Category Director, Produce - No Frills; Hard Discount

Come make your difference in communities across Canada, where authenticity, trust and making connections is valued – as we shape the future of Canadian retail, together. Our unique position as one of the country's largest employers, coupled with our commitment to positively impact the lives of all Canadians, provides our colleagues a range of opportunities and experiences to help Canadians Live Life Well®.

At Loblaw Companies Limited, we succeed through collaboration and commitment and set a high bar for ourselves and those around us. Whether you are just starting your career, re-entering the workforce, or looking for a new job, this is where you belong.

The Category Director is responsible for meeting the financial targets of a category(ies) across all formats and is responsible for working in partnership with the Format Category Teams to build category programs, understand and drive the business end-to-end from strategy to tactics. The Category Director will coach, mentor and develop their team and provide them direction in planning, vendor management, product assortment, space allocations, pricing and promotion in support of overall group objectives and all functions that impact financial objectives.

The incumbent will liaise with various internal and external stakeholders and teams in order to achieve category objectives, including but not limited to Marketing, Finance, Promotions & Allocations, Brands, Operations & Vendors.

• Work closely with the Format Category Teams to build category programs and ensure that targets for sales, market share, shrink and EBIT of a category(ies) are met.
• Responsible for weekly Category reports and LE’s by category including Other Vendor Income.
• Implement product assortment, sales and buying plans, while advocating for their customers’ needs, in order to achieve category targets and review implementation throughout the year, adjusting as required to meet targets.
• Work with control label brand team to develop innovative and differentiated products that grow the brand and help to achieve overall strategy, sales and market share.
• Deliver against control label objectives in order to achieve annual sales, market share and profit objectives.
• Develop and communicate merchandising direction for each retail format for assigned category(ies).
• Develop and implement promotions and programs for the assigned category(ies).
• Lead weekly store tours
• Coach, develop and mentor direct reports. This includes explicit consideration of on-the-job training needs for each colleague, arranging appropriate training, providing timely feedback and overseeing colleague development.
• Collaboratively plan activities and develop strong relationships with the vendor community in order to maximize sales & profit.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships and leverage all key stakeholders to invest in their business for growth ahead of market.
• Take full ownership of all key decisions and results, has a passion for their business and a desire to develop their team to similar vision
• Attend and participate in other meetings as required (JBP, Merch Readiness, Blue Print to Sell, IR etc.)
• Other duties as assigned.

• 5-7 years of business experience in marketing, merchandising or pricing role
• Excellent communicator up, down and across the enterprise
• Strong Financial Acumen and experience managing P&L statements
• A strong understanding of the market and competitive landscape in order to recognize and capitalize on opportunities
• Proven strength in having a ‘customer lens’ in all decision making process
• Proven ability to develop short and long term plans in line with corporate strategies
• Progressive and innovative: aggressively seeks out opportunities to improve competitiveness and…