Director, Category and Assortment

Sysco; Houston (TX); Remote; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Sysco is seeking a Category and Assortment Director for the Sysco Specialty Meat Group to set and manage enterprise-wide category and assortment strategies. The role requires cross-functional influence, leadership across stakeholders, and delivering KPIs aligned with Sysco and SSMG objectives.

Responsibilities include national/regional assortments, SKU rationalization, data-driven insights, and cross-functional leadership alignment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent combination of education/experience.
• 10+ years leadership experience in Category Management or merchandising analytics preferred.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and engagement skills required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category and assortment strategic plans and objectives.
• Leverage Sysco Specialty Meat Group size to build category assortments.
• Create performance metrics to assess strategy effectiveness.
• Design national/regional category assortments with local customer offerings.
• Lead change management to execute assortment strategies across levels.
• Collaborate with USBL partners on assortment stocking optimization using data.
• Oversee product development, SKU rationalization/standardization, and data/image attribution.
• Provide leadership oversight of multiple projects/initiatives.

Skills

Category management

Cross-functional leadership

Data analytics

Change management

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Financial acumen

Supply chain knowledge

Project management

Multi-tasking

Self-motivation

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Job Summary:

The Category and Assortment Director for Sysco Specialty Meat Group is responsible for setting and managing enterprise-wide category and assortment strategies. This role drives execution through cross-functional influence and engagement of all stakeholders. Key responsibilities include establishing and delivering KPIs that support both Sysco and SSMG objectives, optimizing SSMG’s customer-facing assortment, developing essential tools and execution tactics, and ensuring proper cross-functional leadership alignment. This role requires significant levels of cross-functional and leadership engagement, experience in building and executing large-scale strategies, and the ability to lead and influence category and assortment initiatives across a wide range of stakeholders. The Category and Assortment Director ensures complete alignment of assortment management objectives with sales, supply chain, digital, operations, and revenue management.

About Sysco Specialty Meat Group:

Sysco Specialty Meat Group is a leader in the specialty meat industry, committed to providing high-quality products and innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of our customers. We strive to drive transformation and growth through strategic category and assortment management.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute category and assortment strategic plans and objectives supporting SSMG’s overall transformational objectives.

• Leverage SSMG size and scale to effectively build category assortments, enhancing consistency and mitigating unnecessary category uniqueness.

• Create consistent and unbiased performance metrics to assess category strategy effectiveness.

• Design centrally led national/regional category assortments and strategies, complemented by local and customer segment-specific product offerings.

• Implement change management strategies to ensure successful execution of assortment strategies at all organizational levels.

• Develop and lead efforts to collaborate with USBL partners on assortment stocking optimization using data and insights, supported by growth and go-to-market strategies.

• Continuously assess and address evolving process and technology needs to enable effective management of assortment at national, regional, and local levels.

• Manage product development, SKU rationalization/standardization, SKU creation, and data/image attribution.

• Provide ongoing leadership oversight of numerous projects/initiatives.

Technical Skills and Abilities:

• Proven experience in developing and executing large-scale category and assortment strategies.

• Strong cross-functional leadership and engagement skills.

• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence initiatives across a wide range of stakeholders.

• Experience with change management and implementation of strategic plans.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to create and assess performance metrics.

• Knowledge of supply chain, digital, operations, and revenue management principles.

• High level of business/financial acumen.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

• Excellent organizational skills

• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and manage many ongoing projects at once

• Self-motivation with the ability to manage initiatives in a challenging, fast-paced environment.

Education Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from 4-year college/university or equivalent combination of education/experience in lieu of a degree sufficient

Experience Preferred:

• 10+ years leadership experience in Category Management or merchandising analytics in retail, specialty, or foodservice industry

Travel Requirements:

• 10-20% travel as needed

Work Environment:

• Remote