What are the responsibilities and job description for the Category Lead position at Van Eerden Foodservice?
Van Eerden Foodservice is a fourth-generation, family-owned food service distributor with over 100 years of Delivering a Great Customer Experience! We believe nothing brings food and families together like sharing a meal. By serving our customers and employees with care, we allow other to do what the VE family values as an important family tradition, sharing a meal with friends and family. We are rooted in quality and service, and we strive to deliver Fresh Ideas, Fresh Products, and Fresh Solutions to our customers each and every day.
We are currently seeking a Category Lead. This position will report to the Senior Category Manager. They will be responsible for the development and execution of strategic plans for the category assigned to them in order to assure the achievement of short and long term goals.
Responsibilities:
- Develop, plan, and execute strategies, and accept accountability for the achievement of category goals.
- Collaborate and support sales by providing key end user calls, work withs, sales training, industry expertise, and broker & manufacturer oversight in a way that helps them achieve their goals.
- Responsible for the final selection, implementation, and results of vendors, products, and brands chosen to fulfill the category’s strategy.
- Collaborate with, provide guidance, motivate, and support buyer counterpart to assure the successful achievement of all purchasing goals.
- Oversee the vendor purchases within the category assuring the successful achievement of key performance measures.
- Develop, record, oversee, and report regularly on the execution of individual vendor annual plans assuring the successful achievement of marketing revenue goals as well as vendors sales and margin goals
- Maintain industry leading expertise for the category(s) and products you are assigned.
- Collaborate with Category Leadership to research, understand, and report on industry, consumer, and operator trends in support of the Sales department.
This list of duties is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties or responsibilities that management may deem necessary given the situation or need.
Qualifications:
This position requires a thorough understanding of the food service industry and supply chain, as well as excellent leadership abilities demonstrated through team-building and collaboration. Strong candidates will exhibit excellent communication skills as well as the ability to analyze and solve complex problems. Must also have a strong working knowledge of MS Office suite and ERP systems. Must possess or be able to rapidly develop a strong knowledge of products within assigned category and division sales requirements. A minimum of 5 years of experience in category management or purchasing are required. A college degree is preferred.
