Senior Director, Merchandising

• Strategy Implementation/Plan of Action: Set goals and strategic direction for the business, ensuring alignment with broader business goals and vision. Responsible for leading merchandising teams with a customer-first mindset and ensuring regional needs and selling opportunities are fully embedded in strategies and target setting. Drive strategic negotiations with external vendors to build portfolio share and build long-term strategic relationships with suppliers and manufacturers. Execute category planning process across product portfolio of responsibility, including development and implementation of category plans; leveraging insights in order to formulate key strategies and category initiatives to achieve incremental sales and margin growth. Responsible for negotiating cost, assortment, and promotional strategies reflective of regional Independent customer needs. Develop recommended pricing strategy for Independent Retail Customers to ensure delivery of agreed-upon gross margin targets. Develop annual category plans, which include current situation analysis, vision/strategy, specific category plans & budgets.
• Financial Management: Manage a full P&L, including planning, forecasting, and driving growth for the category, possessing a complete understanding of internal and external variables that impact the business. Perform monthly verification of plans and provide an explanation for variances in budgeted sales/gross profit & other metrics, as well as provide projections for upcoming months. Accountable for the strategic development, planning, costing, execution, and financial performance of assigned categories across the total business. Develop plans to close gaps and improve sale /margin performance year on year. Develop recommended retail pricing guidelines in conjunction with the Vice President for stores to optimize category profitability and establish suggested retail prices within these guidelines in balance with cost and agreed-upon gross margin goals. Review competitive cost and pricing information and lead negotiations with vendors/brokers for best cost and targeted margin performance.
• Oversight & Execution: Generate and implement strategies to drive business improvements, innovation, and scale within the category and across the Independent Retail business. Identify industry trends relevant to customer selection and experience leveraging competitive insights and internal and external benchmarks, and syndicated data. Collaborate on Sales, Marketing, and Merchandising initiatives with Promotional Planning Managers and Commercial teams to ensure regional needs including seasonal selling and local events, are included in overall strategy and vendor negotiations. Innovate and implement new customer and vendor programs. Share market intelligence, and best practices and provide category expertise to improve cost, drive efficiencies and minimize potential supply chain risks. Provide direction/management of all assigned categories in the areas of cost, assortment, and promotional strategies. Proactively assess and manage commodity market risk to the organization. Negotiate terms & conditions consistent with corporate objectives, standards, and ethics, while delivering the best overall value. Perform SKU rationalization of categories and work with suppliers to continually offer the right assortment to customers. Collaborate with Category Merchandising to validate assortment and ensure new items, promoted items, and best fit the retail environment and across each region and ensure best placement in POG's Meet with Regional Customers to understand perspectives on product, placement, price, and promotion from Independent customers and their shoppers Work with Marketing Department or Advertising/Promotions to drive incremental sales and margin for assigned portfolio. Maintains strong working relationships with VP, Promotional Planning Mgrs., and Commercial teams and actively engages key retailers to define strategies and drive merchandising plans for assigned portfolios.
• Vendor Management: Identifies leverage opportunities and interacts with procurement to negotiate contracts, supply agreements, and/or programs to achieve the lowest possible acquisition costs (cost of goods) for products. Review solicitations from potential suppliers to determine if potential products and relationships are beneficial for the company considering the lowest cost, quality, and ability to meet demand and promotional needs for Independent retail business. Ensure efficient item assortment as well as manage supplier in-stock concerns and aged inventory exit strategies. Lead teams and act as subject matter expert to support regional customer needs for cost, pricing, and promotional strategies. Review and work with Buying & Transportation groups and manufacturers to resolve out-of-stock issues. Develop and maintain effective working relationships with representatives and senior management of suppliers.
• Management, Coaching & Leadership: Develop team members within the team. Create success through the development of team members. Partner with executive leadership to develop near, mid, and long-term organizational structures. Responsible for hiring, developing, and leading a team

• Travel Required: Yes (up to 30%)

• Office : Office Temperature (65F to 75F)

• Specialized Knowledge: Superior analytical and quantitative skills, comfortable with complex financial data; Experienced in vendor negotiations, pricing and promotions, inventory management and product development; Deep understanding of financial methodology to determine costs, develop annual business plans and oversee key daily metrics (sales, volume, inventory, costs, etc.)
• Special Skills : Track record of delivering results, setting strategy and running a large volume and high profile business; Superior communications skills – speaking, writing, presenting and negotiating; High threshold for working in ambiguous, fast paced environments – figuring it out and adapting as you go; Ability to operate simultaneously and effectively in both tactical and strategic modes; Superior relational skills

• 10+ years of negotiation and vendor management, in one or more large category(s), hiring and managing teams.
• 15+ years of relevant senior leadership experience in the food or grocery industry

C&S Wholesale Grocers