CATEGORY JOB DESCRIPTION

Category Analyst Roles:

• Supporting the implementation of event plan and business growth through quality reporting and analysis
• Supporting Category Managers to forecast business with accuracy
• Managing administrative & operational functions for the Omnichannel team
• Providing accurate and timely data input/management with ability to self-audit
• Assisting the development of category analysis and insights such as; product assortment, pricing, promotions, new products, consumer behaviour and industry trends
• Tracking, monitoring, evaluating and analysing events through post-mortem reporting
• Supporting the timely and effective communication of the Omnichannel business unit.
• Collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders including Channel Business Units, Brand & Activism, Supply Chain and Finance, both locally and globally.

Category Analyst Experience and Qualification:

• A tertiary qualification in Business or in an associated discipline
• 2+ years of experience in a commercial analyst role, preferably in a retail environment
• Strong analytical abilities with a high-level attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines by prioritising
• Proactive and proven problem-solving skills
• Highly effective written and verbal communication
• A passion for learning and taking initiative
• Experience and working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook

Highlighting analytical expertise and attention to detail, a Category Resume effectively showcases the skills needed to manage data-driven planning and insights.

Category Associate Duties:

• Reporting to Category Manager,
• To be aware of global trends in the related field and make resources,
• Develop and present seasonal/weekly merchandise financial plan and sales budget as unit-based, value-based and profit-based in accordance with company goals, historical performance and market trend analysis,
• Revising the monthly budget by sales forecasts and managing OTB,
• Analyze data to strategize profit growth opportunities for the responsible category,
• Managing the seasonal inventory and budget with operations that discount, promotion, dispatch and RPT-order decisions,
• Constantly monitor and report category sales and promotion, tracking new product performance,
• Prepare reports by reviewing sales performance indicators regularly,
• Collaborate across departments to drive category goals,
• Researches and monitor competitors in terms of pricing and product innovations.

Category Associate Requirements and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree preferably from Textile Engineering or related field,
• 3-5 years in retail merchandising, fast fashion industry or business setting with related experience,
• Expertise in working with women category management,
• Passion for growth, as well as consumer and market understanding,
• Attention to detail, excellent interpersonal and communication ability with strong and consistent follow-up skills,
• A strong desire to win and drive independent collaboration with relative cross-functional teams/individuals,
• Highly collaborative working style and the ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment,
• Strong time management skills with an ability to prioritize multiple tasks,
• Creative and innovative problem solving,
• Good command of both written and spoken English,
• Good level of MS Office applications.

Global Category Buyer Details:

• Contribute to delivering the value and securing TCO reductions of the category in scope
• Support and provide inputs to build fact-based category analysis using adequate procurement tools and templates
• Support global category strategy elaboration, implementation, and follow-up
• Responsible, upon delegation by Category Manager, for the execution of RFx process
• Support the supplier relationship management
• Track internal performance within category
• Support relationship with category stakeholders
• Execute risk management approach for the category in scope
• Actively contribute to the development of the Category organization

Global Category Buyer Experience and Requirements:

• Min 1 – 3 years of experience in category management or in in other relevant strategic procurement functions
• Experience in chemicals is strongly recommended
• ‘Ownership mindset’
• Good communication / presentation skills
• Minimum business, commercial and financial acumen
• Problem-solving and analytical skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Collaborative and a true team player
• Willingness and ability to challenge own and others’ beliefs and thinking in a constructive manner

Category Management Analyst Functions:

• Support Customer Category Manager (CCM) with in-depth analysis of strengths / opportunities of current execution of category 4P strategies
• Identify actionable insights from data analysis and makes recommendations for customer when needed
• Measure sales performance and impact of initiatives; communicate results effectively
• Understand and apply Customer, Consumer, Shopper and Industry insights using various data resources and other market research data
• Provide support as needed for category reviews providing unbiased analysis, interpretation and actionable recommendations for improving category performance
• Provide support as needed for planogram building
• Support CCM’s & Team Leader (TL) to seek, create and develop new business opportunities to drive category growth
• Manage ad hoc, weekly and monthly reporting to support CCMs, TL and Buyers
• Work with CMTL to present high level macro consumer and industry trends
• Contribute to insight driven innovation sessions to stimulate internal idea generation
• Supports CCMs and Buyers on any special projects or assignments related to their business
• Maintain confidentiality of restricted customer information and develop a trusting relationship as a category expert

Category Management Analyst Skills, Abilities and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business or related field required
• 3 years CPG experience and proven knowledge/understanding of syndicated data (IRI or Nielsen)
• Walmart and/or Category Management experience preferred with a market analysis background
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills
• Detailed oriented with strong organizational skills and ability to successfully multi-task
• Understanding of IRI/Nielsen, Numerator or other syndicated data, marketing research, and current product sales and industry trends
• Computer proficient (Microsoft Office, IRI/Nielsen, ECRM, Walmart’s systems – Retail Link/Quickbase)
• Space Management software knowledge (JDA Space Planning / ProSpace)
• Strong oral, written, and presentation skills
• Strong leadership, teamwork, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to interact with diverse personalities at all levels of the organization
• Ability to work in a fast paced environment, manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize work to meet deadlines is essential to be successful in this position

Leveraging data analysis and market insights within Category Skills and Experience enables professionals to optimize strategies and drive category performance.

