Category Manager, Alcohol

**About Circle K**

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**Summary**

We are currently hiring for a Category Manager, Alcohol to join our Western Canada team. Reporting to the Director, Merchandising, the Category Manager, Alcohol will be responsible for increasing category gross profit by selecting local suppliers, evaluating new products, negotiating pricing, and planning marketing strategies. The Category Manager will collaborate and support National and Business Area activities for the category. The Category Manager may also supervise or provide direction to Junior Category Managers or other merchandising staff positions.

**Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities**
- Supports National and Business Area strategic direction.
- Responsible for local assortment and planogram execution.
- Owns frontline pricing decisions (with promotional guidance from National or Business Area for floor/ceiling.
- Responsible for vendor operations and local relationships
- Responsible for planogram implementation - resets (including all 3rd party relationships).
- Responsible for actionable operational reporting (Out of Stock, Zero Sales Reporting, Delivery Frequency, and others as necessary).
- Increases sales revenues by developing promotional concepts and overlay programs on local assortment.
- Foster positive relationships between the National, Business Area and Business Unit team and Operational team.
- Supports pilots/testing activities, including preparation and delivering communication materials. Also tracking of results and feedback to the appropriate team.
- Establishes and monitors gross margins by forecasting and developing annual sales quotas, projecting expected sales volume and profit for existing and new products, and determining placement and promotions.
- Projects and measures category sales and gross profit results by developing and maintaining records of item cost, retail, and gross margin dollars.
- Maintains external local and national vendor relations by providing direction, guidance, and information, resolving concerns.
- Recommends changes in products, service, and policy by evaluating results and competitive developments.
- Achieves financial objectives by preparing an annual category review, budget, scheduling expenditures, analyzing variances, initiating corrective actions. Allocates program costs by preparing operational and risk reports for analyses aligning with the National and Business Area Merchandising.
- Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reading professional publications, establishing personal networks; or participating in professional societies.
- Contributes to team effort by accomplishing determined Financial and Key Result Area targets pursuant to Company Plan guidelines.

**Qualifications & Skills**
- Bachelor’s degree in advertising, finance, management, business economics, or related field preferred. Other combinations of experience and education that meet the requirements may be substituted.
- Five years of experience or more preferred in merchandising; including experience in management responsibility.
- Proficient in MS Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
- Must have strong relationship management, analytical thinking, and financial acumen skills.
- A valid driver’s license with clean abstract.
- May require up to 30% travel.