Category Manager Leader

We are looking for a Category Manager Leader, with a proven track record of delivering product category profitability growth. The successful candidate has a proven track record of delivering category sales, margin, and market share growth by partnering with the business to develop and implement category strategy, using their strong product development and sourcing skills.

Key criteria for category strategy will require good analytical skills with strong product and market knowledge, along with a strong understanding of legislative, raw material and manufacturing capacity availability. The category assortments should be a well-developed combination of own brands, innovation, national brands, and sustainability addressing customer and market emerging needs.

Based in Burlington, Ontario and reporting to the Vice President, Category Management. This position has the full sales and margin responsibility for the subcategory management, sourcing, and product development functions. Our data tells us that the Away from Home Canadian Market opportunity for Bunzl is ~$9.0 million dollars.

Responsibilities:

• The Category Manager Leader is responsible for building and delivering category assortments, plans and financial targets for their subcategory responsibility with the business segments. Key success measures are sales and gross margin year on year growth.
• In this role, the successful candidate will:
  
  • work closely with the Category VP & Directors to build the necessary skills and requirements to deliver annual categories sales and margin growth.
  • use their previous experience and leadership skills to build product specifications, differentiated product features and costing targets when developing and delivering Company Own and Sustainability Brands in select categories.
  • use their previous experience to use the stage gate process for new product development when collaborating with the segment VP's, Sales Leaders, and Marketing.
  • use their previous experience to effectively source categories for sales and margin growth.
  • use their previous experience with vendors to manage and optimize back side margin programs (profit).
  • use their previous experience to build and use data for tracking and insights of key category inputs of cost and capacity for competitive advantage.
  • use their previous experience to build and use vendor performance scorecards for select category vendors.
  • work closely with peers and team in the United States to collaborate and build "win win" category opportunities where they exist.
  • build the resource to integrate with the BNA sustainability Director and maintain key liaisons with our partner CIAL and the various legislative, trade and special interest groups affecting their subcategory responsibility.

Critical Competencies for Success:

Business Skills: A businessperson with strong category management and sourcing skills who understands how to build category growth through the development of category assortments as a proactive business partner in the organization. Applies business acumen with developed skills to dig deeper and identify the true category challenges to the business. Interprets the category challenges of the business and then translates them to solutions.

Strong Desire & Attitude for Success: A team player who can operate effectively as a member of the team; operate with a hands-on approach and get into the detail as appropriate. Has strong consultative and influencing skills; capable of persuading others, and able to quickly earn the respect of others. Passionate, positive, personable and straightforward with a good sense of humor. Acts as a role model, projecting a highly visible, energetic, motivated and ethical style dedicated to the success of the business. An excellent team player demonstrated by a track record of achieving results through the collaboration and motivation of teams.

High Level of Compete: A competitive person who consistently measures themselves and their team performance against external competition in Category Management. Consistently investing in their team and themselves to deliver results that consistently put them at the top of their competition. Takes tremendous pride in the team accomplishments.

Drive for Results: Recognizes that the role is an important and significant contributor to the business driving sales and gross margin growth. Embraces the importance of the contribution required and sets high expectations that results will be the key measure of success.

Expects Accountability: Understands the importance of the role and the expectations that come with it. Embraces the accountability for themselves and the team knowing that the success delivered against expectations is a positive and prideful reflection of their team.

Requirements:

• Excellent communicator up, down and across the enterprise
• Strong Sourcing & Purchasing Acumen
• A strong understanding of the market and competitive landscape in order to recognize and capitalize on opportunities
• Successful working experience in a NPD stage gate process
• Proven strength in having a 'customer lens' in all decision-making process
• Proven ability to develop plans in line with corporate strategies
• Progressive and innovative: aggressively seeks out opportunities to improve competitiveness and demonstrates an innovative spirit
• Ability to gather and synthesize customer, competitor and market insight and information
• Strong data management and analytical skills with strict attention to detail and the ability to develop business insights and effectively communicate them to the business
• Creative problem solver and strategic thinker with a strong work ethic
• Proven ability to deliver results in a high-pressure environment with the ability to set priorities and meet challenging deadlines
• An effective change agent who possesses the influencing skills needed to help the organization adopt new ways of thinking and to embrace more sophisticated business tools
• Past experience in a similar role within a distribution or wholesale environment
• Proven ability to build relationships with vendor partners

New career... new opportunities! What are YOU waiting for?

Bunzl provides the food and retail packaging, cleaning supplies and equipment, safety products and industrial packaging that keeps over 45,000 businesses in Canada running optimally, every day.

Bunzl plc is a global leader with sales in excess of $10 billion. Bunzl North America is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, owns and operates more than 100 warehouses with over 5,000 employees and 400,000 plus suppliers.

At Bunzl, we want to invest in you. With our multi-career options, you'll not only be able to find the adventure you are looking for today but can be confident that new opportunities will be there for advancement in your future. We know that our employees are our number one asset. That's why we recruit and retain people who are passionate about delivering the very best for our customers. We provide opportunities for our employees to progress within our company based on their talents, experiences, and aptitude.

Bunzl Distribution offers competitive salaries, a comfortable work environment, and a full range of benefits including an RRSP with a company match.

Bunzl Distribution has a tradition of commitment to equal employment opportunity. It is the established policy to attract and retain the best qualified people without regard to race, perceived race, ancestry, place of origin, national origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, record of offences, marital status, family status, disability, social circumstances, political belief and/or source of income; or any other prohibited ground of discrimination as defined in the applicable Human Rights Legislation.