Executive Leader, Category Merchant – Frozen Team, Center Store

Provides leadership and oversight to the Category Management / Merchandising function, including strategy development, innovation, definition and execution of marketplace differentiators, key supplier partnerships and team development. Responsible for the financial performance of the Category management / Merchandising function. Accountable for all Category Management / Merchandising strategic and operational decisions, including category management, purchasing, and procurement and retail operations. Oversees team efforts to develop category goals & strategies and product assortments through the lens of our core customer, ensuring a strong mix of brand product relevance, best-in-class local product relevance, and best-in-class private label product relevance - distinguishing Whole Foods Market from our competition. Responsible for business financial performance.

Key job responsibilities
o Provides leadership and oversight to Category Management and Merchandising leaders and teams.
o Sets the strategic direction of a master category, serving as foundation for all work merchants perform.
o Contributes to, oversees and/or leads the design of category layout, category adjacencies and space allocation for both ongoing and new retail operations.
o Contributes to financial performance forecasting and overall Category Management / Merchandising strategic planning and priority setting.
o Contributes to strategic alignment between category merchants and/or buyers across regions and retail operations.
o Owns relationship management and strategic alignment with key supplier partners.
o Serves as a driving force for Merchandising evolution, incorporating multiple and diverse stakeholder needs into plans for continued progress.
o Drives strategically-focused and data-driven process improvement recommendations to leadership.
o Engages with customers, partners and other key external stakeholders to ensure mutual understanding of WFM principles, values, strategies and priorities.
o Aligns resources according to strategic objectives.
o Actively monitors and manages Merchandising in-season performance, driving issue resolution through team and elevating performance issues as required.
o Engages with senior internal stakeholders, including Marketing, Finance and Procurement, to ensure an integrated approach to ongoing operations.
o Addresses and resolves critical and/or sensitive customer, operational and other issues.
o Ensures ongoing open and informative communication across all Merchandising stakeholders.
o Coaches and develops their team.
o Builds a pipeline of talent, hires for all roles, develops those in role, and supports Team Member career progression.

Skills:
o Engages with other leaders to design, maintain and champion the mission, vision and strategy of the organization.
o Defines, develops and implements initiatives to enhance team and business performance.
o Develops deep, credible relationships with senior-level executives, both inside and outside current areas of responsibility.
o Serves as trusted advisor internally and externally from a Category Management, Merchandising, Procurement, and Supply Chain perspective.
o Engages with internal and external stakeholders to define, clarify and resolve issues related to supply management and performance expectations.
o Collaborates / liaises with marketing on relevant program and product strategies to support team and company initiatives.
o Engages with other leaders to formulate the organization’s long-term strategic direction.
o Defines strategies and approaches to empower and equip leaders to be effective in their interactions with internal and external stakeholders.
o Identifies gaps in strategic understanding, formulates resolution recommendations and delivers clear and compelling communication.
o Shifts comfortably between big picture strategic thinking and the tactics required to achieve outcomes.
o Influences broad organizational strategic direction and planning on a go-forward basis.
o Plans, estimates, staffs, organizes and monitors significant task and project activity.
o Identifies risks and vulnerabilities, creates contingency plans.
o Conducts regular and ad-hoc reviews with team, stakeholders, partners and customers.
o Oversees and advises other leaders on task- and project-related issues and assists with overcoming barriers.
o Demonstrates nuanced understanding of the WFM business, the grocery retail industry, and the business models of key strategic partners and competitors.
o Able to assess how key functions, processes and operating models impact the business; delivers recommendations on how to optimize.
o Able to “connect the dots” across markets, customers, partners and programs to identify interdependencies and long-term growth opportunities.
o Viewed as a thought leader within Merchandising organization.