Category Manager

The Category Manager owns the business performance of assigned categories, with accountability for sales growth, gross margin, inventory productivity, assortment optimization, vendor performance, and customer satisfaction. This role develops and executes category strategies that drive profitable growth while delivering a differentiated and compelling customer experience.

The Category Manager has the responsibility for delivering financial results, managing risk, identifying growth opportunities, and ensuring customers have access to innovative, high-quality products that support Pet Food Express's mission.

The ideal candidate is passionate about delivering exceptional merchandise assortments and experiences to our customers. This role requires a highly analytical and strategic thinker who can balance customer needs, financial objectives, inventory productivity, and brand positioning while making sound business decisions.

Ongoing responsibilities include meeting sales and margin goals, managing inventory investments, creating accurate forecasts, optimizing assortments, developing pricing strategies, identifying growth opportunities, and building strong vendor partnerships that support long-term business success.

This individual must be a take-charge and trustworthy leader who is not afraid to make high-level decisions and take ownership of business outcomes.

Please note:

This position is a hybrid role, involving on-site work at our corporate headquarters in Concord, CA. Candidates who are fully remote or outside of reasonable commuting distance will not be considered at this time.

• Own the financial performance of assigned categories, including sales, margin, inventory turns, GMROI, and market share objectives.
• Develop annual category plans and business strategies to achieve growth and profitability targets.
• Serve as the business owner and subject matter expert for assigned categories, making recommendations that balance customer needs, financial objectives, inventory productivity, and brand positioning.
• Regularly evaluate category performance and adjust assortment, pricing, promotional, and inventory strategies to improve results.
• Analyze sales trends, inventory productivity, promotional performance, and profitability metrics to make data-driven assortment and pricing decisions.
• Use customer, competitive, and market insights to identify opportunities that improve assortment productivity, customer satisfaction, and category growth.
• Identify opportunities to grow category performance through innovation, trend identification, customer insights, and competitive analysis.
• Lead private label development within assigned categories, including identifying opportunities, evaluating product concepts, partnering with vendors, and managing product introductions that support category growth, profitability, and customer value.
• Develop deep expertise in assigned categories, products, customer needs, market dynamics, and vendor capabilities.
• Monitor industry trends, competitive activity, emerging brands, and innovation opportunities through market research, trade shows, publications, and vendor partnerships.
• Partner with Purchasing, Inventory Planning, and Replenishment teams to ensure inventory investments align with business objectives and customer demand.
• Manage category projects from concept through execution, including new item launches, assortment changes, promotions, planogram updates, and discontinued items.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Stores, Visual Merchandising, Supply Chain, and other cross-functional partners to ensure successful execution of category strategies.

• Develop, maintain, and strengthen strategic vendor relationships that support category growth and customer value.
• Negotiate favorable terms, costs, rebates, promotional funding, transportation agreements, and other opportunities that improve category profitability.
• Conduct regular vendor performance reviews and business evaluations to ensure accountability and continuous improvement.
• Identify and develop new vendor relationships that bring innovation, differentiation, and value to the Pet Food Express assortment.
• Communicate product, assortment, and vendor updates to key internal stakeholders.
• Partner with Purchasing and Replenishment teams to resolve inventory, supply chain, and vendor performance issues.
• Support Quality Control initiatives and product issue resolution as needed.

• Mentor and support the…