Fast Facts

Seeking an experienced Director of Product Category Management to lead a team in curating and developing merchandising strategies for educational products, achieving significant annual sales and profit growth.

Responsibilities: Oversee product retail sales management, develop annual strategies, direct category managers, analyze sales data, manage inventory budgets, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance product offerings.

Skills: Proficient in financial planning, budgeting, cross-functional collaboration, vendor negotiation, organization, and communication; high proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.

Qualifications: Bachelor's degree with 5+ years of experience in retail, procurement, or merchandising management required.

Location: Remote position, no office presence required, based in the United States.

Compensation: $115000 - $125000 / Annually

Job Description:

JOB SUMMARY

Lead a team of category managers to curate and develop item assortment and merchandising strategies for the Book Fairs Scholastic Dollars Catalog and the Book Clubs Classroom Collection that achieve financial goals while connecting school customers with the products and resources they need. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Responsible for product retail sales exceeding $100 million annually with gross profit of $80 million.

2. Develop and implement annual product strategies that drive sales and profit growth, and inventory productivity, while maximizing customer satisfaction.

3. Direct, manage and develop the category managers in support of their ongoing item curation and planning activities to ensure timely delivery of well-balanced product assortments, merchandising and marketing plans.

4. Approve item setup attributes, web merchandising, and order quantities for approximately 2,000 SKUs annually, and approve reorders as needed.

5. Lead the category review process to ensure the category managers are prepared to present assortment plans to the Vice President.

6. Analyze sales and utilize customer insights, sales team, and vendor feedback to establish direction and focus for the business.

7. Continuously evaluate and improve the product selection processes and tools through which the Category Managers manage their assortments.

8. Partner with the inventory planning team to establish and manage inventory purchase budgets (inclusive of cost of product, collation, royalties, freight, duties, and tariffs) and purchasing strategies to optimize inventory and reduce product related warehouse operation expenses.

9. Direct cross-category marketing and promotion plans and calendars to drive sales.

10. Foster and maintain strong cross-functional internal partnerships with marketing, accounting, operations, human resources, and IT departments to ensure team needs are prioritized

11. Produce and present training materials to communicate product category and item opportunities to the sales organization for use in generating enthusiasm and support of product plans. 

12. Responsible for special projects, as assigned.

Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree.

2. 5+ years of experience leading, managing and developing a team in a retail, procurement, or merchandising environment. 

3. Proficient financial planning, budgeting, and analytical skills.

4. Proven success in working with cross-functional teams (marketing, accounting, operations, human resources, etc.) to achieve goals.

5. Vendor relationship building and negotiation skills.

6. Strong organization and communication skills.

7. High level of proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and Google Workspace applications.

The salary range for this position is $115,000 to $125,000 annually.

Time Type:

Full time

Job Type:

Regular

Job Family Group:

Publishing

Location Region/State:

Florida

EEO Statement:

Scholastic is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is clear: there shall be no discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, pregnancy, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam veteran. Those factors shall not influence the determination of qualifications for a job or other opportunity within the company. Further, all personnel actions (such as compensation, tuition aid, benefits, transfers, promotions, and dismissals, company-sponsored training, social and recreational programs) shall be administered without discrimination.

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