Senior Specialist, Category Development

Staples Advantage Canada; Framingham (MA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounts

Job summary

Staples Advantage Canada seeks a Senior Specialist, Category Development to partner with Merchandising and cross‑functional teams. You will benchmark markets, analyze category performance, and translate complex information into actionable insights that drive differentiated growth, sustainable incremental margin, and customer value.

You will collaborate across Merchandising, Category Development, Product Development, Marketing, Analytics, and other teams to turn data into concise business

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, merchandising, analytics, market research, or related field.
• 2+ years of experience in category management, merchandising, market research, consumer insights, business analytics, or related field.
• Experience analyzing quantitative and qualitative data from multiple sources.
• Experience creating reports, presentations, dashboards, or stakeholder recommendations translating insights into action.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Benchmark markets and competitors to inform strategy.
• Analyze category performance to identify opportunities and risks.
• Translate complex findings into concise business implications and recommendations.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, Analytics, Market Research, or related field

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

What you will be doing:

As a Senior Specialist, Category Development, you’ll serve as a research and insights partner for Merchandising and cross-functional teams. You’ll benchmark markets and competitors, analyze category performance, and translate complex information into actionable insights that help drive differentiated growth, sustainable incremental margin, and customer value.

What You Bring to the Table:

• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to connect trends, performance metrics, and business results to practical opportunities and risks.
• Ability to synthesize complex information from multiple sources into clear, actionable insights and recommendations.
• Effective written, verbal, and presentation communication skills, including the ability to translate complex findings into concise business implications.
• Customer-focused mindset, strong business acumen, and curiosity about retail, consumer behavior, market trends, and competitive dynamics.
• Confidence managing multiple priorities, working independently within established processes, and escalating complex or high-risk issues when appropriate.
• Collaborative approach with the ability to partner across Merchandising, Category Development, Product Development, Marketing, Analytics, and other cross-functional teams.

What’s needed: Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, Analytics, Market Research, or related field.
• 2+ years of experience in category management, merchandising, market research, consumer insights, business analytics, or related field.
• Experience analyzing quantitative and qualitative data from multiple sources.
• Experience creating reports, presentations, dashboards, or stakeholder recommendations that translate insights into action.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience supporting Private Brand, product development, or innovation initiatives in retail, consumer products, category management, or merchandising environments.

Experience using market research, competitive intelligence, or benchmarking tools to develop executive-level presentations and business recommendations.

Advanced proficiency with Excel and data analysis techniques.

We Offer:

• Inclusive culture with associate-led Business Resource Groups
• Flexible PTO (22 days) and Holiday Schedule (7 observed paid holidays)
• Online and Retail Discounts, Company Match 401(k), Physical and Mental Health Wellness programs, and more!