Strategic Category Lead: Pastry, Chocolate & Pantry

Peterson Company; Washington (District of Columbia); Sur place; USD 75 000 - 85 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Health insurance

Life insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Résumé du poste

Peterson Company is seeking a strategic Category Manager to lead our pastry, chocolate, and pantry portfolio, shaping category strategy, driving product innovation, and managing supplier partnerships to deliver profitable growth.

You will collaborate with Sales, Supplier Management, FP&A, and culinary teams to ensure the assortment meets evolving customer needs while maintaining a competitive market position.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in Category Management, Product Development, Procurement, or a related field.
• Direct experience within pastry, chocolate, bakery, or specialty food categories.
• Strong supplier management and negotiation experience.
• Proven analytical and financial acumen, including pricing and margin management.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.

Responsabilités

• Develop and execute category strategies that drive growth, profitability, and market leadership.
• Monitor industry trends, consumer preferences, competitive activity, and supply market developments.
• Identify assortment gaps and new product opportunities aligned with customer demand and business objectives.
• Present category performance, insights, and recommendations to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Lead new product development from concept through launch.
• Partner with suppliers to develop innovative and exclusive products.
• Collaborate with Sales to understand customer needs and category opportunities.
• Manage the product lifecycle, including SKU optimization and rationalization.
• Lead product evaluations, tastings, and quality assessments.
• Own category financial performance, including revenue, margin, and cost management.
• Analyze sales, profitability, pricing, and market data to identify growth opportunities.
• Support forecasting, budgeting, and business case development.
• Partner with Sales on customer opportunities, bids, and pricing strategies.
• Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships across pastry, chocolate, and pantry categories.
• Negotiate commercial agreements and drive supplier performance.
• Identify and develop new supplier partnerships and sourcing opportunities.
• Establish contingency sourcing plans to ensure supply continuity.
• Support trade shows, customer events, and product showcases.
• Develop engaging product presentations and tasting experiences.
• Leverage events to introduce new products and strengthen supplier and customer relationships.

Connaissances

Category management

Supplier management

Financial analysis

Negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Formation

Bachelor's degree

Outils

ERP systems

Analytics platforms

Category management tools

Description du poste

Peterson Company is seeking a strategic Category Manager to lead our pastry, chocolate, and pantry portfolio, shaping category strategy, driving product innovation, and managing supplier partnerships to deliver profitable growth.

You will collaborate with Sales, Supplier Management, FP&A, and culinary teams to ensure the assortment meets evolving customer needs while maintaining a competitive market position.