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Description

Provides leadership and oversight to the Category Management / Merchandising function, including strategy development, innovation, definition and execution of marketplace differentiators, key supplier partnerships and team development. Responsible for the financial performance of the Category management / Merchandising function. Accountable for all Category Management / Merchandising strategic and operational decisions, including category management, purchasing, and procurement and retail operations. Oversees team efforts to develop category goals & strategies and product assortments through the lens of our core customer, ensuring a strong mix of national brand product relevance, best-in-class local product relevance, and best-in-class private label product relevance - distinguishing Whole Foods Market from our competition. Responsible for business financial performance.

Key job responsibilities
o Provides leadership and oversight to Category Management and Merchandising leaders and teams.
o Sets the strategic direction of a master category, serving as foundation for all work merchants perform.
o Contributes to, oversees and/or leads the design of category layout, category adjacencies and space allocation for both ongoing and new retail operations.
o Contributes to financial performance forecasting and overall Category Management / Merchandising strategic planning and priority setting.
o Contributes to strategic alignment between category merchants and/or buyers across regions and retail operations.
o Owns relationship management and strategic alignment with key supplier partners.
o Serves as a driving force for Merchandising evolution, incorporating multiple and diverse stakeholder needs into plans for continued progress.
o Drives strategically-focused and data-driven process improvement recommendations to leadership.
o Engages with customers, partners and other key external stakeholders to ensure mutual understanding of WFM principles, values, strategies and priorities.
o Aligns resources according to strategic objectives.
o Actively monitors and manages Merchandising in-season performance, driving issue resolution through team and elevating performance issues as required.
o Engages with senior internal stakeholders, including Marketing, Finance and Procurement, to ensure an integrated approach to ongoing operations.
o Addresses and resolves critical and/or sensitive customer, operational and other issues.
o Ensures ongoing open and informative communication across all Merchandising stakeholders.
o Coaches and develops their team.
o Builds a pipeline of talent, hires for all roles, develops those in role, and supports Team Member career progression.