Category Manager - Produce

If you’re someone who has a genuine desire to help people live better and healthier lives, join us as we work to be a trusted resource in our communities, offering real people, real food at real affordable prices across the Midwest. If you are ready to immerse yourself in an environment, that helps shoppers naturally, intuitively, and enjoyably find real, honest, affordable goodness to meet them wherever they are on their wellness journey, we’d like to hear from you. Join us to begin YOUR journey and be a part of the Fresh Thyme Market Team!

Fresh Thyme Rewards

• Weekly pay

• Scheduling flexibility

• Paid parental leave 

• Team member discount

• Career growth opportunities

Are passionate about the retail grocery market and organic products? Are you a leader? Are you ready to join one of the fastest growing companies in the retail grocery market? If so, Fresh Thyme Farmers Market is the place for you! Our unique business model, fast paced and growing environment, promote from within culture, and excellent benefits make Fresh Thyme the best employer in the grocery market. Careers have been blooming at Fresh Thyme since our inception in 2012 - yours should be no different!

The Category Manager is responsible for managing assigned categories with the objective of meeting or exceeding projected budgets for sales, direct margin, shrink, inventory management, and customer satisfaction through effective assortment, pricing, promotion, and merchandising strategies. The Category Manager will be a direct liaison between the stores and the vendors, including the DC, in addition to supporting the department managers with training/development, and implementation of new company programs and initiatives.

Position will follow our hybrid schedule: Monday-Wednesday in Downer's Grove IL office, Thursday-Friday remote. Travel expected between 10-15%.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

·Creates and implements pricing, promotion, assortment and shelf schematics for each assigned category, based on detailed analysis of past performance, results, industry best practices, and consumer trends.

·Creates yearly business plan and budgets by category based on department/company initiatives, consumer and market trends.

·Negotiates and collaborates with vendors on pricing, product assortment, promotion, ads, services, promotional calendars, and support; acts as primary contact with vendors in assigned categories.

·Reviews category and department financials (i.e. Profit & Loss Statement) monthly and reacts as necessary to ensure budgets are achieved; meets sales and margin budget expectations.

·Ensures store inventory levels are within company standards and reports inventory discrepancies.

·Manages category performance through effective assortment, merchandising, freshness, quality, and shrink control strategies.

·Authorizes new items entering the market; Researches new vendors for products, requests quotes, analyzes responses, selects products, and implements product placement.

·Develops and executes category business plans, including assortment, merchandising, pricing, promotional, and seasonal strategies.

·Leads category merchandising initiatives, seasonal programs, and innovation efforts to drive sales, customer engagement, and market differentiation.

·Helps to ensure stores meet all company and health code standards.

·Attends key vendor company planning meetings.

·Manages and implements special items (i.e. local products, etc.) and seasonal items for new and existing stores.

·Designs schematics and recommends adjacencies that support the role of the category.

·Conducts post promotional analysis to track sales and profit results at end of each promotional timeframe.

·Maintains and reviews price files and competitive price checks to ensure we are priced competitively within each market we operate.

·Supports stores with special shelf and display decisions.

·Visits stores as necessary to observe results of merchandising programs.

·Communicates all pertinent information, including merchandising plans, ad plans, price changes, projections, etc., to the stores, operations team, vendors, support offices, and department.

·Helps in the training and development of store level Department Managers and Operational Specialists.

·Parters closely with procurement, distribution, operations, and supplier partners to execute category, merchandising, and promotional strategies while maintaining optimal inventory and freshness standards.

·Works in conjunction with operations and other departments across the company to facilitate implementation of programs.

·Other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience

· Bachelor’s degree or equivalent Grocery industry experience required.

·Must have a minimum of 6 years’ professional experience.

· 5-7 years of grocery retail experience with Produce merchandising, category management, pricing, promotions, and assortment planning. Previous experience in the natural foods industry is a plus.

·Strong Produce category knowledge, including seasonality, freshness standards, merchandising best practices, and consumer trends, is preferred. Financial, mathematical, statistical and consumer research experience preferred to read, interpret and understand how internal and external factors influence financial results. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Demonstrated understanding of Produce merchandising, category analytics, seasonal planning, freshness management, shrink control, and promotional effectiveness.

·Must maintain the highest level of customer service at all times.

·Ability to adapt to the ever-changing high volume retail while working in a cross-functional team environment.

·Must have the capacity to take initiative for making appropriate decisions and have strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

·Flexibility to adapt in a variety of situations.

·Must have advanced attention to detail with the capability to prioritize and meet deadlines.

·Excellent written communication and documentation skills.

·Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills for maintaining effective business relationships with peers, senior management, customers, and vendors.

·Must have advanced knowledge with MS Office including Outlook, Word, and Excel.

·Ability to multitask and have excellent organizational skills is essential.

·Must be able to lead, support and contribute to team goals.

·Ability to work varied hours/days as business dictates.

·Must be familiar with Health Department guidelines and regulations as they pertain to a grocery retail environment.

·Familiarity with Category Business Planning with an understanding of marketing and merchandising practices.

· Possesses the ability to read and interpret profit and loss statements and understand how the categories managed are affected.

·Has excellent people skills for training and communicating with customers and stores; Requires a high level of patience.

At Fresh Thyme, our team members Thrive. We offer competitive compensation, incentive programs, and recognition programs that allows our most successful team members to be rewarded for their passion, dedication, and the results they consistently drive. Therefore, we are committed to offering competitive pay that reflects market standards and ensures consistency within our organization.

The pay range for this position is listed below. The actual rate offered will meet or surpass the legal wage requirement for the job's location.

$74,750.00 - $117,250.00

This pay range represents the minimum and maximum base pay for the position, which is determined by factors such as market data, the qualifications required, the level of responsibilities associated with the role and other roles at this same level. Specific pay rates will be within this range and based on your experience, qualifications, and skills compared to the internal team of this role.

Compensation for this position also includes incentive bonus opportunities that may vary based on individual and company performance. Specific details will be discussed during the hiring process.

Our team members Thrive because we are committed to the whole person. Not only do we offer a comprehensive benefits package for our full-time team members that includes medical, dental, and life insurance, but we also offer a variety of programs designed to support our part-time members as well. ALL Fresh Thyme team members enjoy paid parental leave, our 24/7 Employee Assistance Program, and our 401(k) plan with an employer match. We are dedicated to creating a work environment that promotes work-life balance, long-term health and financial security, and continuous professional development. Come Thrive with us!