DeliBakery Category Manager

At Food LionAssociates are the most important assets to our organization. We want associates to have meaningful careers full of variety and challenges. Each associate contributes to the overall success of Food Lion and in return we strive to provide all associates with a fulfilling work experience and reward performance and commitment. We are committed to the professional development of our associates through on-the-job learning opportunities and training.

Position Summary

The Deli-Bakery Category Manager is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive category strategy that meets customer needs delivers financial and operational goals and supports the companys integrated business plans.

This role leads the day-to-day management of the Deli and Bakery business with a strong customer-focused and selling-oriented approach across Category Management Merchandising Pricing Procurement Replenishment and Operations. The Category Manager serves as the subject-matter expert for Deli-Bakery providing leadership on consumer trends product innovation assortment food preparation freshness and category growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage overall performance for assigned Deli-Bakery categories including sales margin shrink inventory service levels and customer metrics.

• Develop and execute customer-focused category plans that drive growth and support a strong selling culture.

• Manage category financial performance and identify opportunities to improve profitability freshness quality and customer satisfaction.

• Oversee procurement replenishment forecasting seasonal planning and days-on-hand for short-shelf-life products.

• Maintain strong in-stock conditions while balancing freshness production needs waste and shrink.

• Develop pricing recommendations and influence pricing strategy for Deli-Bakery products.

• Manage product assortment and selection including final approval of planogram and merchandising decisions.

• Identify and lead product innovation based on consumer insights food trends seasonal opportunities and changing customer preferences.

• Build and maintain productive relationships with vendors suppliers commissaries and cross-functional partners.

• Lead vendor negotiations related to cost assortment quality service innovation and performance.

• Serve as the subject-matter expert for Deli-Bakery products preparation methods food safety freshness and operational execution.

• Partner closely with Merchandising Pricing Supply Chain Logistics Store Operations Quality Assurance and Marketing.

• Lead talent planning team development coaching and performance management.

• Build and maintain a high-performing collaborative team.

• Ensure category strategies align with brand priorities customer expectations and operational capabilities.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of Deli-Bakery category management merchandising pricing procurement replenishment and inventory management.

• Ability to manage day-to-day category activities while supporting long-term business strategies.

• Strong understanding of short-shelf-life products production planning freshness standards shrink management and food safety.

• Ability to analyze consumer insights market trends financial performance and operational data.

• Strong negotiation and vendor-management skills.

• Ability to influence decisions and gain alignment across multiple business areas and levels of leadership.

• Ability to take calculated risks when implementing programs that respond to changing customer demands.

• Innovative and strategic thinker with the ability to identify new product assortment and merchandising opportunities.

• Demonstrated ability to lead through organizational and operational change.

• Strong communication presentation planning and influencing skills.

• Active listener with the ability to build trust and credibility across the organization.

• Self-motivated and persuasive with the ability to present and execute new ideas.

• Ability to balance customer demand product quality food safety financial performance and store execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.

• Five to eight years of category management experience preferably within Deli Bakery Fresh Foods Prepared Foods or Foodservice.

• Minimum of eight years of combined experience in retail merchandising pricing logistics supply chain procurement foodservice or distribution.

• Demonstrated experience leading teams through organizational or operational change.

• Proven track record of coaching developing and managing the performance of others.

• Knowledge of retail merchandising replenishment production planning item-management and forecasting systems.

• Strong understanding of logistics and supply-chain operations for fresh and short-shelf-life products.

• Knowledge of commissary operations prepared-food production and bakery processes.

• Expertise in food preparation practices sanitation freshness standards and food-safety requirements.

• Knowledge of federal state and local regulations affecting Deli-Bakery operations including FDA USDA labeling and weights-and-measures requirements.

Food Lion provides equal employment opportunities to all associates and applicants for employment without regard to race color religion sex (including pregnancy childbirth and related conditions) national origin age disability sexual orientation veteran status gender identity or gender expression or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you have a disability and require assistance in the application process please contact our Recruiting Department

Required Experience:

IC

Employment Type : Full Time
Experience: years
Vacancy: 1