Director of Merchandising

Primary Function:

The Corporate Director has responsibility for establishing the strategic vision of their merchandising mega-categories and/or departments over a 2 - 3year time frame and communicating that vision downward to their team and outward to banner merchandising. This includes adjusting, as needed, to annual plan(s) to ensure financial targets are met. This position also has responsibility for overseeing the yearly plan and quarter/period/weekly results. The Director ensures the integrity and execution of Center of Excellence (COE) merchandising initiatives and business development plans. Collaborates with banners to ensure business plans that reflect local, regional and industry knowledge. Ensures compliance with all industry, corporate and government regulations. Responsible for building department platform and ensuring it supports the company's platform. This position also ensures that the tactics being executed by the category managers are consistent with and deliver against strategic and financial objectives. Resolves conflicts/issues between categories and/or initiatives. The Corporate Director will have 1-2 category managers and assistant category managers reporting to them and will manage between $500 million to $2 billion or more in sales.

Job Responsibilities and Activities

1. Business Planning Responsibilities: Establishes strategic vision for 2-3 years. Establishes growth guidelines and financial objectives for yearly plans. Reconciles growth progress and identifies where focus should be placed by emphasizing or deemphasizing categories (reconciles multiple desks together). Responsible for strategic, tactical, and financial obligations. Drives our national vendors to long-term strategic planning (larger scale) to ensure alignment with Strategic Vendor Partners and garner support (financial, resources) to sustain our strategic vision. Reviews, oversees, and approves category business plans (CBP) submitted by the BDMs.

2. Ad/Promo Responsibilities: Develops overall promo strategy. Supervises and ensures that the promo activities maintain local relevance and meets the go-to-market strategies of the banners. Directs the efforts of multiple categories to stay on course with strategies.

3. Assortment and Presentation Responsibilities: Approves sections sizes and adjacencies in schematic plans. Creates, develops, and recommends business cases for capital expenditures (shelving, fixtures, and store layout) to present to senior management.

4. Pricing Responsibilities: Approves pricing recommendations that are going to the banners. Approves pricing recommendations that are going to the banners.

5. Sourcing Responsibilities: Oversees vendor relations. Approves national contracts and presents them to senior management for sign off.

6. Managerial Responsibilities: Leads, coaches, and develops category managers. Also responsible for leading business support specialists and other members of the Merchandising Center of Excellence (COE) in initiatives. Recruits, interviews, and hires category leads, and business support specialists (BSSs). Performs annual review process for the category team. Responsible for succession planning for entire department (beyond their areas of responsibility).

7. Additional responsibilities as assigned.

Job Requirements

1. Education, Certification, and Relevant Experience: Bachelor's degree preferred. Relevant experience required plus 8 or more years of retail merchandising experience across multiple banners and geographies. MA or MBA preferred. Has an in-depth understanding of store operations and merchandising methodologies and practices (P&L, financial management, etc). Greater depth of specific category expertise may be required on a case-by-case basis.

2. Analytical Skills: Must have a strong knowledge base in supermarket retail and an understanding of consumer behavior in relation to product performance; must carry a detailed understanding of cause-effect relations between operational levers and performance (assortment/price vs. volume/margins) by utilizing financial, statistical, merchandising, marketing, and/or consumer research background. Strong financial background.

3. Interpersonal Skills: Proven ability to work successfully across all areas of the company; can successfully monitor performance; strong client management skills, particularly working with vendors; ability to influence and lead effective partnerships with the banners; can thrive in a complicated matrix environment.

4. Innovation: Champions new ideas and initiatives and creates an environment that supports innovation; leverages fresh perspectives, breakthrough ideas, and new paradigms to create value in the market.

5. Negotiation Skills: Must demonstrate ability to negotiate contracts and terms to gain maximum advantage for costs and vendor funding opportunities. Experience in developing complicated and national contracts.

6. Strategic Skills: Demonstrate ability to understand and think big picture; delivers category plans and programs that compliment both the corporate and departmental strategies leading to strong category sales and profit performance.

7. Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills to develop and maintain effective business relationships within and outside of the company.

8. Technical Skills: Well developed computer aptitude with proficient skills and knowledge of Microsoft Office; ability to adapt to and learn new systems quick

Good judgment is required for this position as there may be times when direct supervision may not be immediately available.

Physical Requirements:
Some travel required.

My Cub. My Way.

We provide our customers the best grocery experience period by personalizing our customers' evolving needs with innovation, convenience and by supporting the communities we serve through delivering quality, variety and fresh groceries. At Cub we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to our success as an organization, and we strive to create a work environment that fosters respect, fairness, and equal opportunities for all employees.

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, or gender identity), national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, age, marital status, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. This commitment extends to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotions, job assignments, training, compensation, benefits, and other conditions of employment.

Cub will not tolerate unlawful discrimination or harassment of associates by anyone, including any manager, supervisor, co-worker, contractor, customer, supplier, vendor, or visitor.

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