Manager, Category Development

Staples is business to business. You're what binds us together.

Our merchandising team aims to deliver the best value and selection to our customers through products, services and solutions all centered around our customers' needs. We are driven by customer insights and analytics to bring products and solutions to market seamlessly. We are inclusive, well-rounded professionals who have deep experience in buying, selling, negotiating, operations, design, innovation, finance and more.

What you'll be doing:

The Manager, Category Development leads the development and execution of strategic category initiatives for the Private Brands team. Their goal is to drive sales and loyalty for Staples, Inc and across our partner channels by building an industry-leading private brand assortment. This role marries category understanding with both product development and execution.

• Become a product and category subject matter expert.
• Collaborate across Private Brands org and merchant partners to prioritize and execute category plans.
• Supports category lead in new product identification in assigned category – filling product gaps or identifying whitespace.
• Develop business cases to support new product development; sell product ideas to Director-level stakeholders.
• Identify key product features and gain cross-functional support for recommendations.
• Collaborate with Brand Strategy to create consumer-focused messaging on both content and packaging.
• Supports the category lead in annual budget planning.
• Analyze consumer and industry trends; keep a pulse on category trends and what is happening with competition in the category
• Reviews business performance regularly, reporting on category performance and developing recommendations based on findings.
• Use data and insights to influence Director-level stakeholders on product development, assortment and sustainability
• Create executive-level communications to present business cases and other category findings to SLT

What you bring to the table:

• Ability to influence without authority.
• Analytical problem solver who can take complex data and distill it into a meaningful and coherent story and use it to drive business decisions
• Structured thinker who combines data and intuition to shape product recommendations
• Strong communication with skill in presenting complex ideas clearly to a senior audience
• Proactive, adaptable and detail-oriented team player
• A strong executor, comfortable with ambiguity and tight deadlines and with a demonstrated ability to solve problems and navigate unexpected project hurdles
• Experience with navigating matrix organizations and balancing competing priorities
• Thrives in a collaborative corporate setting with a positive, professional attitude

What's needed- Basic Qualifications 

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience, with at least 3 years in a management role
• Proven track record in category management or related field
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage teams effectively

What's needed - Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree or equivalent work experience 
• Experience in digital category management and e-commerce

We Offer:

• Inclusive culture with associate-led Business Resource Groups 
• Flexible PTO (22 days) and Holiday Schedule (7 observed paid holidays) 
• Online and Retail Discounts, Company Match 401(k), Physical and Mental Health Wellness programs, and more

The salary range represents the expected compensation for this role at the time of posting. The specific base pay may be influenced by a variety of factors to include the candidate's experience, skill set, education, geography, business considerations, and internal equity. In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for bonuses, or other forms of variable compensation. 

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

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