Retail Category Manager

As a Retail Category Manager, you will be responsible for overseeing the procurement and purchasing activities for a supermarket.

Your primary objective is to ensure a consistent and reliable supply of products at optimal costs while maintaining quality standards.This role requires strategic thinking, negotiation skills, and effective collaboration with suppliers and internal teams to support the overall success of the store.

Key Responsibilities:

Supplier Management:

• Identify, evaluate, establish and maintain relationships with suppliers.
• Negotiate favourable terms, pricing, and delivery schedules to maximise value and minimise costs.
• Manage supplier product listings to ensure up-to-date reorder processing within the procurement system.
• Monitor supplier performance and address any issues related to service delivery, quality and timelines.

Product Sourcing:

• Research and identify new products or sources to enhance the product range within the store.
• Build reliable relationships with key consolidators globally to ensure consistent and quality product supply.

Cost Negotiation and Forecasting:

• Engaging in cycle deals negotiation and orchestrating promotional drives to effectively bargain for pricing and terms, ultimately ensuring the attainment of optimal costs for products.
• Effectively develop and oversee gross profit margins across all product categories to align with financial targets.
• Manage reorder forecast modules by supplier to ensure seamless highest standards of inbound supplier levels.
• Responsible for effectively using costing models to determine the pricing of all product ranges.

Quality Assurance:

• Implement and sustain quality control measures to uphold product integrity, freshness, and compliance with government regulations.
• Work alongside suppliers to resolve any concerns regarding product quality or compliance, while also vigilantly overseeing and ensuring adherence to quality standards and specifications.

Collaboration with Department Managers:

• Work closely with department managers to understand their specific procurement needs and preferences.
• Collaborate on assortment planning, promotional activities, seasonality drives and inventory management.
• Ensure that procurement strategies align with departmental and store-wide objectives.

Order Placement and Tracking:

• Place timely and accurate orders for merchandise, considering product demand, shelf life, promotional activities and seasonality.
• Utilise procurement software to understand merchandise requirements and strategically build orders maximising transport efficiencies.
• Track outstanding orders, inbound shipments and collaborate with warehouse and inventory management teams to optimise stock levels.

Market Analysis and Trends:

• Ensure through market survey, product offerings align with customer preferences, competitive pricing strategies and industry trends.
• Provide insights to the management team on market dynamics that may impact procurement decisions.

Contract Management:

• Develop and manage contracts with suppliers, outlining terms, conditions, and performance expectations.
• Ensure compliance with contractual agreements and resolve any contractual disputes.
• Periodically review and renegotiate contracts to optimise terms and conditions.

Managing and train staff:

• Lead and supervise the procurement team by assigning tasks, setting objectives, monitoring progress and providing support to team members.
• Identify skill enhancement opportunities by understanding team member training needs and providing relevant training sessions or workshops.

Reporting:

• Oversee the reporting processes by analysing, and presenting data related to procurement activities, such as purchasing trends, supplier performance, inventory levels, and cost savings.

Requirement:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
• Proven experience in procurement, purchasing, or supply chain management.
• Knowledge of Mauritian market will be an advantage.
• Ability to talk French and English fluently.
• Strong negotiation and communication skills.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to analyse market trends and cost structures.
• Knowledge of procurement software and systems.
• Familiarity with inventory management and forecasting.
• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• Flexibility to work in a fast-paced retail environment.