Category Manager - Tools & Operations

Position Summary:

The Category Manager is responsible for managing and executing category strategies across assigned product categories to support profitable growth, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency. This role partners closely with Sales, Integrated Site Leadership, IT, Sourcing, and Supply Chain to optimize assortment, pricing, and supplier performance while ensuring category plans align with customer needs and enterprise objectives.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assortment Management: Manage core and extended product assortments based on customer demand, sales performance, and supplier capabilities with a strong focus on customer needs.
• Category Planning & Execution: Support the development and execution of category plans, including assortment changes, supplier negotiations and value positioning. 
• Supplier Management: Manage supplier relationships, including performance reviews, cost initiatives, and ongoing collaboration to support category strategies. 
• Analytics & Reporting: Analyze sales, margin, and inventory data to monitor category performance, identify trends, and support data-driven decisions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work with Sales, Sourcing, Marketing, and Operations to execute category initiatives and ensure alignment with business goals.
• Market & Product Insights: Monitor market trends, competitive activity, and product opportunities; support new product introductions and lifecycle management.
• Financial Performance Support: Support category-level margin, inventory, and working capital objectives through pricing actions, cost initiatives, and supplier programs.

Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Marketing, or related field
• 3–5 years of experience in category management, sourcing, merchandising, or product management, preferably within industrial distribution or B2B environments
• Solid analytical and financial skills with experience evaluating sales, margin, and inventory performance
• Ability to execute category plans and manage multiple initiatives simultaneously
• Understanding of market dynamics, customer needs, and competitive positioning
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to work effectively across functions
• Effective communication and supplier relationship management skills
• Experience working with ERP systems and data analysis tools (e.g., Excel, Power BI, Tableau)

Work Environment (Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.):

• Long periods of time working on a computer and performing key-boarding activities.

Physical Demands (Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.):

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to sit.  The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk.  The employee may be required to occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus.