Job Postings From Our Member Companies Title:
CATEGORY MANAGER – Bulbs & Perennials

Post Date
7/2/2017

Expiration Date
9/2/2017

Details:
American Meadows
Available: Immediately (July 2017)
Commitment: Full-Time
Reports to: Director of Product

WHO WE ARE

At American Meadows, we like to say that we Do Good Through Gardening. Our primary focus is to be great at providing home gardeners with the products and knowledge they need to succeed. We work to accomplish this by combining top-quality products, a staff that’s passionate about what we do, the latest in technology and proven direct-to-consumer methods. If that sounds intriguing, read on...

OUR CHALLENGE

Gardeners work very hard for results that often do not arrive for months or even years. We want to inspire and inform customers while also closing the sale. We are always looking for ways to offer the right products to customers in the ways they want to learn and shop.

WHO YOU ARE & WHAT YOU’D DO

You’re passionate and knowledgeable about plants and have a competitive streak in you. Although you may or may not view yourself as a “salesperson,” you thrive with the challenge of winning in a business environment. Our Category Managers own our results in multiple product categories, in this case our flower bulbs and perennial plants for our American Meadows brand. That means that you must work to source the right products for our customers and deliver the plan to hit our margin goals. You need to be equally comfortable with dirt under your nails and grinding away at an Excel spreadsheet to spot trends and how we can grow our business.

ACCOUNTABILITIES & SUCCESS MEASURES:

Category Business Performance - Priority (1) - Time (35%)

Accountability:
• Deliver Category P&L goals via strong collaboration with cross-functional teams including finance, planning, marketing, and operations.
• Develop and implement Category strategies to achieve longer-range growth targets (new segments, stronger supply chain, etc.).
• Provide organizational visibility to sales & market trends (Weekly Business Review, Hindsights, etc.) and lead competitive response.
• Build Seasonal Marketing Calendar to achieve sales & margin plan (collaborates with Marketing & Planning).
• Support Marketing to provide most compelling products & stories for outbound campaigns.
• Brings a deep understanding of the customer, marketplace, and competitors as well as a data-driven approach to decision-making and a focus on execution.
Success Factors:
• Achieve P&L goals for assigned categories.
• Provide products and sources to support growth goals.
• Provide stories and trends sufficient to meet marketing goals.
• Deliver on all Product Calendar milestones.
Product Assortment - Priority (2) - Time (35%)

Accountability:
• Build / manage product assortment & list pricing to ensure that we maximize growth, revenue and profit while maintaining the brand’s position as a leading authority in our industry.
• Deliver Seasonal Line Reviews to outline clear strategies and tactics to achieve sales & margin plans; Kicks-off cross-functional execution for the upcoming season with shared focus on highest leverage opportunities.
• Source new products based on past sales performance and competitor and market trends.
• Delete products from assortment to maximize return on investment (ROI) of inventory and the customer experience.
• Manage supplier relationships to optimize assortment, item costs, in-stock, and issue resolution.
Success Factors:
• Successful and on-time creation of category plan(s) to support financial goals of the company.
• Fostering of supplier relationships that allow us to meet margin goals.
• On-time delivery of seasonal line reviews.
• Continuous improvement in customer satisfaction metrics.
Planning & Inventory Management - Priority (3) - Time (20%)

Accountability:
• Collaborate with Planner to build & maintain seasonal financial Plan and Forecast by analyzing historical data and current trends to identify risks and opportunities within the business.
• Collaborate with Planning to build / maintain Assortment Planner, Demand Model curves, and Item Forecasts to maximize met demand and in-stock, hit weeks of supply targets, and minimize markdowns and overstocks.
Success Factors:
• On-time creation of seasonal Plan and consistently-updated Forecast numbers.
• Inventory plans that minimize both holding time and lost demand.
Management (If applicable) - Priority (4) - Time (10%)

Accountability:
• Manage Product Manager and provides dotted-line leadership to cross-functional resources.
Success Factors:
• Ensure Product Managers meet/exceed all expectations of their Accountability Matrix.
• Complete all American Meadows-mandated management tasks, such as weekly check-ins, quarterly reviews, etc.


Qualifications:
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Knowledge of and passion for gardening.
• Measurable revenue-generating and quantitative experience.
• Ideally, an understanding of selling through online channels.
• Ability to demonstrate past success in developing and executing to a budget.
• High degree of competency within all phases of project management, e.g. issue and risk identification and management, change management, tracking dependencies and milestones, communication of overall project status.
• Ability to prioritize and multitask while meeting deadlines each day. Uses good judgment in making decisions as part of a dynamic group of professionals working towards a variety of goals.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Measurable skills in Excel and experience with an inventory/order processing system.
• Willingness/Ability to travel to visit vendors and attend industry events.
• Team-minded individual who handles deadlines, is self-motivated and looks to grow their skills while fostering a collaborative and enjoyable work environment.
• Willingness to ‘do what it takes’ to contribute to the success of a small, growing business.
The position will offer a salary commensurate with experience and an excellent benefits package. Depending on timing, this role may have a Product Manager as a direct report. Interested parties are to send Step 1 (mandatory) and send a resume.

Step 1 is simple: In a few short paragraphs, tell us about your dream garden. What cool plants would you include? What would the theme be and why? This is not intended to be a writing assignment, rather a chance for you to initiate an informed conversation about the core elements of this role.

American Meadows is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.

Please use the link below to apply. http://www.americanmeadows.com/jobs


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Employer:
American Meadows

Website:
http://www.americanmeadows.com