Meat & Seafood Category Lead — Strategy & Growth

Busch's Inc.; Ann Arbor (MI); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K with company match

Daily Pay available

Job summary

Busch's Inc. in Michigan is seeking a seasoned Meat & Seafood Category Manager to lead buying, strategy, and supplier relations. You will manage assortment, pricing, promotions, and product innovation to maximize sales and guest satisfaction across the category.

Ideal candidates have 6+ years in meat/seafood retail, strong negotiation and analytical skills, and the ability to collaborate across Operations, Marketing, and Finance. This on-site role offers benefits including 401K and Daily Pay.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, merchandising, food industry management, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum 6 years of combined experience in meat and/or seafood retail operations, merchandising, buying, or category management.
• Strong knowledge of fresh meat and seafood products, merchandising, production, product specifications, yields, costing, handling, food safety, and quality standards.
• Strong buying, sourcing, vendor management, and negotiation skills.
• Strong financial acumen with demonstrated ability to manage sales, gross profit, pricing, promotional performance, inventory, and shrink.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with the ability to translate data into actionable category strategies.
• Proficient organization and planning skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and projects.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including written, verbal, listening, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and work effectively across Operations, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and other functional areas without direct authority.
• Proficient computer skills, particularly Microsoft Excel, Word, email, reporting tools, and category management systems. Able to learn and effectively use proprietary applications and technology.
• Demonstrated ability to balance short-term execution with planning 12 to 24 months into the future.
• Ability and willingness to regularly visit Busch's stores, interact with store teams, evaluate category execution, and respond to business needs.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage the Meat and Seafood categories, including fresh, frozen, value-added, and prepared items, to maximize sales, gross profit, sell-through, and Guest satisfaction.
• Develop annual and long-range category strategies for assortment, pricing, promotions, merchandising, and product innovation that align with Busch's strategic plan and strengthen our fresh-food differentiation.
• Lead buying and sourcing activities, including product selection, negotiation, purchasing, and supplier management, to ensure quality, value, innovation, and consistent supply.
• Analyze category performance, Guest needs and preferences, industry trends, and competitive activity to identify opportunities and make fact-based business decisions.
• Develop and manage category financial plans and budgets. Monitor sales, gross profit, inventory, shrink, promotional performance, and other key measures, and make timely adjustments to achieve objectives.
• Manage strategic vendor and supplier relationships, including regular business reviews, pricing, service levels, product quality, promotional support, and new product opportunities.
• Lead annual, seasonal, and weekly promotional planning, including product selection, pricing, margin forecasting, merchandising direction, and coordination with Marketing and Operations.
• Manage assortment and the new/discontinued item process to improve category productivity, differentiation, profitability, and Guest experience.
• Partner closely with Operations to drive consistent execution of category strategies, regularly visit stores, evaluate results, gather feedback, and provide clear merchandising and product direction.
• Partner with Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, the Category Analyst, and other internal teams to support category initiatives, reporting, testing, and business improvement opportunities.
• Identify opportunities to improve product quality, food safety, inventory, shrink, yields, production methods, and operational efficiency while ensuring compliance with applicable standards and regulations.
• Maintain strong Meat and Seafood product expertise and industry knowledge while contributing ideas, recommendations, and best practices that improve the overall business.

Skills

Category management

Vendor management

Negotiation

Analytical skills

Forecasting

Cross-functional collaboration

Excel

Communication

Problem-solving

Planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, merchandising, food industry management, or related field

Equivalent relevant experience may be considered

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Reporting tools

Category management systems

Job description

Busch's Inc. in Michigan is seeking a seasoned Meat & Seafood Category Manager to lead buying, strategy, and supplier relations. You will manage assortment, pricing, promotions, and product innovation to maximize sales and guest satisfaction across the category.

Ideal candidates have 6+ years in meat/seafood retail, strong negotiation and analytical skills, and the ability to collaborate across Operations, Marketing, and Finance. This on-site role offers benefits including 401K and Daily Pay.