Category Process Manager

Summary: This position is responsible for serving as the dedicated strategic advisor to a major North American automotive retail provider while representing the company’s manufacturing portfolio, embedding deeply with the retailer’s merchant teams to drive category-wide growth, optimize product placement, and deliver actionable customer insights. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Gather data from the customer and from the industry related to the customer’s business and utilize the insights from the data to work with the customer to create a strategy to grow the category profitably for the customer. Analyze the retailer's proprietary POS data, loyalty metrics, and market share tracking (e.g., Circana/NPD) to identify category growth pockets, regional performance gaps, and margin opportunities. Leverage registration and repair data to make recommendations designed to optimize vehicle park coverage in local markets. Work with all category suppliers to Drive the category line review process for the merchant. Build the comprehensive analytical data packs and pitch presentations used by the retailer’s Category Managers to justify assortment changes to their executive leadership. Partner with the retailer’s space planning teams to design, test, and optimize high-efficiency planograms that maximize sales-per-foot and improve inventory turns and maximize customer-facing inventory placement. Build compelling, data-backed business cases for our latest parts, part numbers, and configurations to ensure high-velocity retail placement. Monitor distribution center (DC) and store-level fill rates. Collaborate with the retailer's replenishment team and our internal supply chain to anticipate spikes and avoid stockouts. Coordinate with catalog, product, and data teams to ensure flawless data health across the retailer’s e-commerce and commercial catalog engines, leveraging ACES and PIES protocols. Tailor shelf-availability and online catalog positioning to target both the commercial shop technician (speed, exact fitment) and the DIY retail customer (clarity, ease of installation). Working with the Sales Organization; Evaluate the return on investment (ROI) of past promotional calendars (circulars, digital coupons, bundled DIY kit offers) and recommend optimized promo structures. Maintain a continuous pulse on competitor retail environments (e.g., O'Reilly, Advance, AutoZone, NAPA) regarding pricing, merchandising tactics, and private label shifts. Other job activities as assigned. Essential Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Experience: Bachelor degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics, Finance, or related analytical field desired; 5+ years’ experience in Category Management, Retail Analytics, or National Account Management, specifically serving a supplier selling into mass retail automotive hardlines. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered. Deep, hands-on experience using retail vendor portals and syndicated data platforms (e.g., AutoZone SMS, Advance Retail Link, Circana/NPD, JDA/Blue Yonder Space Planning). High level of proficiency in Microsoft Excel and familiarity with reporting and database tools, including Power B.I, Database management tools (SQL, OLTP, etc.). Familiarity with A.I. tools to assist in presenting large amounts of data in a digestible format. Strong familiarity with the North American automotive aftermarket landscape, its distribution channels, and application-driven part logic. Direct experience serving as a Category Captain or Co-Captain directly with An Automotive Retailer. Professional certification from the Category Management Association (CMA). Understanding of automotive electronic cataloging standards, specifically ACES and PIES. Ability to travel as required. Equipment Used: Personal Computers, general office equipment. Personal Protective Equipment/Clothing Required (PPE): Safety glasses and hearing protection as required. ESD smock and grounding equipment as required. Physical Demands: (Not Applicable, Occasionally [1-33%; 0-2.5 hrs./day], Frequently [33-66%; 2.5-5.5 hrs./day], Constantly [>66%; 5.5+ hrs./day]) Physical Abilities Stand – Occasionally Walk – Occasionally Sit – Constantly Climb – Not Applicable Crawl – Not Applicable Squat – Not Applicable Kneel – Not Applicable Bend – Not Applicable Twist – Not Applicable Use of Hands/Fingers – Constantly Reach Outward – Not Applicable Reach Above Shoulder – Not Applicable Lift/Carry 10 lbs. or less - Occasionally 11-20 lbs. - Occasionally 21-50 lbs. - Not Applicable 51-100 lbs. - Not Applicable Push/Pull 10 lbs. or less - Not Applicable 11-20 lbs. - Not Applicable 21-50 lbs. - Not Applicable 51-100 lbs. - Not Applicable Sensory Requirements Speech - Yes Vision - Yes Touch - Yes Hearing - Yes Smell - No