Category Assistant (Hybrid)

Office Depot; Honolulu (HI); Hybrid; USD 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Office Depot in Boca Raton, FL, is seeking a Category Assistant to support the Merchant and Category Analyst in daily merchandising tasks and vendor management. This hybrid role requires 2–3 days in the office and offers involvement in pricing guardrails, forecasting, budgeting, and assortment planning.

You will analyze performance data, prepare reports, communicate item setups and promotions, and develop productive vendor relationships to help achieve sales and margin goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience with at least 2 years in related field.
• Experience desirable in finance, marketing, supply chain, or retail operations.
• Strong communication skills and ability to manage multiple projects.
• Proficient with basic computer tools: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, and Gmail.

Responsibilities

• Enter data to support pricing and promotional guardrails.
• Analyze and forecast using category metrics and vendor data.
• Create recurring and ad hoc analyses for Category Manager.
• Ensure accurate pricing and error-free item scanning.
• Communicate new, discontinued, and promoted items for setup.
• Learn the company’s Category Management processes.
• Build confidence with vendors and manage vendor relations.
• Support day-to-day vendor communications with corporate reps.
• Develop relationships with external vendor resources.
• Assist with tasks like physical sets, follow-ups, and reporting.
• Acquire knowledge of product categories, vendors, and market trends.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Multitasking

Team effectiveness

Detail-oriented

Self-starter

Organized

Tolerance for ambiguity

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Access

Gmail

Job description

Overview

The Assistant, Category supports the Merchant, Category in the management and execution of daily merchandising tasks. This position ensures that implementation of category initiatives runs smoothly through defined administration processes across functions and with vendors; this is an integral part of this role. Through the management of vendor funding, with a close eye on market behavior and a clear understanding of category performance, this position provides the foundation for the Category Merchant. The incumbent will provide operational support for all merchandising activities within the assigned Category. The Category Assistant assists the Merchant in analyzing, planning, and executing processes necessary to achieve sales and margin goals within the assigned category. A degree of conceptual skill and ingenuity is required for the Category Assistant to distinguish him/herself. Although the Category Merchant has final authority over decisions undertaken by his/her merchandising team, the Category Assistant is relied up to produce analysis of sufficient scope and rigor that it informs those decisions. Please note this will be a hybrid role and candidates must be available to work from our office in Boca Raton, FL 2-3 days per week.

Primary Responsibilities

• Enter data to support pricing and promotional guardrails.
• Establish habits of analysis that assist the Merchant and Associate Merchants in forecasting, budgeting, managing assortments, conducting line reviews, score-carding vendors, setting price points consistent with established pricing strategies.
• Perform analysis and reporting (recurring and ad hoc) to support Category Manager and Category Analyst.
• Work with Category Management team and Merchandise Operations to ensure the products are priced accurately and scan without errors.
• Communicate New Items for set‑up and discontinued items as well as set-up for promoted items.
• Learn the company’s Category Management planning processes.
• Develop a level of comfort and confidence with vendors and vendor relations.
• Assist the Category Merchant and Category Analyst in day‑to‑day communications with vendors’ primary corporate representatives.
• Establish working relationships with vendor outside resources and maintain vendor cost information.
• Assist Category Teams with additional tasks as required (e.g. physical sets, follow‑up with vendors, reporting needs).
• Learn about responsible area’s category assortment including knowledge of products, vendor base and industry innovation.

Education and Experience

1. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience plus a minimum; 2 years of experience in related field.
2. Experience desirable in finance, marketing, supply chain, or retail operations.
3. Basic computer skills and knowledge, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, and G‑Mail.
4. Team effectiveness.
5. Tolerance for ambiguity.
6. Ability to contribute substantively to more than one project simultaneously.
7. Strong communication skills (e.g. a capacity for concise, articulate contributions to meeting discussions is essential, as is an ability to write cogent memos and e‑mail correspondence).
8. Self‑starter.
9. Organized.
10. Detail‑oriented.