Category Manager Responsibilities:

• Develop and manage relationships with brands, and act as the link between brands and our eB2B marketplace.
• Manage accounts team to work with different tiers of suppliers in the assigned category.
• Conduct market research and invest in relationships to have a deep understanding of the assigned category
• Ensure varieties as one of our most important competitive advantages.
• Drive demand to formulary products and understand where and why demand shift is not occurring, leveraging team to assist in driving demand to marketplace
• Optimize price and brands’ trade support continuously
• Coordinate with trade marketing team using mostly e-commerce and digital technique

Category Manager Knowledge and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree
• At least 3+ years of relevant experience
• Strong reporting skills, numeric ability, and sales analysis
• Strategic mindset and a strong sense of the market; have a point of view and direction on where to take the business and the ability to drive and execute a long-term business plan.
• Must have a basic knowledge of Medicine pricing, suppliers, supply, and demand to prioritize, strategize, and create leverage to attain lower pricing and higher variety
• Possesses a clear understanding of suppliers/sellers' management

Category Manager Duties:

• Analyze data or insights to determine industry and consumer trends
• Devise long-term development strategies for product categories
• Develop exit strategies for unsuccessful products
• Foster trust relationships with vendors to achieve better pricing and quality of services
• Place appropriate orders to ensure product availability that meets consumer demands
• Determine the positioning of a product category to maximize visibility
• Liaise with marketing teams to determine competitive pricing and promotional activities of a product category
• Collaborate with buyers and merchandisers to expand product categories
• Make forecasts for product demand to ensure the sustainability of inventory
• Assume responsibility of budget development and revenue for category

Category Manager Experience and Requirements:

• BSc/BA in business administration, marketing or related field
• Proven experience as category manager or similar role
• 2 – 3 years’ experience
• Understanding of store dynamics desired but not necessary
• Solid knowledge of category management, marketing and sales principles
• Understanding of data analysis and forecasting methods
• Proficient in MS Office
• An analytical mind with a strategic ability
• Excellent communication and people skills

Category Planner Functions:

• Manage efficient flow of correspondence and information with internal and external parties in regards to stock availability and Supply Chain processes
• Proactive engagement with suppliers to improve agreed KPIs
• Identify opportunities for improved supply chain performance
• Engage suppliers for key event planning
• Monitor supplier forecasts accuracy
• Support the product Phase-In and Phase-Out strategies in line with business strategy
• Communicate supply impact to wider business and develop improvement plans

Category Planner Abilities, Knowledge and Experience:

• 5 years’ experience in a Supply Chain stock planning environment, preferably within retail or FMCG
• Excellent communication skill with the ability to influence where required
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines
• Analytical mindset for problem solving and root cause analysis
• Experience of working with suppliers to improve performance
• Great presentation skills, with prior experience presenting to internal and external stakeholders at varying levels of seniority
• Experience in end to end stock planning
• Knowledge and understanding of SAP and ERP is desirable
• Intermediate MS Office Suite skill set

Senior Category Planner Roles:

• Develops and owns short- and long-term top-down financial plans at the category and channel levels collaboratively with Demand Planning, Category Management, Finance, Channel Teams and Supply Chain to support company financial goals and strategic vision
• Facilitate the information flow between Demand Planning, Category Management, Marketing, Sales and Finance leading to develop integrated omni-channel business plans to guide the company to maximize revenue, profitability, and inventory investment
• Leads and manages planning revenue, gross margin, and inventory metrics of the demand plan, category plan, open to buy management, and business review/consensus meetings
• Leads reconciliation of top-down and bottom-up demand plans between cross functional partners throughout the planning and forecasting process
• Proactively identifies opportunities and risks in the both the forecast and the business due to internal/external factors and develops action plans accordingly with cross-functional partners.
• Partners closely with Category Management on product strategy, merchandising plans, and cross-functional business planning including new product introduction and end of life planning
• Regularly meets with Demand Planning, Category Management, and Sales to track sales and inventory trends related to the sales pipeline and collaborate on actions the improve the business
• Monitors inventory levels across business channels and provides omni-channel guidance and actions to optimize inventory balances and inventory investments cross functionally.
• Provides data and analytics to the Demand Planning Team, Category Management, Sales, and Finance to facilitate the writing of short and/or long-term business/brand plans and performance measurements
• Analyzes and quantifies the incremental impact of business/promotional activity on ROI and company P&L and impact across channels
• Works closely with Director of Demand Planning and IT staff to develop planning tools and actionable reporting metrics performance to measure business performance
• Works with cross-functional partners to create, develop, evaluate, and recommend analytic tools
• Performs other analysis and data management duties as assigned by The Director of Demand Planning

Senior Category Planner Requirements and Qualifications:

