Category Specialist, (Contract)

Carter's Inc.; Mississauga; On-site; CAD 45,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic Category Specialist to enhance product management for their Canadian market. This role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive sales and margin plans while managing pricing strategies and promotional activities. The successful candidate will thrive in a fast-paced environment, leveraging their retail expertise and analytical skills to support corporate initiatives. With a commitment to professional development and a culture that promotes innovation and collaboration, this opportunity offers a pathway to grow within a leading apparel retailer focused on serving families with young children.

Benefits

Career Development Programs

Mentorship Opportunities

Flexible Work Environment

Qualifications

• 2+ years in a corporate retail environment required.
• Strong proficiency in merchandising principles and retail math.

Responsibilities

• Support assortment, pricing, and marketing for specific categories.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to achieve financial plans.

Skills

Retail Management

Communication Skills

Analytical Skills

Project Management

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

PLM Systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Serving the needs of all families with young children, Carter’s Inc. is the largest North American apparel retailer exclusively for babies and young children, encompassing Carter’s, OshKosh B’gosh, Skip*Hop and Little Planet brands. Meaningful work, constant learning, genuine people, and a community guided by core values that promote inclusion and innovation is in everything we do. There are many reasons to build your career at Carter's.

HOW YOU’LL MAKE AN IMPACT:
The Category specialist reports directly to the Product Category Manager and is responsible for supporting the assortment, pricing and marketing of specific categories for the Canadian market.

75%: Product Category Management

• Collaborate with all cross-functional teams to deliver to corporate initiatives and merchandising strategies
• Deliver sales and margin plans for the business unit in partnership with the Planning team to build seasonal financial plans and support corporate merchandising initiatives
• Align assortment strategies (pricing, buy quantities, store assortments) to achieve financial plans
• Actively participate in daily/weekly business unit meetings with cross-functional partners to analyze and summarize sales trends, consumer demands, promotional activity and awareness of competition
• Manage the pricing and promotional cadence with the Product Category Manager and Merchandise Associate
• Develop seasonal line plans and strategy that support sales and margin plans and store type plans

25%: Project & Product Support

• Participate in special projects and weekly team meetings, such as ad hoc reporting and trend analysis
• Assist in preparation of quarterly business hindsight and recaps to capture accurate financial and selling history
• Provide summaries and actions based on sales trends and action plans in partnership with the Planning team.
• Support any processes or tasks that support corporate projects and initiatives
• Seasonal Buy Review preparation and presentations to Leadership Team and cross functional partners
• Competitive shop monthly to review competitor pricing and key item strategies

WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU IF:

Must have:

• Ability to execute and effectively deliver results in a fast-paced environment with multiple deadlines
• 2+ years in a corporate retail environment required (purchase order management, price change management, seasonal preparation, report analysis, manage a product category, special project leader, site merchandising)
• General understanding of a retail product assortment, breadth and depth, promotional pricing and entrance/exit strategies

Preferred skills and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Self-Starter, Strong Communication Skills, Flexible, Collaborative
• Experience with PLM systems is an asset
• Strong proficiency in merchandising principles and product knowledge
• Strong proficiency in retail math and analytics
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

OUR TEAM MEMBERS:

• Lead Courageously: Have a strong sense of personal values that align with our Company values
• Collaborates Broadly: Build cooperation, trust, and thrive in a consensus driven environment
• Customer Focus: Proactively seek opportunities to leverage data and fact-based insights to serve customers and/or internal clients
• Drive Growth: Set aggressive goals and implement plans precisely
• Cultivates Innovation: Respectfully challenge the "we’ve always done it this way" mentality and explore new ways to achieve desired outcomes

MAKE A CAREER AT CARTER’S:
Career Development: Success starts from within, and we have several paths from which you can choose to enhance your career evolution. From Carter’s University to Toastmasters to mentorship programs and more, we encourage you to utilize these tools to elevate your professional prowess.

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. The duties described may be changed or reassigned at the discretion of management, and the employee may be required to perform duties that are not listed in the job description.

Carter’s | OshKosh is an equal opportunity employer and encourages all interested and qualified candidates to apply. Should you require any type of accommodation, please do not hesitate to contact us.