resources to shape the category strategies.
Utilize inputs from Retail and Merchant Operations partners, Customer Insights and Marketing, as well as vendor partners to create value through a differentiated customer experience – in all channels where **MEMBERS ONLY**SIGN UP NOW***. operates (digital, stores, , direct, in-home). Coordinate with and provide direction to all internal partners, including Operations, ecommerce, BBB, as appropriate, Services, and Marketing to deliver the customer experience.
People Leadership:
Manages and focused on Analyst team. Working on rotations and development around learning the different aspects of the business.
Had regular cadences with each member of the team. Discussion range from business to personal development.
Partners to create the training needed across the Analyst team and manages the development and career plans needed to take the step to Category Lead.
Business Planning and Performance Evaluation:
Manages the business performance on a daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly cadence for their categories
Responsible for the BPM process and the summary documents and recaps needed each week for the Category Portfolio Managers and the GMs.
Financial Forecast and Budgeting:
Monitor P&L performance and develop action plans to meet financial goals. This happens on a weekly (i.e. BPM), monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. Provide input into annual budgeting process and drive the category’s ongoing financial forecast (Version) process.
Demand Planning & Fulfilment
Responsible for management of open to buy across category and that in working with Analyst the forecast, projectors, and orders are being placed and communicated with the vendors.
Responsible for in stocks across the category making sure the web site remain the top priority.
eCommerce & Fulfillment
Review, understand and integrate category digital analytics and customer needs.
Supports fulfilment strategy to not only achieve in stock goals, but also achieve the vision of moving to customer access within 24-hour period.
Works with Vendors and Analyst to make sure content and product positioning is happening online. Videos, content, messages are all responsibilities of the Category Lead.
Position Impact
Responsible for category and portion of the company P&L.
Category representative for **MEMBERS ONLY**SIGN UP NOW***. based on market share and category knowledge.
Responsible for managing inventory and its relation to customer experience and working capital.
Drives digital first strategy and develops ecommerce approach for the categories
Basic Skills:
1 years Category Management Experience inclusive or positions in merchant/buying, demand planning, ecommerce, market, and customer experience roles, as described above (equivalent industry experience)
Preferred Skills:
2 years of Category Management Team experience
Sound understanding of merchandising practices and principles and a basic knowledge of these elements in other areas
Sound understanding of demand planning, inventory management, and working capital.
Sound understanding of ecommerce business
Ability to operate effectively in high pressure situations and make accurate decisions quickly.

Company info

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