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Wayfair

Category Manager

Job Posted 19 Days Ago Reposted 19 Days Ago
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Boston, MA
Senior level
Boston, MA
Senior level
Manage the category strategy, drive supplier negotiations, analyze data for growth opportunities, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to achieve business goals.
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We’re seeking highly analytical, passionate, and self-motivated individuals to join our North American Retail Buying and Category Management team. North American Retail is the organization within Wayfair that drives the overall strategy for the multitude of product categories that are offered across our channels of business. The team serves as the external and internal ambassadors of the product categories we manage, mobilizing and coaching suppliers on how to grow their business on our sites, and leveraging internal partners to execute the strategic vision to win in the online home space.

Who We Are

The Category Management team offers a unique opportunity to drive strategy for Wayfair’s largest product categories through tight internal and external partnership. We serve as ambassadors of the product categories we manage. We are at the forefront as Wayfair redefines the supplier experience as a platform, giving suppliers more data, more transparency, and more control while retaining the high-touch elements that make working with Wayfair exceptional. Internally, we leverage a diverse set of cross-functional partners to execute our strategic vision. As a Manager on the Category Management team, you will be expected to define overarching goals and strategy within your category, problem-solve, articulate and execute against tactical plans, and manage key business metrics. Members of the team must be able to expertly negotiate internally and externally, while also being effective project managers.

How is this opportunity unique?

The Category Management team interacts with our suppliers every day. We like candidates with consultative mindsets who want to work with external partners. Collaborative partnerships are a hallmark of a relationship with Wayfair.

Wayfair is a data-driven environment. Candidates with experience using data to drive decision-making are great matches.

We move fast and take risks. If you have experience at a start-up or in another fast-paced, risk-taking environment, you’d enjoy working at Wayfair. Be prepared to constantly evolve.

Strong communication is key. Category Managers have a 360° view into their suppliers and their category. You’ll need to be able to gain buy-in from senior leaders and cross-functional teams to accomplish your goals.

We like to have fun. Our team takes time each month to celebrate our wins and toast our accomplishments.  We foster an environment that values balance, and we encourage personal development by offering a broad spectrum of opportunities for continuous development and mentorship.

What You'll Do

  • Have ownership over a category plan to achieve revenue and profitability goals

  • Build strong relationships with existing suppliers and execute negotiations to secure best pricing and promotional support

  • Analyze data to strategize profit growth opportunities for the category and for specific supplier partners

  • Advance catalog expansion by identifying selection gaps, prioritizing new item production, and developing relationships with target suppliers

  • Identify sales, merchandising, and operational opportunities for the category and collaborate with internal teams to drive change (Planning, Advertising, Merchandising, Operations, PR, Finance, Customer Service, Business Intelligence)

  • Analyze and anticipate competitor marketing, selection, and pricing strategy

  • Attend tradeshows to visit key suppliers (4-8 times per year)

What You'll Need

  • 5+ years of ecommerce, corporate retail, or management consulting experience, preferred

  • Articulate and persuasive communication skills, both written and verbal

  • A track record of successful negotiation and relationship management skills

  • An ability to hit the ground running – a confident, entrepreneurial self-starter

  • Demonstrated senior presence, recognized as an effective manager

  • An ability to manage and prioritize projects and to delegate tasks appropriately

  • Innovative problem-solving skills – dissect and determine root causes of problems and implement solutions

  • Proven experience of taking on big challenges and delivering despite obstacles and limited resources

  • Experience managing others, preferred

Wayfair's In-Office Policy:

All Boston-based interns, co-ops, and corporate employees will be in office in a hybrid capacity. Employees will work in the office on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and work remotely Friday.

Massachusetts Applicants: I understand that it is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

For state-specific application information, please review the following applicant notices.

About Wayfair Inc.

Wayfair is one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home. Whether you work in our global headquarters in Boston, or in our warehouses or offices throughout the world, we’re reinventing the way people shop for their homes. Through our commitment to industry-leading technology and creative problem-solving, we are confident that Wayfair will be home to the most rewarding work of your career. If you’re looking for rapid growth, constant learning, and dynamic challenges, then you’ll find that amazing career opportunities are knocking.

No matter who you are, Wayfair is a place you can call home. We’re a community of innovators, risk-takers, and trailblazers who celebrate our differences, and know that our unique perspectives make us stronger, smarter, and well-positioned for success. We value and rely on the collective voices of our employees, customers, community, and suppliers to help guide us as we build a better Wayfair – and world – for all. Every voice, every perspective matters. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Your personal data is processed in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Notice (https://www.wayfair.com/careers/privacy). If you have any questions or wish to exercise your rights under applicable privacy and data protection laws, please contact us at dataprotectionofficer@wayfair.com.

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Wayfair Boston, Massachusetts, USA Office

4 Copley Place, Boston, MA, United States, 02116

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