Remote Director of Category Strategy & Merchandising

SSP America; Ashburn (VA); Remote; USD 133,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

SSP America is seeking a Director of Category Management & Merchandising to shape a multi-category retail program across snack/impulse, beverages, and travel essentials. This senior leader will drive strategy, pricing, promotions, and supplier partnerships to grow revenue and margins.

You will lead a team of category managers and merchandisers, collaborate with Design & Construction on store concepts, and partner with Commercial, Operations, and Marketing to execute programs that delight

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Management, Finance, or related field.
• 8–10 years of experience in hospitality, retail, or food service.
• Proven experience in multi-unit operations.
• Deep understanding of category management principles for food and beverage.
• Experience leading and mentoring teams of category managers, buyers, or merchandisers.
• Strong understanding of P&L, sales, and profitability, with ability to analyze metrics.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute a holistic retail and category strategy across snacks, beverages, and travel essentials.
• Identify new revenue streams through fresh food and travel items; expand formats.
• Lead creation and optimization of planograms, merchandising frameworks, and space allocation.
• Partner with Design & Construction to set retail design standards for new builds and renovations.
• Deliver against KPIs: AOV, capture rate, margin, incremental sales; analyze data to drive decisions.
• Develop pricing and promotion strategies with Commercial and Finance; coordinate with Ops and Marketing.
• Lead end-to-end execution of new program rollouts: product selection, POS setup, readiness, launch analysis.
• Build strategic relationships with suppliers and distributors; manage supplier income programs.
• Mentor a team of category managers, buyers, and merchandisers; align with Ops leadership.
• Foster a high-performance culture aligned with SSP America's values.

Skills

Category management

Merchandising

Leadership

P&L management

Analytical skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing or related field

Tools

Scorpion

Spaceman

MyMicros

MyInventory

Job description

SSP America is seeking a Director of Category Management & Merchandising to shape a multi-category retail program across snack/impulse, beverages, and travel essentials. This senior leader will drive strategy, pricing, promotions, and supplier partnerships to grow revenue and margins.

You will lead a team of category managers and merchandisers, collaborate with Design & Construction on store concepts, and partner with Commercial, Operations, and Marketing to execute programs that delight