Senior Director, Category Strategy

SNDL; Toronto; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading cannabis retailer in Canada is seeking a Senior Director Category Strategy to shape the long-term category vision and drive growth across its retail network. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in category management and the ability to influence cross-functional teams. This full-time position offers competitive compensation, performance bonuses, and opportunities for advancement.

Benefits

Competitive compensation package

Performance bonuses

Career advancement opportunities

Qualifications

• 8 years of experience in category management or related fields.
• 3-5 years at a senior leadership level.
• Deep expertise in consumer and market insights.
• Strong financial acumen.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead multi-year category growth strategy.
• Champion data-driven decision-making in category management.
• Drive holistic category strategies integrating various levers.
• Lead strategy for e-commerce platforms and loyalty programs.

Skills

Business Development

Marketing

Pricing

Analysis Skills

Research Experience

Project Management

Research & Development

Strategic Planning

Financial Modeling

Leadership Experience

Management Consulting

Analytics

Job description

Work Location

Ontario Office

About SNDL

SNDL is a public company whose shares are traded on the Nasdaq. SNDL is the largest private-sector liquor and cannabis retailer in Canada with retail banners that include Ace Liquor, Wine and Beyond Liquor Depot, Value Buds, Spiritleaf and Firesale Cannabis. SNDLs investment portfolio seeks to deploy strategic capital through direct and indirect investments and partnerships throughout the North American cannabis industry.

About the Role

The Senior Director Category Strategy is a pivotal leader responsible for shaping the long-term category vision and driving profitable growth across our 230 store cannabis retail network. This role elevates category management into a forward-looking commercial strategy balancing customer insight, financial performance and operational excellence. Reporting directly to the VP Retail Revenue & Partnerships, this leader will own pricing, merchandising, promotional and loyalty / e-commerce strategy while serving as a critical thought partner to internal leadership and external partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Category Strategy & Vision: Define and lead the multi-year category growth strategy ensuring alignment with overall corporate objectives.
• Translate consumer, market and competitive insights into actionable strategies that position the business as a category leader.
• Insights-Driven Leadership: Build a best-in-class insights capability within Category Strategy integrating consumer research, loyalty data, competitive intelligence and market analytics.
• Champion the use of advanced analytics, predictive modeling and demand forecasting to shape decisions on pricing, assortment and promotions.
• Serve as the organization\'s thought leader on consumer and market trends, proactively surfacing risks and opportunities for the executive team.
• Ensure that all category decisions are grounded in data-driven insights with clear, measurable outcomes.
• Commercial Leadership: Drive holistic category strategies that integrate pricing, demand planning, inventory and promotional levers.
• Partner with Finance and Operations to maximize both top-line sales and margin performance.
• Anticipate market shifts and proactively adjust strategies to maintain competitiveness.
• E-commerce & Loyalty Ownership: Lead the strategy and performance of e-commerce platforms ensuring digital assortments, pricing and promotions are optimized for conversion and profitability.
• Define and oversee loyalty program strategy leveraging customer data to deepen engagement, drive repeat purchases and unlock personalized marketing opportunities.
• Ensure that digital and loyalty insights feed directly into category strategies and broader corporate planning.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Act as the senior point of integration between Category Marketing, Operations and Production / Supply Chain.
• Lead strategic conversations with external vendors, brand partners and industry stakeholders to secure advantageous terms and build long-term partnerships.
• Team Leadership & Development: Mentor and develop a high-performing category and insights team elevating their capabilities in analytics, foresight and strategic thinking.
• Build a culture of curiosity, experimentation and data-driven decision-making across the organization.
• Performance & Insights: Oversee the creation of advanced category performance dashboards and insight frameworks to monitor trends in real time.
• Develop forward-looking KPIs that not only measure historical performance but also predict future opportunities.
• Leverage insights to recommend bold proactive actions that drive differentiation in a competitive marketplace.

Qualifications

• 8 years of progressive experience in category management, insights, merchandising or sales / commercial strategy with at least 3-5 years at a senior leadership level.
• Deep expertise in consumer and market insights, analytics and forecasting tools.
• Strong financial acumen with demonstrated ability to balance revenue growth and margin expansion.
• Proven success in developing and executing long-term commercial strategies that drive sustained business results.
• Exceptional ability to influence cross-functional teams and senior executives.
• Strong vendor negotiation and external partnership experience.
• Inspirational leader with a track record of building, coaching and scaling insights-driven teams.

Why Join Us

• Be part of one of the largest cannabis retail operations in North America.
• Work with a passionate and entrepreneurial leadership team shaping the future of cannabis retail.
• Competitive compensation package, performance bonuses and benefits.
• Opportunities for career advancement in a fast-scaling organization.

Required Experience: Exec

Key Skills

Business Development, Marketing, Pricing, Analysis Skills, Research Experience, Project Management, Research & Development, Strategic Planning, Financial Modeling, Leadership Experience, Management Consulting, Analytics

Employment Type : Full-Time

Experience : years

Vacancy : 1