Sr. Category Director, Centre of Store, Hard Discount Division

Come make your difference in communities across Canada, where authenticity, trust and making connections is valued – as we shape the future of Canadian retail, together. Our unique position as one of the country's largest employers, coupled with our commitment to positively impact the lives of all Canadians, provides our colleagues a range of opportunities and experiences to help Canadians Live Life Well®.

At Loblaw Companies Limited, we succeed through collaboration and commitment and set a high bar for ourselves and those around us. Whether you are just starting your career, re-entering the workforce, or looking for a new job, this is where you belong. 

The Sr. Category Director has ultimate accountability for the sales, market share, shrink and EBIT of a category(ies) across all formats and is responsible for understanding and driving their business end-to-end from strategy to tactics. The Sr. Category Director will coach, mentor and develop their team and provide them direction in planning, vendor management, product assortment, space allocations, pricing and promotion in support of overall group objectives and all functions that impact financial objectives.  The incumbent will liaise with various internal and external stakeholders and teams in order to achieve category objectives, including but not limited to Marketing, Finance, Promotions & Allocations, Brands, Operations & Vendors.

Accountabilities:

• Ensure your team of Category Directors’ product assortment, sales and buying plans are in place to support the achievement of individual category and roll up targets.
• In partnership with the Finance and Category Director team build an annual budget that reflects current market conditions and the long-term business plan
• Develop, monitor and manage within annual category budgets in order to achieve national category P&L and GMROI for assigned category(ies), including inventory carrying costs.
• Create, in conjunction with senior leadership team, a long-term strategic vision for the business
• Drive seasonal strategy plans identifying whitespace opportunities to drive growth
• Apply market & product knowledge as well as store feedback to lead the assortment strategies (store & online)
• Responsible for weekly Category reports and LE’s by category including Other Vendor Income.
• Advise on implementation of product assortment, sales and buying plans, while advocating for their customers’ needs, in order to achieve category targets and review implementation throughout the year, adjusting as required to meet targets.
• Guide Category Directors to work with control label brand team to develop innovative and differentiated products that grow the brand and help to achieve overall strategy, sales and market share.
• Partner with Design and Merchandising teams on high level direction for different retail formats in efforts to improve sales efficiency while maintaining execution excellence
• Invest in talent crafting robust colleague development plans
• Lead a culture of agility and innovation embracing change
• Develop and communicate merchandising direction for each retail format for assigned category(ies).
• Guide development and implementation promotions and programs for the assigned category(ies).
• Coach, develop and mentor direct reports. This includes explicit consideration of on-the-job training needs for each colleague, arranging appropriate training, providing timely feedback and overseeing colleague development.
• Collaboratively plan activities and develop strong relationships with the vendor community in order to maximize sales & profit.
• Take full ownership of all key decisions and results, has a passion for their business and a desire to develop their team to similar vision
• Other duties as assigned.

Role Requirements:

• Minimum 7-10 years of experience in a merchandising, buying and/or planning capacity, with extensive experience in a management role
• Strong communication and presentation skills up, down and across enterprise; extensive influencing skills that build strong business relationships beyond your immediate team by listening, building trust and collaborating
• Strong Financial Acumen and experience managing P&L statements
• A strong understanding of the market and competitive landscape in order to recognize, synthesize and capitalize on opportunities
• Proven strength in having a ‘customer lens’ in all decision making process
• Proven ability to develop short and long term plans in line with corporate strategies
• Progressive and innovative: aggressively seeks out opportunities to improve competitiveness and demonstrates an innovative spirit.
• 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
• Demonstrated leader with ability to coach and mentor direct reports and team with a focus on Colleague Development through encouraging open dialogue, empowering team members, celebrating successes and providing constructive feedback
• Build morale and a positive environment for your team
• Results driven and possess strategic agility and have a proven ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment, delegate, and organize work well
• Comfortable navigating change and challenging convention, and you see change as an opportunity to improve

• University or college degree or commensurate retail experience, MBA preferred

Our commitment to Sustainability and Social Impact is an essential part of the way we do business, and we focus our attention on areas where we can have the greatest impact. Our approach to sustainability and social impact is based on three pillars – Environment, Sourcing and Community – and we are constantly looking for ways to demonstrate leadership in these important areas. Our CORE Values – Care, Ownership, Respect and Excellence – guide all our decision-making and come to life through our Blue Culture. We offer our colleagues progressive careers, comprehensive training, flexibility, and other competitive benefits – these are some of the many reasons why we are one of Canada’s Top Employers, Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, Canada’s Greenest Employers & Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.

If you are unsure whether your experience matches every requirement above, we encourage you to apply anyway. We are looking for varied perspectives which include diverse experiences that we can add to our team.

We have a long-standing focus on diversity, equity and inclusion because we know it will make our company a better place to work and shop. We are committed to creating accessible environments for our colleagues, candidates and customers. Requests for accommodation due to a disability (which may be visible or invisible, temporary or permanent) can be made at any stage of application and employment. We encourage candidates to make their accommodation needs known so that we can provide equitable opportunities.  
 
Please Note:
Candidates who are 18 years or older are required to complete a criminal background check. Details will be provided through the application process.

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