Category Activation Specialist

Position Mission: 

Support the strategic category plan and financial objectives of assigned category group by driving the planning, communication and measurement of the following critical departmental processes, while providing key insights, associated with each and making recommendations, to the Category Managers:

• All promotional activity across all channels
• Supplier onboarding
• New line set up
• Category reporting.

While accomplishing these financial objects, this person in this position is expected to uphold GPC’s high standards and ethics and integrity as an important representative of the corporation to the suppliers, customers, and community.

Position Performance Measures:

• Meet or exceed all critical deadlines associated with promotional activities, including both scheduled promotions (ex. Sales Driver, Wholesaler and Real Deals) and unscheduled promotions (ad-hoc)
• Data accuracy on all detail sheets and other promo data collection tools
• Communication effectiveness

Responsibilities: 

• Documentation of promotional planning calendar, by category and by supplier, including all channels, all scheduled promotions and ad-hoc promotions
• Communication of promotional planning calendar to all stakeholders, including external suppliers and internal departments, such as: marketing, supply chain and sales teams
• Ongoing maintenance of promotional planning calendar, ensuring it is up-to-date at all times
• Prepare all required documentation for promotional submissions, ensuring all critical time
• lines are met, including completion of all required templates, such as Detail Sheets
• Participate in key milestone meetings associated with all promotional activities
• Ensure all inventory planning is consistent with forecasted needs and proactively work cross functionally with the supply chain team to ensure seamless execution
• Communicate all promotions to the broader field network, via bulletins and other supporting materials
• Reconcile all supplier income initiatives associated with promotional activities, ensuring these funds are claimed, journaled and reported accurately on a regular basis
• Conduct post implementation analysis, including customer, operational and financial responses to all promotional activities, with a view to making recommendations for future improvement
• Lead the new supplier onboarding process from end to end, including all direct to APG suppliers and all domestic Balkamp suppliers, ensuring the highest level of service to our suppliers is maintained at all times
• Assist the sourcing team with set up of all global suppliers
• Liaise with assigned suppliers to ensure all critical milestones are met
• Activate new suppliers cross functionally within the organization, including communication to the field
• Lead the set up of all new lines, working cross functionally with internal and external stakeholders
• Assist in facilitating samples and planograms, where applicable
• Reconcile all supplier income initiatives associated with new line fees, ensuring these funds are claimed, journaled and reported accurately on a regular basis
• Communicate new lines to the network
• Monitor financial performance of new lines, in collaboration with the Category Analytics team
• Manage product lifecycle, including Supersessions, DNR and clearance

Experience, Education, and Abilities:  

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing, or related field advantageous
• Intermediate to advanced competency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with cross functional departments and colleagues
• Strong business analytical skills, resourceful, results driven
• Ability to problem solve, analyze data, and perform critical thinking
• Strong oral and written communication skills and a desire to apply those skills with customers and internal stakeholders
• Ability to build strong working relationships, with both internal and external stakeholders
• Effective listener that can get to the root of customer problems/needs
• Well organized with ability to manage many congruent and diverging tasks simultaneously
• Exceptional follow up and attention for detail
• This role could be a stepping-stone to a Category Management role, for the right person.

PHYSICAL CONDITIONS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 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 frequently required to sit, talk, and hear. Ability to use a computer and to perform paperwork activities. Intermittently walking and standing to move about and to perform work within the office. Finger dexterity sufficient to use a computer and to complete paperwork activities. Visual acuity sufficient to use a computer and to complete paperwork activities.  Hearing sufficient to communicate with individuals in person and by telephone.

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GPC conducts its business without regard to sex, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, national origin, citizenship status, age, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, military status, status as a veteran, or any other protected characteristic. GPC's policy is to recruit, hire, train, promote, assign, transfer and terminate employees based on their own ability, achievement, experience and conduct and other legitimate business reasons.