Category Manager

BIG W; Sydney; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Team discounts across Woolworths Group

Robust rewards program

Wellbeing programs & Sonder App access

Grace Papers career support

Motor vehicle allowance

Job summary

Woolworths Group is seeking a Category Manager for Books to run day-to-day commercial trading, overseeing the entire line from sourcing to stock. You will review around a thousand SKUs monthly, select top titles, place new release and replenishment orders, and monitor stock availability and margins.

You will negotiate marketing support with publishers and collaborate with internal teams to craft selling campaigns.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a retail buyer, account manager, or product manager who has traded a sizeable category.
• Strong financial acumen; able to read and act on sales and profit and loss statements.
• Excellent organisation, attention to detail, and clear communication.
• Collaborative approach suited to a tight-knit team.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end commercial value chain for Books, including new releases and replenishment orders.
• Review ~1,000 SKUs per month and select top titles for placement.
• Negotiate marketing support with publishers and suppliers and plan promotional campaigns that drive sales.

Skills

Retail buying

Account management

Product management

Financial analysis

Stock planning

Negotiation

Job description

The Opportunity

We need a Category Manager to run the day to day commercial trading for Books. You will look after the entire line from start to finish. That means reviewing around a thousand SKUs a month, picking the top titles, placing new release and replenishment orders, and keeping an eye on stock availability and profit margins. You will deal directly with publishers and suppliers, negotiate marketing support, and work with our internal marketing and rewards teams to put together promotional campaigns that actually sell.

You Will

As Category Manager for Books at BIG W, you bring the retail strategy to life by curating a product range that delivers maximum value for customers. Operating in the Commercial Buying and Merchandising team at Level 3, you own the end to end commercial value chain. This includes managing new release and replenishment orders, setting promotional channel plans, and driving trade performance across sales, gross profit, and inventory health.

What You’ll Bring

To succeed, you bring proven experience as a retail buyer, account manager, or product manager who has successfully traded a sizeable category. You possess strong financial acumen with the ability to read and act upon sales and profit and loss statements. Your core strengths include exceptional organisation, high attention to detail, clear communication, and a collaborative approach suited to a tight knit team. Prior experience in the book industry is a valuable benefit but is not essential for candidates with strong retail trade capability. Success in the role is measured through category sales, gross profit growth, inventory health, stock availability, category awareness, and customer satisfaction metrics.

What You’ll Experience

Our Team Members are at the heart of everything we do and we’re always looking for ways to support your career journey and reward great work:

• Team discounts across our range of Woolworths Group brands you know and love and a robust rewards program that celebrates and incentivises purpose-driven work.
• A global business with endless career possibilities around every corner and across every discipline – with valuable exposure to a vast and exciting business network.
• A range of programs to help you prioritise and manage your wellbeing, including 24/7 access to the Sonder App and access to our partner Grace Papers for support on managing your career while balancing family commitments
• Attractive remuneration package, including base salary, performance-based incentive schemes and motor vehicle allowance.

Everyone belongs at Woolworths Group

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are key to realising our purpose of better together for a better tomorrow. We recognise the value our team’s diversity brings to our business, customers, and communities and that teams with diverse experiences and backgrounds enrich our group and are better able to innovate and solve problems. As one of the largest employers in Australia and New Zealand, we aim to create a truly inclusive workplace where everyone feels that they belong, can be their best selves, and reach their full potential.

See how we’re creating better experiences together, for a better tomorrow

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