Job Description

This highly visible role will serve as a Merchandising subject matter expert for Assortment Planning Capability Development in support of Whole Foods Market’s 10-year Growing with Purpose strategy. This subject matter expert will serve as a critical business representative to incorporate a broad range of business needs into industry leading assortment planning capability development as well as further capability development in pricing, promotions, and space planning.

This highly cross-functional role will require the Principal Program Manager to collaborate with a large group of stakeholders including Worldwide Grocery (Amazon and WFM) Analytics and Product Management teams, Technology, WFM Category Merchant Teams, Merchandising Presentation, Supply Chain, Inventory Planning and Data Operations.

This role will report directly into the Executive Leader for our Merchandising Enablement Team. This role will be focused on supporting assortment capability expansions within assigned categories, with a strong initial emphasis on perishable categories.

Location: Austin, TX – This role is based in Austin, TX with an expectation of 3 days a week in the Store Support office.

Responsibilities:

• Serves as Merchandising subject matter expert (SME) and thought leader to represent business needs across identified categories.

• Represent Merchandising business needs through Process Design, Tool Development, Tool Testing, and Success Criteria Assessment.

• Serves as onboarding support SME for initial Category Merchant tool testing efforts.

• Supports the development, execution, and iteration of Assortment Capabilities and process at Whole Foods Market.

• Contributes to the strategic roadmap to deliver value through unparalleled and industry leading capabilities.

• Collaborate with business partners across WFM and Amazon to represent business needs and develop the long-term value creation expansion roadmap.

• Owns specific capability project completion that ladder up to total program success.

• Identifies and escalates project risks, opportunities, and contingency plans.

• Contributes to regular Merchandising leadership and E-Team Business Updates.

• Supports content creation for training and onboarding practices for end users.

• Serves as a change agent to support end user adoption during training sessions.

• Serves as a thought-leader within the broader organization.

• Ensures alignment between multiple projects and work streams.

• Earn trust, establish credibility, and build partnerships with leaders across the organization.

• Act as an agent of change, championing a data driven approach for decision making, focused on assortment and Item lifecycle.

• Act as a subject matter expert for Assortment capabilities.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree and 6-8 years’ relevant experience OR equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

• Category Merchant experience or relevant enterprise support experience.

• Must have advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and ability to create dynamic reporting. 

• Strong familiarity with merchandising, store operations, distribution, and marketing. 

• Proven ability to incorporate merchandising experience and diverse business needs into capability development.

• Proven experience synthesizing and dispersing information into effective strategies and innovative insights, translating complex ideas into simple, actionable recommendations.

• Proven experience doing business reviews and aligning stakeholders from different business units at a large enterprise.

• Ability to autonomously structure, plan and lead initiatives to successful outcomes that ladder up to project goals.

• Expertly navigates through ambiguity given a blend of experience, input and intuition.

• Drives change by continuously improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Store Level Customer Centricity Program

• Proven ability to work under pressure, prioritize work, and balance a portfolio of programs.

• Applies experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals with a wide degree of creativity.

• Able to facilitate and/or lead the work of others.

• Skilled in the implementation and use of various retail software solutions.

• Advanced to expert skills in Microsoft Office applications.

• Viewed as subject matter expert and thought leader within category merchant organization.

• Leverages skill set and exemplary judgment to make independent business decisions and deliver results.

• Effectively presents to a wide range of audiences (TMs, peers, leadership, suppliers), tailoring communication to audience needs.

  At Whole Foods Market, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all Team Members and candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. Whole Foods Market hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs.

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