Sr. Category Manager - Core Pantry

Employment Type: Exempt

ABOUT THRIVE MARKET

Thrive Market was founded in 2014 with a mission to make healthy and sustainable living easy and affordable for everyone. As an online, membership-based market, we deliver the highest quality healthy, and sustainable products at member-only prices, while matching every paid membership with a free one for someone in need. Every day, we leverage innovative technology and member-first thinking to help our over 1,600,000+ members find better products, support better brands, and build a better world in the process. We are also a Certified B Corporation, a Public Benefit Corporation, and a Climate Neutral Certified company. Join us as we bring healthy and sustainable living to millions of Americans in the years to come.

THE ROLE

We are seeking an experienced Sr. Category Manager to own merchandising efforts for the Core Pantry categories at Thrive Market. This role will be responsible for driving growth in revenue and margin for the category through product assortment and selection, vendor relationship management, pricing, promotion, site merchandising, and a keen understanding of trends.

A key component of this position is having a fundamental understanding of the brands, products, and trends driving the Core Pantry, while upholding the highest bar for quality products & ingredients. We maintain a very curated assortment vs. many of our online competitors. Our merchandising team is lean and as a business we are growing quickly, which means priorities change constantly. We’re looking for a nimble, driven, accomplished category management professional who is equally comfortable designing processes, setting clear strategy, and working cross-functionally to achieve our growth goals.

The role typically requires 15-20% travel to trade shows and vendor meetings when possible.

Core Pantry Categories Include:

• Spices, Seasoning & Salt
• Nut Butters & Fruit Spreads
• Condiments & Sauces
• Ghee, Oils & Vinegars
• Honey & Sweeteners

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Grow and maintain the Core Pantry categories to meet expansion goals including revenue, margin, and other KPIs while at the same time balancing our ingredient/quality standards.
• Drive category strategy and innovation, including best in class shopping experience for Core Pantry.
• Actively identify, seek out, and cultivate strong vendor relationships with large volume vendors - negotiate the best pricing and margin terms, promotional support, maintain consistent and clear communication, and be a strong representative of Thrive Market’s brand and values in every interaction.
• Review and vet every brand and product that comes through the door to ensure that their ingredients and sourcing practices meet our quality standards.
• Track, measure, and analyze data and report on KPIs and metrics to identify successes and challenges within category performance, action on areas for improvement, and inform new brand/product opportunities.
• Negotiate with partners to secure the most competitive everyday value pricing for our members, accruals, marketing & promotional budgets, rebate growth incentives, delivery, and payment terms.
• Drive the new product/brand vetting and onboarding process to ensure timely addition to market.
• Collaborate closely with Merchandising Marketing team to develop and execute annual promotional strategies for brands and categories.
• Partner with Procurement team on inventory forecasts, new item projections, vendor fulfillment rates, expiry risks, and exiting out of slow moving inventory.
• Be curious, experimental, and rigorous in your research to make sure our assortment at Thrive Market is on-trend and setting the bar for new products. Know the competitive landscape inside-out.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and be a positive leader both within the merchandising team and the company as a whole.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of experience in a buying or category management role.
• E-commerce experience highly preferred.