Category Manager - Dairy

Vaco; Monrovia (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco by Highspring in the Greater Pasadena Area, CA, onsite five days per week, is seeking a Category Manager to own the category strategy, driving product selection, sourcing, pricing, inventory, and vendor relationships to improve category performance.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in category management within grocery or consumer products, strong negotiation skills, and experience with dairy or perishable categories. Bachelor's degree preferred.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in category management, buying, sourcing, procurement, or merchandising within grocery, food, retail, or related consumer products environment.
• Dairy, refrigerated, fresh, or perishable food category experience strongly preferred.
• Strong experience sourcing and evaluating new food products.
• Demonstrated vendor management and negotiation experience.
• Understanding of commodity markets, pricing, margins, and retail-based mathematics.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, changing retail environment.
• Strong communication, relationship-building, and organizational skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own category strategy across product selection, value, vendor relationships, fulfillment, negotiations, and inventory quality.
• Partner with merchandising leadership to establish and achieve sales, margin, SKU, and unit targets.
• Stay closely informed on category trends, commodity pricing, market conditions, production capacity, and emerging products.
• Manage vendor relationships and supply chain performance, ensuring negotiated agreements, quality standards, and fulfillment expectations are met.
• Source, evaluate, and introduce new products while identifying opportunities to strengthen and diversify the vendor base.
• Partner with buyers and broader product teams to support fill rates, inventory quality, and fulfillment goals.
• Evaluate product quality, pricing, customer value, and overall category performance.
• Build strong relationships with manufacturers and vendors while leading negotiations.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with merchandising, product development, operations, and other internal teams.

Skills

Strong communication

Relationship-building

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Category Manager

Location: Greater Pasadena Area, CA

Schedule: Onsite, 5 days per week

Compensation: $125,000-$145,000 base salary

Department: Merchandising

About the Opportunity

We are partnering with a nationally recognized, food-focused retail organization to hire an experienced Category Manager. This is an opportunity to take ownership of a key product category and play an integral role in product selection, sourcing, vendor strategy, pricing, inventory, and overall category performance.

The ideal candidate brings strong grocery, food, or consumer product category management experience and has a genuine passion for identifying unique products and delivering value to the customer.

Responsibilities

• Own category strategy across product selection, value, vendor relationships, fulfillment, negotiations, and inventory quality
• Partner with merchandising leadership to establish and achieve sales, margin, SKU, and unit targets
• Stay closely informed on category trends, commodity pricing, market conditions, production capacity, and emerging products
• Manage vendor relationships and supply chain performance, ensuring negotiated agreements, quality standards, and fulfillment expectations are met
• Source, evaluate, and introduce new products while identifying opportunities to strengthen and diversify the vendor base
• Partner with buyers and broader product teams to support fill rates, inventory quality, and fulfillment goals
• Evaluate product quality, pricing, customer value, and overall category performance
• Build strong relationships with manufacturers and vendors while leading negotiations
• Collaborate cross-functionally with merchandising, product development, operations, and other internal teams

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in category management, buying, sourcing, procurement, or merchandising within grocery, food, retail, or a related consumer products environment
• Dairy, refrigerated, fresh, or perishable food category experience strongly preferred
• Strong experience sourcing and evaluating new food products
• Demonstrated vendor management and negotiation experience
• Understanding of commodity markets, pricing, margins, and retail-based mathematics
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, changing retail environment
• Strong communication, relationship-building, and organizational skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience preferred

EEO Notice

Vaco by Highspring is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by federal, state or local law.

Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [e-mail].

Vaco by Highspring also wants all applicants to know their rights that workplace discrimination is illegal.

Privacy Notice

Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries ("we," "our," or "Vaco by Highspring") respects your privacy and are committed to providing transparent notice of our policies.

• California residents may access Vaco by Highspring HR Notice at Collection for California Applicants and Employees here.
• Virginia residents may access our state specific policies here.
• Residents of all other states may access our policies here.
• Canadian residents may access our policies in English here and in French here.
• Residents of countries governed by GDPR may access our policies here.

Additionally, submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. More details about Vaco by Highspring's use of AI can be found here (https://www.highspring.com/ai-use-notices/). Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase will be conducted by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco by Highspring does not know and cannot opine on if its client's use of AI products in hiring.

Pay Transparency Notice

Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco by Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to:

• the individual's skill sets, experience and training;
• licensure and certification requirements;
• office location and other geographic considerations;
• other business and organizational needs.

With that said, as required by local law, Vaco by Highspring believes that the following salary range referenced above reasonably estimates the base compensation for an individual hired into this position in geographies that require salary range disclosure. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses.