District Manager - Garden Retail

Central Garden & Pet Company; Boston (MA); Remote; USD 75,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401k with company match

Vacation & Holidays

Employee Assistance Program

Education Assistance

Referral Bonus

On-demand pay

Job summary

Central Garden & Pet Company is seeking a District Manager to drive in-store service execution and POS growth for Lowe’s, Home Depot and Walmart in Boston, MA. You will manage a small team of merchandisers, conduct store audits, and develop strong retailer relationships to maximize display space and compliance.

Travel daily to assigned accounts, lead by example, coordinate with store management, and ensure timely completion of resets and re-labeling projects.

Qualifications

• 1–2 years of retail merchandising experience preferred.
• BA/BS degree or extensive retail merchandising experience.
• Strong communication skills to interact with store management and direct reports.
• Prior experience maintaining customer relationships preferred.
• Ability to work independently, manage time effectively, multitask and problem solve.
• Strong reading skills to understand packaging labels and re-tagging projects.
• Must be able to bend, pull and lift 50 lbs consistently.
• Must be able to climb ladders, use a pallet jack and powered hand tools.
• Must have a valid driver’s license with reliable transportation and proof of insurance.

Responsibilities

• Train, motivate and provide leadership to an assigned group of merchandisers.
• Manage up to 4–5 full or part-time merchandisers and their work schedules.
• Conduct store audits to ensure merchandising fundamentals and best practices are followed.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with account management (Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart).
• Negotiate additional display space in stores.
• Meet critical timelines such as resets, re-labeling and special projects.
• Down-stock and maintain set integrity for Central Garden products within territory.

Skills

Retail merchandising

Communication skills

Time management

Problem solving

Education

BA/BS degree

Retail merchandising experience

Tools

Pallet jack

Powered hand tools

Ladders

Job description

Our Garden Group, providing sales support and logistics for both proprietary brands and other consumer recognized brands, is searching for a District Manager to call on home improvement retailers Lowe’s, Home Depot and Walmart in Boston, MA. A District Manager on the Retail Sales & Service Team is responsible for in-store service execution in a designated number of Lowe’s, Home Depot and Walmart accounts in a defined geographic area; implementing service fundamentals and “best practices” for hourly retail Merchandisers and providing management/oversight of direct reports within their assigned and scheduled stores. This position is focused on developing strategies to increase point of sale (POS) for Central Garden products in the designated assigned accounts.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Train, motivate and provide leadership to an assigned group of merchandisers
• Managingup to 4-5 full or part time merchandisers and their work schedules
• Conduct store audits to ensure that the fundamentals of merchandising and “best practices” are being implemented
• Developing and maintaining strong business relationships with all levels of account management (Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart)
• Negotiating additional display space in the stores
• Must be able to manage critical timelines such as Resets, Seed Re-labeling and special projects
• Down stocking and maintaining set integrity for Central Garden grass seed, chemicals, pottery and fertilizers within assigned stores in territory

IDEAL CANDIDATE ATTRIBUTES

• 1-2 years of Retail Merchandising experience preferred
• Retail Merchandising experience in a seasonal category is a plus
• BA/BS degree or an extensive amount of retail merchandising
• Strong communication skills required to interact with store management and direct reports
• Prior experience with maintaining customer relationships is preferred
• Ability to work independently, manage time effectively, multi-task and problem solve
• Strong reading skills required to understand packaging labels and re-tagging projects
• Must be able to bend, pull and lift 50 lbs consistently throughout the course of a work day
• Must be able to climb ladders, use a pallet jack and powered hand tools
• Must have a valid driver’s license in the state in which you reside, a good driving record, reliable transportation and proof of current personal car insurance with you listed as an insureddriver
• Ability to work in a constant state of alertness and safe manner

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Retail store environment – both in store and garden center
• Work week is Monday - Friday and some weekends during Peak Season (March - June)
• Ability to travel daily and overnight between stores (personal car)
• Remote

BENEFITS PACKAGE & EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Free Life and Disability Insurance
• Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• 401k with 3% company match and annual profit-sharing bonus!
• Paid vacation, holidays and sick time
• Employee Assistance Program
• Discounts on cell phones, movie tickets, gym memberships, and more!
• Education Assistance (both college degrees and professional)
• Referral Program with cash bonus
• Access to on-demand pay

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) is a leading consumer goods company in the pet and garden industries. Guided by the belief that home is central to life, the Company's purpose is to proudly nurture happy and healthy homes. For over 45 years, its innovative and trusted solutions have helped lawns grow greener, gardens bloom bigger, pets live healthier, and communities grow stronger. Central is home to a diversified portfolio of market-leading brands including Amdro®, Aqueon®, Best Bully Sticks®, Cadet®, C&S®, Farnam®, Ferry-Morse®, Kaytee®, Nylabone®, Pennington®, Sevin® and Zoёcon®. With fiscal 2025 net sales of $3.1 billion, Central has strong manufacturing and logistics capabilities supported by a passionate, entrepreneurial growth culture. The Company is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, and employs over 6,000 people, primarily across North America. Visit www.central.com to learn more.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.