Category Manager, Hot Foods

Position Summary

The Category Manager – Foodservice is responsible for managing and growing assigned Foodservice categories through strong collaboration with Business Units, vendor partners, and cross-functional teams. This role owns category performance across sales, margin, assortment, pricing, and execution, while supporting innovation, promotional planning, and continuous improvement of in-store performance.

The Category Manager serves as a key link between strategy and execution, translating category objectives into actionable plans that are simple, scalable, and executable in stores. Also, any additional duties as assigned.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Performance Management

• Own day-to-day management and performance of assigned Foodservice categories
• Analyze category sales, margin, and execution performance to identify opportunities and risks
• Support development and execution of category strategies aligned to Foodservice objectives
• Monitor industry trends and competitive activity to inform recommendations

Assortment, Pricing & Promotion

• Support assortment planning, product transitions, and lifecycle management
• Partner on pricing and promotional planning, including execution of vendor-funded programs including, but not limited to, national vendor rebate management
• Analyze planogram effectiveness and provide recommendations to improve performance

Vendor & Program Management

• Manage assigned vendor relationships including item setup, costs, in-stocks, and logistics
• Support negotiations, performance reviews, and issue resolution with vendor partners
• Plan, track, and execute vendor initiatives, incentives, and contests with Operations and BUs

Execution, Training & Field Support

• Partner with Operations, Training, and Field teams to support successful in-store execution
• Participate in field visits to observe execution and collaborate with stores and BU leaders
• Support development of tools, communications, and training materials that drive consistency

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Head of Food, Directors, Marketing, Supply Chain, QA, Finance, and BUs
• Support innovation launches, pilots, and regional tests
• Contribute to team financial targets and annual business planning efforts

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 3–5+ years of experience in category management, merchandising, foodservice, retail, or CPG
• Strong analytical skills with ability to translate data into actionable insights
• Understanding of retail execution and store-level operations
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Willingness to travel up to 40%

Preferred

• Foodservice or Fresh / Prepared Foods category experience
• Experience working with national or regional vendors
• Familiarity with promotional planning, planograms, and in-store execution models
• Exposure to Food Safety, QA, or regulated food environments

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Circle K is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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