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.

Basic qualifications

• Experience partnering with executive-level leaders to identifying and solving business issues
• Experience in building and developing a high performance team
• Experience developing strategies that influence leadership decisions at the organizational level
• Experience in project management including resource planning, managing schedules, reporting project status and prioritizing own tasks and those of other team members for multiple projects
• Experience analysing market opportunities, engaging and negotiating with customers, and defining new areas of innovation
• Experience in customer-facing leadership roles, or 5+ years of merchandising including executing all procedures related to the in-store display of products and services to drive the customer experience, generate product interest, and maximize sales experience
• o Develops deep, credible relationships with senior-level executives, both inside and outside current areas of responsibility.
• o Serves as trusted advisor internally and externally from a Category Management, Merchandising, Procurement, and Supply Chain perspective.
• o Engages with internal and external stakeholders to define, clarify and resolve issues related to supply management and performance expectations.
• o Collaborates / liaises with marketing on relevant program and product strategies to support team and company initiatives.
• o Engages with other leaders to formulate the organization’s long-term strategic direction.
• o Defines strategies and approaches to empower and equip leaders to be effective in their interactions with internal and external stakeholders.
• o Identifies gaps in strategic understanding, formulates resolution recommendations and delivers clear and compelling communication.
• o Shifts comfortably between big picture strategic thinking and the tactics required to achieve outcomes.
• o Identifies risks and vulnerabilities, creates contingency plans.
• o Conducts regular and ad-hoc reviews with team, stakeholders, partners and customers.
• o Oversees and advises other leaders on task- and project-related issues and assists with overcoming barriers.
• o Demonstrates nuanced understanding of the WFM business, the grocery retail industry, and the business models of key strategic partners and competitors.
• o Able to assess how key functions, processes and operating models impact the business; delivers recommendations on how to optimize.

Preferred qualifications

• Bachelor's degree, or 8+ years of education or related field experience
• 4-6 years leadership experience.

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, TX, AUSTIN - 183,600.00 - 248,400.00 USD annually