Associate Category Manager/Hybrid at MSC

BUILD A BETTER CAREER WITH MSC

Serving customers and our community starts with the best people doing their best work. That is precisely what we have created at MSC Industrial Supply Co. We are a leading North American distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO), products and services. We offer more than 2 million products and have over 80 years of experience across dozens of industries. We aim to execute our Built to Make You Better brand promise for all our stakeholders, including our associates.

Requisition ID :16930

Associate Referral Bonus Amount :1,000.00

Employment Type :Full Time

Grade :Exempt 15

Job Category :Category Management

Work Location :Davidson, NC (CSC)....Must reside within 1 hour of Davidson, NC.

Associate Category Manager

BRIEF POSITION SUMMARY:

The Associate Category Manager is responsible for implementing the Category strategy.  Implementation activities can be grouped in four major disciplines: strategy management, vendor relationships, operational excellence, and cross-functional collaboration.  Key activities include sales support, product line expertise, and tactical execution. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Sales Support:

•         Supports Category team to create local meeting and sales education materials

•         Engages with suppliers, sales and customers to understand market trends and landscape

•         Identifies new Industry Brand and Exclusive Brand item opportunities by working with suppliers, creating gap analysis to competitors, attending trade shows, working with customers,

•         Collaborates with the Category Operations team to implement pricing strategy

•         Supports the Category Strategy Manager by serving as the first line of defense for sales support

•         Identifies disruptive insights to identify and develop solutions based on the market, customer and supplier.

•         Collaborates with the merchandising team on supplier programs that will tie back to overall category and company strategy

•         Aligns supplier goals and MSC goals to maximize investment and optimize programs

•         Works cross functionally to align on program initiatives

Operational Support

•         Works closely with suppliers to improve compliance and drive ease of doing business.  Collaborate internally with Category Operations, Supplier Compliance, and other teams to drive efficiencies and standard work

•         Supports the Category Strategy Manager in supplier agreement process.  Serve as a liaison with the MSC legal team to work through tactical details while looking for guidance from the Category Strategy Manager on major commercial terms

•         Develops relationships with key suppliers to support them in navigating MSC and escalating critical issues cross functionally to drive resolution

•         Work with long tail suppliers within the strategic framework set by the Category Strategy Manager Finance exposure a plus

•         Demonstrated technical expertise and product knowledge a plus

•         Supports the item lifecycle management of the Product Assortment determined by the Category Strategy Manager, in collaboration with the merchandising team:

•         New item induction – induction, addition to merchandising platforms

•         Phase outs and Replacement items – substitutions, alternates, complimentary items

•         Customer specific item management (QIA graduation)

•         Cross reference – competitive part numbers

Tactics Planning and Implementation:

•         Provides tactical support to the Category Strategy Manager

•         Provides input into strategy and tactics planning

•         Executes customer solutions

•         Provides product line expertise

•         Product search curation (Data SME) / Taxonomy consultant

•         Coordinates product life cycle management

•         Coordinates product rationalization with category operations team

Participates in a High-performing Team of Associates and a Culture of Engagement:

•         Develops skills and competencies to expand capability

•         Communicates openly and effectively with others

•         Understands performance expectations and strives to exceed goals

•         Manages conflict or escalates to next leadership level.  

•         Fosters the MSC Culture in the department and throughout the company to ensure fulfillment of MSC’s vision and unity of purpose.

•         Participation in special projects and performs additional duties as required

QUALIFICATIONS

What You Need:

•         Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Supply Chain, or equivalent area of study.

•         MS Office proficiency required

•         Minimum of two years of Marketing or Category experience required.

•         Action-oriented; drives results

•         Self-directed and able to work autonomously

•         Prioritizes deliverables

•         Adaptable and flexible through times of ambiguity or change

•         Process oriented

•         Solid business acumen

•         Analytical skills

•         Strong customer focus and understanding of their needs and expectations; customer advocate

•         Strong written and verbal communication

•         Collaborates effectively within the team or with other partners

Bonus Points If You Have:

•         Finance exposure a plus

•         Demonstrated technical expertise and product knowledge a plus

Other Requirements:

•         A valid driver’s license may be required.

•         This position may require access to International Traffic in Arms Regulations Information (“ITAR”) and/or Controlled Unclassified Information (“CUI”)

INDICATES ESSENTIAL DUTIES

To perform this job successfully an associate must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of knowledge, experience level and abilities required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

 

Compensation starting at $63420 - $99660 depending on experience.

The salary range represented is based on similar roles in comparable industries, and the cost of labor in respective cities. Actual compensation is based on the candidate’s relevant experience, education requirements and peer pay equity.  The Company reserves the right to modify the range as market conditions change. 

Why MSC? People. Collaboration. Insight. That’s how you build something that works. Built on a foundation of trust, MSC works side by side with our customers to help them drive business results. With more than one million product offerings and 75+ years of experience across industries, MSC strives to help our customers achieve greater productivity, profitability, and growth through inventory management and other innovative supply chain solutions. We care about our associates and have programs in place to help our 6,500+ team members achieve their potential.

When you join our team, you will receive rewards and recognition for your contributions, training and professional development opportunities, Associate Inclusion Circles: Women, Pride, Black, Veterans, HOLA and DisABLEd as well as a variety of benefits to support you and your family's health, well-being, and financial future. If you are inspired to learn, take risks, and succeed as a team, you can build a better career at MSC.

Equal Opportunity Statement: At MSC, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all qualified applicants and our associates without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or any category protected by applicable law. By applying to this job you agree to the Application and Acknowledgment Declaration terms. Click HERE to review.