• Experience managing top-down and bottom-up demand planning, supply planning, or inventory planning; commercial experience in both direct-to-consumer and wholesale businesses a plus
• Demonstrated expertise in demand planning, forecasting, inventory planning, and data analysis
• Exceptionally strong analytical and quantitative skills are a must
• High degree of proficiency and accuracy required
• Extensive knowledge of reporting systems, creative problem-solving, analysis and attention to detail
• Excellent computer skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Internet software, at minimum)
• Strong ability to organize, analyze, and compare relevant data from multiple sources; to identify trends, patterns, and exceptions; and to quickly develop hypotheses for further investigation
• Ability to connect analyses with business context and business results
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to articulate technical information to various levels through the organization, including senior management
• Ability to work effectively with multiple departments and levels within the company
• Ability and desire to work in a challenging, fast-paced environment
• Self-motivated; able to quickly identify what needs to be accomplished and drive results

Applying analytical thinking and collaboration from a Category Career Guide enables professionals to drive data-informed planning and improve business outcomes effectively.

Category Management Lead Analyst Duties:

• Identifies opportunities to improve the sourcing approach and procurement process which could have significant financial impact on the organization
• Ensures that contracted relationships have enabled supplier performance measurement and reporting function.
• Analyzes overall business requirements, supplier relationship structures and processes to improve performance and overall value
• Review, revise and/or draft contracts
• Analyzes industries, supply, markets, and sourcing best practices to define alternative supplier relationship structures to meet enterprise-wide requirements, manage costs, and maximize value for dollars spent
• Recommends new sourcing strategies, process improvements and supplier relationship structures for the enterprise
• Manages execution and implementation of small to medium sized sourcing initiatives within assigned expenditures categories
• Develops timelines and organizes matrix team to implement sourcing strategies and initiatives
• Manages day-to-day execution of sourcing and contracts process and facilitates involvement of expert resources
• Collaborates with business staff and manages development of requests for proposals (RFPs) and other selection and supplier evaluation tools
• Develops negotiation strategy performing and overseeing detailed financial analysis to determine market and world class costs for specified products and services
• Prepares negotiation and facilitates negotiation strategy in conjunction with the Business Staff and Supply Chain Management leadership where appropriate and able to lead negotiations
• Monitors and reports progress against performance objectives and sourcing initiatives
• As a key contributor, must be willing and able to act as a change agent and demonstrate resiliency as changes occur

Category Management Lead Analyst Skills, Abilities and Qualifications:

• BA / BS strongly preferred, ideally in Business, Supply Chain, Medical Management or related field.
• Excellent project management skills
• Strong communication, facilitation and leadership skills with a proven ability to lead, influence and motivate others
• Strong time management skills; highly organized and detailed oriented
• Strong analytical, cross-functional communication skills, teamwork and interpersonal skills.
• Highly collaborative and collaborates with appropriate experts to solve problems
• Ability to work well in a dynamic and rapidly changing environment, with periods of ambiguity
• Ability to apply fact-based negotiation principles and tactics; perform procurement-related economic/financial analysis and total cost analysis
• Understands strategic and sourcing implications of key industry trends and developments
• Understands industry cost structures and drivers and implications for strategic position

Category Sourcing Manager Functions:

• Manage and support contracting efforts across AES renewable businesses which includes negotiating strategic supply agreements and to ensure safe and timely supply of renewable equipment for category
• Establish and cultivate strategic relationships with renewable equipment vendors ensuring purchasing strategy (including preferred vendors, pricing, terms and conditions) leverages AES scale to the benefit of businesses in the portfolio
• Establish and maintain best-in-class procurement processes for new renewable projects, major maintenance projects, and technology improvements to exploit the advantages of the global supply base.
• Partner with Engineering, Construction, and Development teams to implement the unified strategy defined by the Global Supply Chain team to deliver projects timely and under budget
• Work with project teams and to define sourcing strategies - including the exploration of alternate sources of supply, the consolidation of requirements across AES businesses, alternative solutions or technologies, cost avoidance, inventory reduction, standardization, low cost country sourcing etc.
• Collaborate with project teams to define cost reduction roadmaps to meet the Forward Cost Target on each individual project, applying specific sourcing optimization initiatives
• Contribute to the leadership and the continued growth and development of the Supply Chain Department
• Handle category “knowledge” (suppliers, supplier financial performance, total cost models and market analysis)
• Maintain procurement documentation for contracts and run bidding process and development for category

Category Sourcing Manager Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• Undergraduate degree in Supply Chain/Procurement/Sourcing, Legal, Business Administration or Engineering, or technical field from accredited entity; MBA desirable
• 5+ years of validated experience in Supply Chain/Procurement/Sourcing in Renewable Energy Market (primary Wind, Solar and/or Energy Storage)
• Strong negotiation skills with extensive contract negotiation experience
• Financial knowledge for cash-flow evaluation in a project (cost of capital, IRR, NPV).
• Proven success working to develop consensus from diverse opinions in a highly fluid and sometimes ambiguous multi-cultural environment
• Ability to build and leverage strategic partnerships for mutual benefit
• Knowledge and experience with sourcing/procuring power plant/utility equipment, services and construction
• Experience in developing “Total Cost of Ownership” and other business models
• Solid digital literacy including MS Access
• Experience in supplier qualification and supplier development
• Knowledge of SAP MM module (desirable) and Ariba (desirable)

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