Job Details

Category Analyst

Be part of a growing, successful company in an exciting and challenging field. Border States is 100% employee-owned, which means you're empowered to make decisions, find solutions and receive rewards for your hard work. This position will be located in Fargo, ND.

Job Summary

Supports the company's growth and profitability goals through the evaluation of category analytics with the intent to develop strategies for improving category health including: growing sales, profitability, improving terms and conditions, growing incentive programs reducing category fragmentation, evaluation of market relevant cost and negotiation of into stock cost, and improving margins.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

• Analyzes key vendor performance by making comparisons with available benchmark metrics from other similar vendor for industry, product, market, and location.
• Responsible for ensuring product hierarchy assignment, attribute strategy, market basket identification, build-out of nomenclature for product descriptions and material group assignments.
• Supports category objectives, vendor initiatives and communications consistent with strategic vendor performance plans.
• Supports the Category Manager in providing analytics, category knowledge and category analysis on which to base our vendor strategies to better capitalize on opportunities.
• Participates in vendor meetings and assists with documenting, analyzing and accomplishing action items related to vendor key performance indicator improvements.
• Collaborates with Inventory Procurement to facilitate changes and updates to SAP data and costing.
• Ensures proactive cost competitiveness cost continuity with market levels and analyzes forward buy opportunities.
• Acts as the first point of contact for day-to-day category / product related questions.
• Analyzes inventory breadth and depth from a strategic, category perspective.
• Tracks BSE performance for manufacturer incentive programs.
• Analyzes data to model Vendor and AD Incentive programs maximization.
• Responsible for creation of cross reference tables for strategic vendors and products.

Non-essential Functions

• Supports various vendor and industry events by preparing vendor scorecards and obtaining BSE feedback for various vendor and industry events.
• Assists in setting up new suppliers, materials, and material groups in SAP, vendor promotions, and cost aggregation.
• Ensures the distribution and replenishment of assigned vendor product literature for assigned vendors Attends and participates in meetings with suppliers.
• Assists in collecting, documenting and maintaining content, for rich product catalog content, promotional collateral, supplier scripts, and portal text/images
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor or designate.

Qualifications

• Minimum four-year degree and two years of related work experience required.
• Strong working knowledge of the category preferred.
• Category management certificate preferred.
• Project management experience preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of Windows, Microsoft Office, Internet and SAP software.

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to use professional concepts, company policies/procedures and creativity to solve a wide range of problems.
• Ability and willingness to pursue continuous learning.
• Performs moderately complex problem solving with some assistance
• Analytical thinker with the ability to create and execute well-rounded category strategies.
• Attention to detail
• Excellent written, reading, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to be goal oriented and comfortable working with minimal supervision.
• Excellent customer service skills include being competent, accurate, responsive, and engaged.

Physical Requirements

Frequency at which you would carry/lift in a typical day: Occasionally 0 33% Frequently 34 66% Continuously: 67 100%

• Lift from Waist:
  • 10 to 25 lbs. - Not at all
  • 26 to 50 lbs. - Not at all
  • 51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. - Not at all
• Lift from Floor:
  • 10 to 25 lbs. - Frequently
  • 26 to 50 lbs. - Occasionally
  • 51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. - Not at all
• Carried for Distance:
  • 10 to 25 lbs. - Not at all
  • 26 to 50 lbs. - Not at all
  • 51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. - Not at all

Physical Activity

Frequency at which you would do the following in a typical day:

• Sitting (a continuous period of being seated) - Continuously
• Standing (for sustained periods of time) - Frequently
• Walking (moving about on foot to accomplish tasks) - Frequently
• Bending/stooping (downward and forward) - Occasionally
• Crawling (moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet) - Not at all
• Climbing/Walking Stairs (ascending or descending) - Frequently
• Reaching (extending arms in any direction) - Frequently
• Crouching/squatting (bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine) - Occasionally
• Kneeling (bending legs at knee to come to rest on knee(s)) - Occasionally
• Balancing (maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling) - Occasionally
• Repetitive motion (substantial movement (motions) or the wrists, hands, and/or fingers) - Continuously
• Pivoting (movement in any direction with one foot, keeping the other in contact with the floor) - Occasionally
• Pushing/Pulling (using upper extremities to press against or draw or tug) - Occasionally
• Grasping (Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm) - Continuously
• Fingering (picking, pinching, typing; working with primarily fingers and not whole hand) - Continuously
• Talking (expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word) - Frequently
• Driving (the control and operation of a motor vehicle) - Occasionally
• Desk work (work usually performed at a desk) - Continuously
• Use of a computer - Continuously
• Use of a telephone - Frequently
• Hearing (Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels) - Continuously
• Exposure (to adverse weather & temperature conditions) - Not at all
• Travel (travel needed to perform job duties) - Occasionally

Additional Information

This job description is a summary of the job duties and responsibilities and is not intended to cover all possible job duties and is subject to change at the employer's discretion. Employees must be able to perform the essential job duties and satisfy job requirements either with or without a reasonable accommodation.