Category Manager

JOB PURPOSE

Reporting to the Director, Category Management, the Category Manager supports the development and execution of category strategies across Mevotech's full customer base in the United States and Canada, including warehouse distributor, retail, and other aftermarket channels. The role provides the analysis, insights, and execution support behind assortment planning, line reviews, pricing, product positioning, and new product launches. Working closely with the Director and cross-functional partners, the Category Manager helps drive sales, profitability, fill rate, and customer satisfaction across all accounts and product categories. This requires a dynamic and experienced individual with a passion for the aftermarket, strong analytical skills, and an aptitude for category management.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Complete Category Knowledge – maintain holistic knowledge of Mevotech product categories, from engineering right through to sales and inventory strategy. Requires the ability to distill product features, benefits, and information down to the key messages for field staff and customers across all channels.
• Competitive/Market Intelligence – Proactively source and integrate market trend reports, vehicle parc data, SWOT analyses, internal “competitive edge” assessments, and competitive price tracking across US and Canadian channels. Apply foundational category knowledge and independent judgement to assess market opportunities, competitive gaps, and product positioning, translating findings into recommendations for category plans and launch priorities.
• Category Strategy and Market Support – Support the development and execution of category and customer strategies across US and Candidian markets, aligning category plans with market opportunities, customer requirements, regional needs, business objectives, and operational realities.

• Product Selection, Lifecycle Management & Assortment Planning – Collaborate with the Sales team to recommend the right product mix for each customer based on their business strategy, market needs, product lifecycle, and brand positioning. Prepare customer-specific assortment plans, gap analyses, product coverage reviews, and line review presentations. Identify new product opportunities, support product launches, review sales and warranty performance, and recommend product additions or phase-outs to improve product coverage, sales, and market share.

• Customer Inventory/Sales Optimization - Leverage customer sales reports, inventory levels, and product availability to assess category performance, identify growth opportunities, and recommend inventory improvements to enhance product coverage, fill rates, and inventory efficiency.

• Customer and Sales Support - Partner with Sales to prepare customer presentations, business reviews, joint business plans, and promotional recommendations. Provide category insights and product performance analysis to support key account growth initiatives. Build and maintain relationships with key customer contacts and internal stakeholders to align on opportunities, risks, and execution priorities.

• Category Strategy, Pricing & Commercial Execution – Partner with internal teams to ensure pricing, margin, training, marketing, and promotional strategies are aligned with the objectives of assigned categories and accounts. Review pricing and margin performance, provide input on customer quotes and pricing recommendations, coordinate category training and product messaging, and support marketing campaigns, product launches, and promotional initiatives. Monitor execution and results to identify gaps and recommend actions that strengthen category performance and profitability.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration - Collaborate with various departments (including Product Management, Sales, Marketing, Pricing, Cataloging, Supply Chain, IT, Customer Service, and Finance) to ensure effective communication, accurate assortment setup, and alignment of strategies. Work closely with the sales team to incorporate customer feedback and data insights into category plans.

• Data Analysis and Reporting: Utilize data analytics tools to monitor key performance indicators, including sales, gross margin, fill rate, product mix, launch performance, and customer profitability, and recommend corrective actions where required. Generate reports and insights for the Director, Category Management to inform decision-making, annual planning, forecasting, and portfolio prioritization, and to continually refine category strategies.

• Other Projects – Perform ad hoc analysis and special projects as required to support the Director, Category Management and the broader team.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, AND EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• 5-10 years of relevant work experience and proven acumen in category management, product management, or commercial analytics, preferably in the automotive aftermarket
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to assess a situation, translate data into actionable insights, and provide data-driven solutions
• Advanced working knowledge of Excel (e.g., pivot tables, lookups, and data modeling), PowerPoint, Power BI and Tableau, with the ability to build clear analyses, reports, and presentations independently
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally across the organization
• Comfortable presenting analyses and training within the team, with management and field staff, and potentially directly to customers
• Able to manage multiple projects, deadlines and deliverables
• University degree or college diploma in Business, Marketing, Engineering, or a related field
• Experience supporting multiple customer channels (e.g., warehouse distributor, retail) in the US and/or Canada, including line reviews and assortment planning, is an asset
• ERP, Access, and/or other database experience is an asset

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING CONDITIONS

• Standard work setting, hybrid arrangement- 4 Days on-site
• Occasional travel to customer meetings, line reviews, or offsite meetings