Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy and Performance

- Develop and implement category strategies, annual plans, and priorities aligned with the organization's growth, customer, margin, and inventory objectives.
- Own category performance, including sales, gross margin, inventory turns, service levels, assortment productivity, and supplier performance.
- Evaluate market trends, customer needs, competitive activity, seasonality, and product performance to identify opportunities and risks.
- Lead assortment reviews and make recommendations regarding product introductions, deletions, substitutions, pricing, and promotional activity.
- Establish transparent category targets, monitor results, and implement corrective actions when performance is below plan.

Team Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop Category Specialists, setting clear priorities, performance expectations, and accountabilities.
- Allocate work effectively across the team and ensure consistent, accurate, and timely execution of category activities.
- Build team capability in commercial analysis, supplier management, forecasting, negotiation, and category planning.
- Foster a collaborative, accountable, and continuous-improvement culture.
- Support recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and succession planning for the category team.

Supplier and Procurement Management
- Build strategic supplier relationships and lead negotiations related to cost, terms, service, quality, availability, and program support.
- Partner with the Director, Supply Chain and Logistics to support sourcing strategies, supplier selection, contracting, and risk management.
- Conduct regular supplier performance reviews and address gaps in service, quality, cost, or compliance.
- Identify opportunities for cost reduction, value creation, supply continuity, and process improvement.
- Ensure purchasing decisions follow approved policies, delegated authority, and ethical procurement practices.

Planning, Inventory, and Analysis




- Collaborate with planning and operations teams to align forecasts, purchases, inventory levels, and replenishment with expected demand.
- Monitor inventory health and take action to reduce shortages, excess inventory, aged stock, and obsolescence.
- Use data and reporting tools to assess performance, develop forecasts, support business cases, and guide decisions.
- Maintain accurate category information, assumptions, pricing inputs, and supporting documentation.
- Balance customer requirements, working capital, availability, cost, and operational constraints when making category decisions.

Cross-Functional Leadership
- Partner with sales, operations, marketing, finance, and supply chain teams to execute category plans and resolve business issues.
- Provide clear category direction, recommendations, and updates to leaders and key stakeholders.
- Coordinate product launches, seasonal programs, promotions, transitions, and other category initiatives.
- Contribute to budgeting, forecasting, strategic planning, and continuous-improvement initiatives.
- Ensure category decisions are communicated clearly and implemented consistently across the organization.

Qualifications and Experience
- Post-secondary education in business, supply chain, procurement, merchandising, finance, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
- Progressive experience in category management, merchandising, purchasing, procurement, or supply chain, including responsibility for category performance.
- Demonstrated experience leading, coaching, and developing a team.
- Strong supplier management and negotiation experience, with a track record of delivering commercial value.
- Strong financial and analytical capability, including experience interpreting sales, margin, pricing, inventory, and market data.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and enterprise resource planning, purchasing, reporting, or business intelligence systems. Experience using Microsoft NAV or Business Central an asset.
- Experience in a seasonal, retail, wholesale, distribution, or product-based environment is an asset.

📌 Category Manager (24 Month Contract) (Springwater)
🏢 Bradford Greenhouses
📍 Springwater