Assistant Category Merchant , Dairy Specialty, Specialty Cheese

Description

The Assistant Category Merchant supports Whole Foods Market's Specialty Dairy category merchandising workstreams, contributing to the development and execution of strategies that deliver a differentiated assortment aligned with customer demand, quality standards, and financial goals.

Key job responsibilities
Cross-Functional Program Execution – Supports program execution in partnership with Compliance, Marketing, E-Commerce, Operations, Finance, and Technology teams to ensure initiatives are delivered on time and aligned with category objectives.

Category Analysis & Financial Health – Reviews and analyzes category performance metrics, sales trends, and financial health to identify growth opportunities, inform assortment decisions, and support margin optimization.

Assortment Management – Maintains and updates the Specialty Dairy assortment, ensuring product mix reflects market trends, seasonal opportunities, supplier capabilities, and regional customer preferences.

Vendor & Supplier Coordination – Supports vendor communication, pricing negotiations, and delivery timelines to ensure product availability and alignment with merchandising plans.

Data-Driven Recommendations – Leverages sales data, inventory reports, and market insights to forecast demand and make recommendations for future product assortment and promotional strategies.

Merchandising Standards – Assists in maintaining visual merchandising standards and promotional execution that elevate the Specialty Dairy category in-store and online.

Basic Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, engineering, finance or related technical or quantitative field, or 2 years of industry work experience
- 1 years of experience in buying, category management, account management, or program management within a retail environment.
- Intermediate proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, data analysis) and experience with business intelligence or analytics tools.
- Demonstrated ability to manage vendor relationships, analyze sales data, and support assortment or promotional planning.

Preferred Qualifications

- 1 years of experience in specialty food, cheese, or perishable category management within a retail or grocery environment.
- Knowledge of artisan and specialty cheese.
- Experience managing supplier and distributor relationships.
- Proficiency in analyzing sales, margin, and assortment data.
- Experience with retail analytics tools (e.g. Nielsen or internal WFM/Amazon reporting systems) to evaluate item performance, promotional lift, and regional trends.
- Familiarity with food safety and compliance requirements for perishable/dairy categories.
- Understanding of seasonal merchandising and promotional planning — including experience supporting destination programs, cut-to-order, or demo/sampling initiatives.
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills — ability to partner with various support teams, operations, and marketing on assortment and merchandising decisions.
- Passion for food, cheese culture, and customer experience — demonstrated through industry involvement (e.g., ACS certification, cheese education, food industry events).

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.