Lead Director, Category Manager Cosmetics

Lead Director, Category Manager of Cosmetics

At CVS Health, we're building a world of health around every consumer and surrounding ourselves with dedicated colleagues who are passionate about transforming health care.

As the nation's leading health solutions company, we reach millions of Americans through our local presence, digital channels and more than 300,000 purpose-driven colleagues caring for people where, when and how they choose in a way that is uniquely more connected, more convenient and more compassionate. And we do it all with heart, each and every day.

Job Purpose and Summary:

Are you passionate about driving innovation with compelling assortments and experiences? If so, there is a great opportunity to join CVS as a Lead Director, Category Manager of Cosmetics. To be successful in this role, you will leverage your uncanny ability to follow the vision set forth by your Division Market Manager (DMM) and Senior Category Manager to create an experience for our consumers, driving behaviors that expands market share in your categories. You will work to craft your own strategy for your categories while also proactively anticipating the business needs to create a profitable P&L. You will lead and develop your team to withstand the needs for the business as well poised to be resilient as the market ebbs and flows around consumer demand. Using your tactful negotiating skills, you will work cross-functionally to ensure we have the best bottom line financial performance for your assigned categories.

In addition, in this role, you will:

• Deliver sales and margin goals by attaining market share and thoughtfully managing all lines of the category P&L
• Lead and manage vendor relationships, collaborating and negotiating extensively with manufacturers and vendors to ensure brand and product strategies drive sales and profitability, as well as creating assortments and experiences (both physical and digital) that drive trust and trips with our customers
• Develop and implement category plans (i.e., plan optimal SKU mix; ExtraCare loyalty program; weekly, seasonal, annual promotional programs) for merchandising programs that reflect deep personal knowledge of our businesses, customers and client
• Initiate and execute strategic promotional strategies and marketing plans by collaborating internally with CVS partners (e.g., Inventory, Pricing, Promotion, Finance, Store Brands, Store Design and Store Operations) and supplier partners
• Lead and develop other colleagues including but not limited to Assistant Category Managers and specialists
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to deliver compelling experiences
• Partner closely with the CVS Digital team to strengthen the CVS.com position within the market, ensuring omni capabilities are an integral part of the experience
• Develop and continually sustain a strong understanding of current competition as well as search out new competitive opportunities
• Customer obsessed - driving inclusive business strategies
• Contribute to the development and execution of Cosmetics initiatives

Primary Job Duties & Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning - 30%

• Fosters and shape innovation by bringing ideas to market in an agile way, while balancing growth potential against financial risk for the broader team
• Drives the team to deliver best-in-class merchandising experiences across in-store channel for Cosmetics and lead strategy for the Cosmetics catalog, including leading negotiations with all suppliers
• Develops growth and oversee category strategies rooted in an understanding of the customer and trends.
• Assigns appropriate timelines and accountabilities for items, empowering the team to drive action steps to completion.
• Leverages thought partners (Senior leaders, corporate partners, peers, team, etc.) as needed to create and revisit the strategy.
• Navigates ambiguity and change to achieve goals despite potential obstacles.
• Creates strategizes that continuously improve our programs and/or processes that drive service and productivity improvement.
• Aligns the team to establish, update and maintain a clear set of actions including interdependencies needed to achieve overall goals.
• Follows up on strategic initiatives and KPI performance.
• Drive assortment decisions through planograms and features
• Drive promotional activity strategy, slotting, forecasting and negotiations

Cross-Functional Stakeholder Relationship Building

• Fully embraces organizational improvement initiatives, acting as a change agent with one's own team and peers and partners.
• Establishing and enforcing policies and procedures that promote ethical behavior, compliance, and best practices.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Facilitating collaboration between different departments to promote a cohesive and integrated approach to achieving organizational goals.
• Drives change agility in self, team and network.
• Measures retention and key performance indicator results on an ongoing basis and provides recurring readout to senior leadership in partnership with cross functional business leads.
• Leverages a results-oriented mindset, using metrics to monitor improvements.
• Develop and manage a standardized set of views that are used to internally monitor macro-level trends and key drivers of each.
• Develop and cultivate collaborative teams within support areas of Marketing, Legal, Digital, Inventory, Pricing, Promotion, Finance, Store Brands, Store Design, Supply Chain, and Store Operations
• Maintain a supplier relationship for JBP yearly planning, new item reviews and negotiations

Drive Business Results - 25%

• Achieve revenue and margin goals by accomplishing market share growth. Manage all profit and loss targets to include sales, contribution of margin, inventory turns, GMROI and DOS
• Leverages data, insights, and analytics to influence stakeholders and makes recommendations as appropriate.
• Vendor management, collaborating and negotiating with manufacturers and vendors ensuring strategies achieve in-year sales and margin goals to promote long-term success and partnership.
• P&L management of $980M+ forecasting and pulling levers to drive P&L:

Culture of Talent Development - 15%

• Leadership: Providing guidance, direction, and support to teams and departments to ensure smooth operations and optimal performance.
• Responsible for leadership development, succession planning, and driving engagement programs for the teams you oversee. Ensure development and mentorship of next generation of leadership talent.
• Creating a culture centered on inclusion and well-being will be a key responsibility in this role. Caring for our colleagues is a top priority, which translates to caring for our customers.
• Promotes a high-performance culture by clearly setting goals and expectations.
• Act as a trusted coach and mentor for team to develop and support IDPs for high potential talent.
• Leverage existing enterprise tools, such as talent profiles and enterprise development programs, to develop talent.

Education:

Masters - Preferred

Bachelor Degree - Required

Prior Relevant Work Experience:

10 to 15 years - Required

15 years or more - Preferred

Essential Qualifications and Functions:

• 10+ years category management and/or business leadership expertise, with a track record of meeting, or exceeding, financial objectives and P&L ownership.
• 10+ years' experience leveraging a strategic mindset with the ability to develop and execute category and merchandising strategies that drive business growth.
• 10+ years' proven track record of influencing others with and without authority.
• 10+ years' experience building high-performing, successful teams developing key talent. Demonstrated passion for bringing new leaders along and helping them realize their ability to impact the business.
• 10+ years' experience actively taking on issues in a decisive manner, while keeping broader team dynamics in mind and empowering your leaders to obtain results through building behaviors.
• 10+ years' experience leading under pressure, adapting to changing dynamics in real time, and finding solutions that satisfy multiple 'customers' of the business.
• 10+ years' experience understanding and breaking down highly complex situations to deliver impactful solutions in real time.
• 10+ years' experience effectively demonstrating excellent verbal and written communication skills, very strong interpersonal and presentation skills.
• 10+ years' experience collaborating effectively across different business functions, different perspectives, and different styles of leadership.
• 10+ years' experience demonstrated ability to lead a large team and manage a million-dollar business unit to achieve financial and business results.
• Expertise leveraging MS Office Suite, including advanced Excel and PowerPoint capabilities.
• Ability to think about the impact