Category Manager - Dispensed Beverage

Our client is seeking a Category Manager – Dispensed Beverages to lead a key, high-impact category. This role will report directly to the Vice President of Merchandising and will own the growth and profitability of the portfolio, translating company strategy into disciplined category execution across all banners. This is a high-visibility leadership opportunity for a results-driven merchant who thrives on data-driven decision making, supplier partnership, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver measurable performance at retail.

Position Responsibilities:

• Own the full P&L performance of assigned categories, delivering sales growth, margin expansion, inventory productivity, and market share gains across all banners.
• Develop and execute annual category strategies and 3-year roadmaps, including program launches, assortment optimization, pricing architecture, promotional strategy, and innovation pipelines aligned to company growth objectives.
• Lead joint business planning with key supplier partners; negotiate cost of goods, trade funding, promotional investment, equipment and service needs, and contract terms to maximize return on investment and drive measurable performance outcomes.
• Utilize POS data, syndicated insights, customer analytics, and competitive intelligence to identify trends, whitespace opportunities, and risks; translate insights into actionable category plans.
• Own daypart strategy and end-to-end program execution across dispensed beverages (coffee, fountain, frozen), including equipment and dispenser strategy, and new program commercialization. Track velocity and evaluate post-launch performance.
• Partner cross-functionally with Marketing, Loyalty, Operations, and Supply Chain to ensure alignment on promotions, pricing, in-stock performance, and store-level execution standards.
• Monitor supplier scorecards to ensure accountability in service levels, innovation delivery, and financial commitments.
• Evaluate promotional effectiveness and pricing strategies to improve gross profit flow-through and return on promotional investment.
• Present category performance updates, strategic plans, and key initiatives to senior leadership and field operations to drive alignment and execution excellence.
• Travel independently as required (approximately 20%).

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, or related field required; advanced degree a plus. Equivalent combination of education and relevant retail merchandising experience will be considered.
• Minimum 5–7 years of progressive experience in retail category management, merchandising, or multi-unit retail operations; convenience retail experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success owning category P&L performance, including sales growth, gross margin expansion, and inventory productivity improvement.
• Experience developing and executing data-driven category strategies, assortment optimization, pricing architecture, and promotional planning.
• Proven track record negotiating cost of goods, trade funding, and supplier agreements to drive measurable financial outcomes.
• Strong analytical capabilities with the ability to translate complex data into actionable business decisions.

Preferred Skills and Competencies:

• Strategic thinker with strong financial acumen and business ownership mindset.
• Ability to influence cross-functional partners and present effectively to senior leadership.
• High level of organization and attention to detail with disciplined follow-through.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; experience with POS and syndicated data tools preferred.