Category Manager – Packaged Beverages

Role Overview

Vaughan Executive Partners is collaborating with a prominent multi-state convenience retail company to find a strategic and commercially driven Category Manager focused on Packaged Beverages. The position oversees a high-volume, influential category with responsibilities to foster sales growth, profitability, innovation, and customer engagement via strategic category management, supplier cooperation, and data-informed methods.

Reporting directly to senior merchandising leadership, this individual will significantly influence category strategy and carry out initiatives that improve the customer experience and enhance business outcomes throughout an extensive retail operation.

Key Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of the profit and loss performance for assigned packaged beverage categories.
• Formulate and implement annual business plans, category strategies, and long-term growth roadmaps.
• Lead supplier contract negotiations, manage contracts, and coordinate joint business planning efforts.
• Utilize point-of-sale data, customer insights, syndicated research, and market trends to pinpoint growth opportunities.
• Oversee the launch of new products, commercialization processes, and category resets.
• Develop strategies for assortment, pricing, and promotions to optimize sales and profit margins.
• Collaborate closely with Marketing, Loyalty programs, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance departments for effective category initiative execution.
• Track supplier performance through scorecards and metrics and ensure their financial commitments.
• Assess the success of promotions and pricing strategies, providing suggestions for ongoing improvement.
• Detect emerging consumer trends, innovative possibilities, and competitive risks within the beverage category.
• Prepare and deliver category performance reviews, business updates, and strategic advice to senior management.

Qualifications and Core Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, Merchandising, or related field.
• Between 5 and 7 years of advancing experience in category management, merchandising, retail buying, or similar commercial roles.
• Preferred background in convenience retail, foodservice, beverage, or consumer packaged goods sectors.
• Proven success in managing category P&L and fostering profitable growth.
• Experience with developing assortment, pricing, promotional, and category optimization approaches.
• Strong negotiation capabilities and skills in managing supplier relationships.
• Excellent analytical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to convert complex datasets into actionable commercial insights.