Category Manager (Meat)

Wakefern Food Corp. is the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States, supporting its members' retail operations. The Category Manager is responsible for developing and executing category strategies that drive sales growth and profitability, collaborating with various departments to optimize product assortments and support category initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Effectively navigates the organization and collaborates cross‑functionally to achieve category objectives
• Provides Wakefern Members with customer‑focused insights and guidance related to product performance and category strategy
• Develops and executes short and long‑term category plans and strategies
• Provides direction and guidance to analyst resources as needed to support category initiatives
• Leads category management projects to optimize assortments, merchandising, and overall category performance
• Manages a broad portfolio of products, developing tailored strategies to drive results across categories
• Builds and maintains strong working relationships with buying, marketing, and merchandising partners
• Actively drives sales growth and maximizes profitability for the cooperative
• Analyzes national and regional customer data to develop recommendations that support business growth
• Champion continuous improvement by identifying process efficiencies, leveraging technology and AI‑enabled insights, and adapting to evolving market trends

Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Business or related field, or currently enrolled with a minimum of 60 college credits completed
• Working knowledge of procurement and product management across meat commodities, including beef, poultry, pork, lamb, veal, smoked, and frozen meats
• Strong analytical skills with a high aptitude for detail‑ and data‑driven work; advanced computer proficiency required
• 1–3 years of supermarket or related retail experience
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated leadership capability and strong customer service orientation
• Proven ability to analyze key data and draw accurate conclusions to support category and business decisions
• Solid understanding of retail insights and performance drivers
• Experience leading or supporting category strategies, including assortment/ranging, pricing, and promotional planning across customer channels
• Strong negotiation skills
• Prior inventory management and/or warehouse distribution experience strongly preferred
• Meat cutting experience preferred
• Experience with ad planning, forecasting, and promotional execution

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Life and disability insurance
• A 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Paid time off
• Holidays
• Parental leave
• Access to wellness and family support programs
• Fitness reimbursement
• Educational and training opportunities through our corporate university
• A collaborative, team-oriented work environment

Company Overview