Nouria Energy Corporation is a multi-generational family-owned wholesale fuel distributor, convenience store operator and car wash operator in New England. Our wholesale and retail fuel businesses are multi-branded, which includes Shell, Mobil, Irving, Sunoco, Gulf, Valero, Citgo, Phillips 66, Exxon, and multiple unbranded brands. Our wholesale operations supply branded and unbranded fuel to 300+ locations across New England and New York. We are ranked within the top 50 largest convenience store chains in the country, operating 150+ company-operated locations throughout New England and ranked within the top 10 largest car wash chains in the country
Nouria Corporate Position Profile Position Title: Category Manager - Fresh Foods / Dispensed Beverages
Department: Fresh Foods / Food Service
Position Reports to: Director of Fresh Foods / Culinary
Profile last updated: June 2, 2024
Position Summary: Responsible for creating / managing multiple fresh food concepts across the entire organization. In concert with the development and execution of all category-related activities that includes vendor partnerships, pricing, product development, forecasting, reporting, merchandising, and most importantly financial growth within the categories of responsibility. The candidate for this position will be the subject matter expert in the specific categories of responsibility, working within departments to align on the best "go to market" strategy for the business.
Essential Job Functions: - Determine and manage product offering, ensuring it is compelling and relevant to our customers, and capitalizes on product and category trends, and major new item launches
- Requires strong analytical skills to optimize category performance
- Work with vendors proactively in building relationships and determining product offering
- Follow all established processes for new and discontinued items and make recommendations for areas of improvement
- In addition to managing national brands, should identify and initiate development of any relevant private label opportunities
- Retail pricing: Propose, establish, and manage retail prices based on role of product and category, and monitor to ensure they are broadly competitive while delivering budgeted margin rate. Proactively work with vendors to negotiate support and appropriate costs to ensure attractive retail prices on key items
- Cost pricing: Ensure continual strong negotiation with vendors to deliver best possible costs, and develop strong vendor relationships
- Negotiate supply, cost and marketing fund contracts with vendors as necessary and relevant
- Work with vendors to develop highly compelling promotional activity, negotiating strong funding support
- Ensure promotional deadlines are met and accounting processes are followed
- Conduct pre and post promotional analysis to optimize future promotional activity
- Work with advertising for promotional signage and any special support needed
- Proactively work with merchandising to optimize product offering and presentation, and determining where and how we should display and sell
- Optimize range and space configuration on ongoing basis, based on market trends and new items
- Work with merchandising and vendors to develop planogram updates, and ensure major resets are carefully pre-planned and managed
- Proactive financial management, including reviewing profit/margin reports, and sales reports, compared to budget to ensure strong performance and trends, making recommendations for any necessary course correction to address gaps
- Optimize category potential and proactively exploit opportunities and address weaknesses by reviewing category performance, analyzing and researching internal and industry sales data and trends, and relevant industry and vendor insights and data, including reviewing best practices across trade channels, to ensure strong performance vs. market trends
- Stay informed on performance trends, competition and regional preferences as needed for fresh foods / QSR brand inclusion.
- Collaborate with training and development to ensure proper training and evaluation of all team members within fresh foods.
- Ability to work cross functionally through multiple departments for collaboration and execution.
Minimum Position Qualifications: - Bachelor's Degree in a business or marketing related discipline
- 2+ years of progressive experience in QSR restaurant brand relationships and or category management
- Working knowledge C-Store industry within the field of food service or related fields
- Proven experience of leading change within an organization
- Experience with analyzing and interpreting data
- Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Proficient in Microsoft Office
- Ability to travel independently up to 25%
- Ability to maneuver and regularly lift and or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and or move up to 40 pounds
Desired Previous Job Experience/Qualifications: - 5+ year's category management experience with a discipline in Food Service
- Experience with PDI reporting systems and portal resources for data insight
- Proprietary / QSR / Food Service Development / Innovation
Nouria Energy is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.