Analyst - Category Management

As a Analyst - Category Management you will support the day to day execution of strategies for assigned categories and focus on reducing organizational spend to improve savings and enhancing relationships with business stakeholders and suppliers. You will be responsible for supporting Supplier Relations and category strategy planning and assisting with the execution of supplier growth plans. You will assist with, and occasionally lead, product optimization efforts and new product onboarding. You will manage assigned supplier relationships, providing increased value for both the company and the supplier. You will work cross-functionally to identify first-cost, standard cost, spend, and pricing optimization opportunities to improve profitability of the category. Responsibilities: Supports development of an optimized Product Assortment & Merchandizing strategy Support Supplier Relationship team by preparing reports, analyzing data and preparing presentations Assist in Supplier meeting preparations involving data gathering, product research and presentation development Conduct opportunity assessments, benchmarking, and cost modeling to develop sourcing opportunities Prepare category improvement projections and conduct post-implementation variance analysis Work with the contract management team in the administration of contract data, addendums, item master sheets, and additional supplier documentation Support category managers in the development of supplier performance/continuous improvement targets and related scorecards Work with the team in the administration of supplier assessments, score cards, and other analytics to manage supplier performance Support marketing plan development and execution Effectively communicate key product messaging both internally and externally Conduct product evaluation and comparisons to identify alternates Identify, manage and communicate new product introductions Conduct supplier negotiations to obtain best value Addresses supplier performance management and issue resolution Partner with the KPI team to develop a tracking mechanism to report and communicate savings achieved Support other initiatives / projects in the company that may affect organization’s performance and collaborate with necessary stakeholders Must be able to perform the essential functions of this position with or without reasonable accommodation Qualifications: Bachelors Degree - business, sales, marketing or relevant field or equivalent experience is required Minimum of 2 years experience in sales, marketing, purchasing or inventory control Product category management experience/2 years preferred History of success maintaining and developing key relationships/2 years Proficient in Excel and Access Analytical and detail oriented Excellent business and financial acumen Ability to travel 0-25% of the time