Category Manager – Foodservice Growth & Profitability

Core-Mark; Illinois; On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Performance Foodservice in Illinois seeks a Category Manager to lead customer relations, purchasing, and pricing strategies for a key product category. You will coordinate supplier negotiations, optimize assortment, and drive profitability.

The role requires COP knowledge, a Bachelor’s degree, and several years in foodservice category management, plus supervisory experience. You will analyze data, prepare reports, and partner with accounts payable to resolve discrepancies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• Center of the Plate COP knowledge: 2 years minimum.
• 5 years related experience in category.
• 6 months to 1 year supervisory or management experience.
• Strong presentation skills.
• MS Office proficiency (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Responsibilities

• Supplier and Vendor Management - Develop and execute category strategies aligned with company objectives. Manage category business plans and annual targets. Analyze market trends, customer demands and competitor activity to identify growth opportunities and category gaps.
• Negotiate buy brackets, inbound freight rates, backhaul dollars, cash discounts, extended terms, and earned income.
• Ensure costing and pricing accuracy, with special attention to changes, discrepancies, and customer audits. Review over-committed items, buyer's outs, stock adjustments, receiving discrepancies, and sales below cost reports. Process returns to vendors including entering vendor bill backs before merchandise leaves our buildings.
• Product Management - Optimize product assortment and SKU Rationalization. Conduct Assortment reviews to eliminate underperforming items.
• Introduce new products and category innovations. Manage products from launch to discontinuation.
• Pricing and Profitability - Develop strategies to balance margin and competitiveness. Manage category profitability and gross margin performance.
• Data analysis and reporting - Analyze sales, margin, market share and customer behavior to driver assortment and pricing decisions. Develop KPIs and reporting to share or progress and enable decision making for results.
• Be responsible for knowing your products and for product knowledge training for customers.
• Work with Accounts Payable to negotiate, approve, and resolve all billing vs. receiving discrepancies, vendor bill back issues, lost cash discount negotiations, etc.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Complies with all policies and standards.

Job description

Performance Foodservice in Illinois seeks a Category Manager to lead customer relations, purchasing, and pricing strategies for a key product category. You will coordinate supplier negotiations, optimize assortment, and drive profitability.

The role requires COP knowledge, a Bachelor’s degree, and several years in foodservice category management, plus supervisory experience. You will analyze data, prepare reports, and partner with accounts payable to resolve discrepancies.