Senior Manager, Merchant

Grainger; Lake Forest (IL); Hybrid; USD 123,000 - 205,000; Full time

Job summary

Grainger in the Lake Forest/Chicago area seeks a Senior Manager, Merchant to own category strategy, optimize assortment, and drive profitable growth through cross-functional collaboration.

You will lead a team, set priorities with Product Information, Publishing, Search, and Marketing, and base decisions on analytics, customer insights, and market trends to improve the customer experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience in engineering, technology, science, marketing, logistics, business or relevant field.
• Experience developing and executing merchandising, assortment, or go-to-market strategies that drive measurable business results.
• Experience applying analytical and financial information to merchandising and assortment decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead category strategies that optimize assortment, product presentation, and customer experience while delivering revenue and growth objectives.
• Own assortment decisions including product additions, discontinuations, supplier selection, and branding strategy.
• Lead and develop team members responsible for category and merchandising work, providing coaching and feedback.
• Coordinate with Product Information, Publishing, Search, Content Strategy, Supplier Management, Marketing, and other partners to execute priorities.
• Use analytics and market information to evaluate performance, identify growth opportunities, and make data-driven decisions.

Skills

Category management

Leadership

Analytics

Strategy development

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Work Location Type: Hybrid

Req Number 334585

About Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc. is a leading broad line distributor with operations primarily in North America and Japan. At Grainger, We Keep the World Workingby serving more than4.6 million customersworldwide with maintenance, repair andoperating(MRO) products and value-added solutions delivered through innovative technology and deep customerexpertise. Known for its commitment to service and purpose-driven culture, the Company reported2025 revenue of$17.9 billion. For more information, visitwww.grainger.com.

Compensation

The anticipated base pay compensation range for this position is $123,000.00 - $205,100.00. This role is eligible for an incentive target of up to 20% or $, based on the achievement of individual and company performance objectives in accordance with the current terms of the incentive program which are subject to change.

Rewards and Benefits

With benefits starting on day one, our programs provide choice and flexibility to meet team members' individual needs, including:

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans with coverage starting on day one of employment and 6 free sessions each year with a licensed therapist to support your emotional wellbeing.
• 18 paid time off (PTO) days annually for full-time employees (accrual prorated based on employment start date) and 6 company holidays per year.
• 6% company contribution to a 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan each pay period, no employee contribution required.
• Employee discounts, tuition reimbursement, student loan refinancing and free access to financial counseling, education, and tools.
• Maternity support programs, nursing benefits, and up to 14 weeks paid leave for birth parents and up to 4 weeks paid leave for non-birth parents.

For additional information and details regarding Grainger's benefits, please click on the link below:

https://experience100.ehr.com/grainger/Home/Tools-Resources/Key-Resources/New-Hire

Grainger Benefits

The pay range provided above is not a guarantee of compensation. The range reflects the potential base pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual base pay compensation will depend, in part, on factors such as geographic work location and relevant experience and skills.

The anticipated compensation range described above is subject to change and the compensation ultimately paid may be higher or lower than the range described above.

Grainger reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion at any time, consistent with applicable law.

Position Details

The Senior Manager, Merchant is responsible for the strategy and performance of assigned product categories, connecting customer needs with the right assortment and merchandising solutions. The role develops and executes category strategies that drive profitable growth, improve the customer experience, and strengthen category performance through collaboration with cross-functional partners. The role leads and develops team members responsible for executing category priorities and drives coordinated delivery across merchandising partners.

This is a hybrid position that is based in Lake Forest or Chicago 3 days a week.

You Will

• Start with the voice of the customer by leveraging customer insights, market trends, competitive intelligence, and Grainger data to identify assortment opportunities and improve the customer experience.
• Develop and execute category strategies that optimize assortment, product presentation, and customer experience while delivering revenue, profitability, and growth objectives.
• Own assortment decisions, including product additions, product discontinuations, supplier selection, and branding strategy.
• Lead and develop team members responsible for category and merchandising work by establishing priorities, providing coaching and feedback, and driving accountability for business results.
• Prioritize and lead work across Product Information, Publishing, Search, Content Strategy, Supplier Management, Marketing, and other partners to execute category priorities, including product groupings, taxonomy, filters, attributes, and content strategies that improve product selection and customer confidence.
• Leverage analytics, customer insights, market information, and technology tools to evaluate category performance, identify growth opportunities, simplify processes, and make data-driven merchandising decisions.

You Have

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience in engineering, technology, science, marketing, logistics, business or relevant field. required
• 7+ years of experience in industrial product management, merchandising, marketing, new product development, or technical sales. required
• Experience developing and executing merchandising, assortment, or go-to-market strategies that drive measurable business results.
• Experience applying analytical and financial information, including customer, market, and performance data, to merchandising and assortment decisions.
• Experience leading team members and influencing cross-functional partners to execute category strategies and business priorities.
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes, MRO products, customers, and industry trends.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible work environment that includes both providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the application and hiring process as well as throughout the course of one's employment, should you need a reasonable accommodation during the application and selection process, including, but not limited to use of our website, any part of the application, interview or hiring process, please advise us so that we can provide appropriate assistance.