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Gordon Food Service is hiring an Brands Specialist. This candidate will under direction, collaborates with key stakeholders on the National Category and Regional Merchandising teams, as well as vendors to execute strategies to achieve sales, margin, and brand goals. Recommends category management informed by knowledge of current trends, internal and external category data, and feedback from engaged relationships with GFS division marketing teams. Recommends products needed to fulfill brand promises and works with Category teams and vendors as those products are sourced and created.

Responsibilities:

Collaborates with Regional Merchandising teams to understand divisional product needs.

Supports the planning and development of sales product training, food show strategy, and other related activities in support of the division marketing strategy.

Develops and monitors product plans with categories, including recommending, monitoring, and reporting on effective pricing strategies. 

Communicates effectively with category teams on issues pertinent to brand success, including the Division key performance indicators (KPI) and impact on category management performance indicators.

Builds an effective feedback loop with Regional Merchandising and division Marketing and Sales teams related to unique product needs and market differences.

Builds and leverages effective, collaborative, relationships with business unit specific Regional Marketing teams by communicating regularly via email and phone, and by conducting quarterly ride-alongs with front-line sales and marketing employees.

Evaluates an end-to-end Category Management process that transforms internal and external information and customer insights into a relevant brand product assortment, net cost, and pricing that increases Net Margin contribution for assigned categories while ensuring alignment with brand positioning.

Recommends product lifecycle management, from new product selection and launch, to product discontinuation and deletion, ensuring optimum brand product assortment focused on defined customer needs, operational efficiency and financial goals. 

Develops product specifications (features and benefits) that are required to fill specific gaps in brand portfolios.

Collaborates with Category teams as they source the appropriate product assortment to attain sales and net margin goals.

Monitors pricing strategies for branded products and their pricing compared to competitive products and makes recommendations on modifications that will ensure top line sales growth while maintaining margin.

Develops and maintains a high level of brand and product expertise to be a primary source of knowledge for assigned categories.

Collects, analyzes, summarizes and presents product sales and financial performance data to create product recommendations in support of brand positioning, business strategy, and category initiatives.

Responsible for evaluation of sales and margin objectives and the interaction that competitive pricing has on both.

Assists the Positioning Supervisor in supporting the development of brand marketing campaigns.

Ideal candidate will have:

Knowledge of category management skills including product lifecycle management.

Proficient analytical skills to analyze and interpret data related to industry trends, pricing, margin performance, customer needs, etc. 

Ability to inject creativity, fresh thinking, and new perspectives and to generate new and imaginative ideas.

Abilities to motivating others and influencing direction without explicit authority.

Proficient communication skills - both written and verbal - to communicate effectively with a broad-based team including diverse internal stakeholders and vendors.

Exceptional organization skills and attention to detail 

Experience:

Bachelor's degree preferred Business, Marketing, or related field

Three or more years previous experience in brand, product or category management

Location:

1300 Gezon Pkwy, Wyoming MI 49509

Hybrid Schedule 3 days in office 2 days remote

Monday to Friday

8 am to 5 pm

Adherence to Hybrid Work Policy:

Adherence to the company's hybrid work policy is an essential function of the Brands Specialist position. The policy is subject to change, and employees will be required to adhere to those changes as a condition of their continued employment.