Category Manager

The Category Manager serves as the dedicated strategic advisor to a major North American automotive retail partner. Representing our manufacturing portfolio, this role embeds deeply with the retailer’s merchant teams to drive category-wide growth, optimize product placement, and deliver actionable consumer insights.

Aftermarket Hard Parts for a Major Automotive Retailer

• Objective Insights: Analyze the retailer's proprietary POS data, loyalty metrics, and market share tracking (e.g., Circana/NPD) to identify category growth pockets, regional performance gaps, and margin opportunities.
• VIO Modeling:. Leverage registration and repair data to make recommendations designed to optimize vehicle park coverage in local markets.
• Line Review Leadership: Work with all category suppliers to Drive the category line review process for the merchant. Build the comprehensive analytical data packs and pitch presentations used by the retailer’s Category Managers to justify assortment changes to their executive leadership.

• Space Productivity: Partner with the retailer’s space planning teams to design, test, and optimize high-efficiency planograms that maximize sales-per-foot and improve inventory turns and maximize customer facing inventory placement.
• Tiered Merchandising: Define the optimal mix of Good/Better/Best/Premium tiers, managing the delicate balance between the retailer's Private Label programs and National Brands.
• New Product Introductions (NPI): Build compelling, data-backed business cases for our latest parts, part numbers, and configurations to ensure high-velocity retail placement.
• In-Stock Advisory: Monitor distribution center (DC) and store-level fill rates. Collaborate with the retailer's replenishment team and our internal supply chain to anticipate spikes and avoid stockouts.
• Catalog Accuracy: Coordinate with catalog, product and data teams to ensure flawless data health across the retailer’s e-commerce and commercial catalog engines, leveraging ACES and PIES protocols.
• Commercial (Pro/DFM) vs. DIY Focus: Tailor shelf-availability and online catalog positioning to target both the commercial shop technician (speed, exact fitment) and the DIY retail customer (clarity, ease of installation).
• Promotional Lift Analysis: Working with the Sales Organization;
  Evaluate the return on investment (ROI) of past promotional calendars (circulars, digital coupons, bundled DIY kit offers) and recommend optimized promo structures.
• Market Intelligence: Maintain a continuous pulse on competitor retail environments (e.g., O'Reilly, Advance, Auto Zone, NAPA) regarding pricing, merchandising tactics, and private label shifts.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics, Finance, or a related analytical field is desired.
• Experience: 5+ years of experience in Category Management, Retail Analytics, or National Account Management, specifically serving a supplier selling into mass retail of automotive hardlines.
• Retail Software Proficiency: Deep, hands-on experience using retail vendor portals and syndicated data platforms (e.g., Auto Zone SMS, Advance Retail Link, Circana/NPD, JDA/Blue Yonder Space Planning).
• Advanced Data Mastery: High level of proficiency in Microsoft Excel and familiarity with reporting and database tools, including Power
  
  B.I, Database management tools (SQL,OLTP, etc.). Familiarity with A.I. tools to assist in presenting large amounts of data in a digestible format.
• Industry Acumen: Strong familiarity with the North American automotive aftermarket landscape, its distribution channels, and application-driven part logic.

• Direct experience serving as a Category Captain or Co-Captain directly with An Automotive Retailer.
• Professional certification from the Category Management Association (CMA).
• Understanding of automotive electronic cataloging standards, specifically ACES and PIES
  .