Portfolio Management Advisor

What Category Management contributes to Cardinal Health

Marketing is responsible for assessing customer needs, market conditions and competition to inform business strategy. Marketing implements the strategy through developing, commercializing and monitoring the appropriate products and services.

Category Management is responsible for cross functional collaboration that helps to deliver sales, profitability and inventory productivity goals by capitalizing on retail marketplace and shopper trends in designated categories. Manages and optimizes supplier relationships and product portfolio to drive financial results, increase market share and exceed customer expectations.

The Advisor, Category Management has full profit-and-loss responsibility for a product category within Consumer Health and drives increased revenue, profitability, market share, and brand awareness. Reporting to a Senior Manager, Category Management who oversees all product categories within a Consumer Health division, this job negotiates favorable agreements with vendors, executes product promotions, designs planograms, and tracks product changes. The Advisor manages product categories that are low volume and/or contain relatively basic products.

• Develops strategic category plans and innovative merchandising programs to deliver on financial objectives for the product category and ensures Cardinal Health products gain and maintain competitive advantages in retail channels.
• Fosters key supplier relationships and negotiates favorable agreements for SKUs within the product category, applying strong financial and business acumen. Typically interacts with suppliers on an annual basis, and continually evaluates supplier performance and manages accounts payable using supplier portals.
• Collaborates with cross functional stakeholders including Pricing, Marketing, Legal, Quality, Regulatory, Planning, Inventory Management, Finance, Sales and Operations to gain internal alignment and gathers information necessary to execute category management tactics.
• Continually monitors revenue and expenses for product category against established goals. Reports to Senior Manager, Category Management on performance of product category and individual products.
• Manages and optimizes category assortment planning and planogram review processes, creating the most advantageous mix and positioning of products in the category.
• Assesses sales trends and forecasts based on SKU data and evaluates implications for merchandising and pricing strategies.
• Attends trade shows, conferences, and other industry events to stay abreast of market developments, liaise with suppliers, and assess new merchandising and supplier opportunities.
• Seeks guidance as necessary from more experienced Manager, Category Management within same products division.

• 4-8 years of experience, preferred
• Bachelor's degree in related field, or equivalent work experience, preferred
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategic sourcing initiatives, negotiate complex contracts, and build strong, collaborative relationships with suppliers to optimize cost, quality, and delivery.
• Proficiency in collecting, interpreting, and leveraging complex data sets, market trends, consumer insights, and competitive analysis to identify opportunities, forecast demand, and drive data-driven category strategies.
• Demonstrated success in working effectively with diverse internal teams (e.g., marketing, sales, supply chain, finance) to align category objectives, gain buy-in for strategies, and ensure seamless execution.
• Comprehensive understanding of the specific product category, including market dynamics, product specifications, consumer behavior, and regulatory landscape, coupled with a strong commercial mindset to drive sales and profitability.

• Applies comprehensive knowledge and a thorough understanding of concepts, principles, and technical capabilities to perform varied tasks and projects
• May contribute to the development of policies and procedures
• Works on complex projects of large scope
• Develops technical solutions to a wide range of…