Senor Director, Category Strategy

Work Location Ontario Office **About SNDL** SNDL is a public company whose shares are traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "SNDL."SNDL is the largest private-sector liquor and cannabis retailer in Canada with retail banners that include Ace Liquor, Wine and Beyond, Liquor Depot, Value Buds, Spiritleaf, and Firesale Cannabis. SNDL is a licensed cannabis producer and one of the largest vertically integrated cannabis companies in Canada specializing in low-cost biomass sourcing, indoor cultivation, product innovation, low-cost manufacturing facilities, and a cannabis brand portfolio that includes Top Leaf, Contraband, Palmetto, Bon Jak, Versus, Value Buds, and Vacay. SNDL's investment portfolio seeks to deploy strategic capital through direct and indirect investments and partnerships throughout the North American cannabis industry. **About the Role** The **Senior Director, Category Strategy** is a pivotal leader responsible for shaping the long-term category vision and driving profitable growth across our 230+ store cannabis retail network. This role goes beyond traditional category management, elevating the function into a forward-looking commercial strategy that balances customer insight, financial performance, and operational excellence. Reporting directly to the VP, Retail Revenue & Partnerships, this leader will own pricing, merchandising, promotional and loyalty/E-commerce strategy while serving as a critical thought partner to both internal leadership and external partners. **Key Responsibilities** - ** Category Strategy & Vision** - Define and lead the multi-year category growth strategy, ensuring alignment with overall corporate objectives. - Translate consumer, market, and competitive insights into actionable strategies that position the business as a category leader. - ** Insights-Driven Leadership** - Build a best-in-class insights capability within Category Strategy, integrating consumer research, loyalty data, competitive intelligence, and market analytics. - Champion the use of advanced analytics, predictive modeling, and demand forecasting to shape decisions on pricing, assortment, and promotions. - Serve as the organization’s thought leader on consumer and market trends, proactively surfacing risks and opportunities for the executive team. - Ensure that all category decisions are grounded in data-driven insights with clear, measurable outcomes. - ** Commercial Leadership** - Drive holistic category strategies that integrate pricing, demand planning, inventory, and promotional levers. - Partner with Finance and Operations to maximize both top-line sales and margin performance. - Anticipate market shifts and proactively adjust strategies to maintain competitiveness. - ** E-commerce & Loyalty Ownership** - Lead the strategy and performance of e-commerce platforms, ensuring digital assortments, pricing, and promotions are optimized for conversion and profitability. - Define and oversee loyalty program strategy, leveraging customer data to deepen engagement, drive repeat purchases, and unlock personalized marketing opportunities. - Ensure that digital and loyalty insights feed directly into category strategies and broader corporate planning. - ** Cross-Functional Influence** - Act as the senior point of integration between Category, Marketing, Operations, and Production / Supply Chain. - Lead strategic conversations with external vendors, brand partners, and industry stakeholders to secure advantageous terms and build long-term partnerships. - ** Team Leadership & Development** - Mentor and develop a high-performing category and insights team, elevating their capabilities in analytics, foresight, and strategic thinking. - Build a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and data-driven decision-making across the organization. - ** Performance & Insights** - Oversee the creation of advanced category performance dashboards and insight frameworks to monitor trends in real time. - Develop forward-looking KPIs that not only measure historical performance but also predict future opportunities. - Leverage insights to recommend bold, proactive actions that drive differentiation in a competitive marketplace. **Qualifications** - 8+ years of progressive experience in category management, insights, merchandising, or sales/commercial strategy, with at least 3-5 years at a senior leadership level. - Deep expertise in consumer and market insights, analytics, and forecasting tools. - Strong financial acumen with demonstrated ability to balance revenue growth and margin expansion. - Proven success in developing and executing long-term commercial strategies that drive sustained business results. - Exceptional ability to influence cross-functional teams and senior executives. - Strong vendor negotiation and external partnership experience. - Inspirational leader with a track record of building, coaching, and scaling insights-driven teams. **Why Join Us?** - Be part of one of the largest cannabis retail operatio