We're looking for someone to help deliver better experiences for our customers, specialty suppliers and store teams.

• Newly created role with a focus on building our specialty sourcing capability
• Be a part of ‘Customer first’ culture & provide a customer lens to decision making
• Hybrid work arrangements with support offices in Bella Vista

If you have an extensive trading background, are passionate about retail strategy and interested in joining Australia's number 1 brand to help create a differentiated customer-led offer, this might be the role for you!

You are looking to take on an exciting portfolio that requires expertise in driving and delivering results, and the ability to negotiate and influence with cross functional and external stakeholders.

About the Role

The Category Innovation Manager focuses on the continual improvement of the Premium & Specialty Range proposition by fostering small supplier engagement and sourcing and strong collaboration with the Category teams. Working closely with the Head of Specialty Range & Supplier Development they lead a small team to meet the strategic key performance outcomes for the Woolworths Supermarkets Group.

Tailoring our stores has been a core strategic initiative for our commercial teams and suppliers to bring differentiated products for our customers.

What you’ll do:

• Establish & lead the overall customer and business strategy with full accountability for key category, customer and financial KPIs
• Work across the Woolworths Ecosystem to bring the the best customer offer to life each week
• Evolve the Customer Offer and Shopping Experience to meet the continuously changing needs of our customers
• Coach & develop the Assistant Category Management and Category Assistant team in this portfolio
• Foster strong supplier relationships with a varied and diverse supplier base
• Build a strong reputation as the retailer of choice from small suppliers and communicating in a timely manner to queries from internal stakeholders, suppliers and customers.

About You

Your previous experience in a Category Management role working across multiple teams and your leadership capabilities put you ahead of the crowd. You’re curious and empathetic, with an eye for the bigger picture. You deal with complexity by collaborating with colleagues, listening to customers and suppliers, testing ideas and continuously learning.

You are looking for a new challenge and to take a complex high profile category within the Woolworths Supermarkets buying team. You enjoy coaching both your own team and peers and are keen to play an active role in continuing to grow the team’s culture and people initiatives and engagement plan.

You’re driven by a customer mission and passionate about being part of a team of great people. Whatever you love - customer experience, business process, trading, leadership or data, you’re active in the community that sits around it. You orient yourself around doing what’s meaningful, purposeful and delivers value.

You will bring skills and experience:

• Proven buying experience at a Category Manager level, in a large supermarket or FMCG/ environment
• Success in developing and executing a clear customer focused Category Plan that is aligned to the overarching divisional strategy and based on sound commercial insights / data
• A strong background and demonstrated ability to negotiate and influence with cross functional and external stakeholders at all levels across the business
• Ability to coach and develop a high performing category team and develop a culture where the customer is the focus and at the centre of all decisions made.
• Willingness to learn, collaborate with the wider team and adapt with changing conditions

If you share our customer-first culture and enjoy influencing stakeholders and peers on alternative methodologies and strategies that may not be the norm within the business, please head over to www.wowcareers.com.au to speak to our Talent team. Please remember to inform your line manager of your application

We are driving inclusion and diversity as Ways of Working. If you meet a number of the requirements (and not all), we encourage you to submit your application. #work180

Grow with the Group

As an inclusive, team-first company, our people are at the core of everything we do.

We care deeply about creating a workplace where our team members feel valued, respected and empowered. We are committed to providing equal opportunity regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or life stage. We are proud to be recognised as a Gold Tier Employer in the Australian Workplace Equality Index for LGBTQ+ inclusion and as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

As our Group continues to evolve, innovate and support our communities, we encourage our team members to do the same with their own careers, by providing ongoing opportunities to grow and make a real difference.

We value flexibility, and encourage our team members to work in ways that meet their work/life commitments and support their wellbeing.

We work hard to create a safe and inclusive environment for all, and most importantly, we're all about creating better experiences – for our customers and for each other.

We’d love to hear from You

If you meet a number of the requirements, but not all, we encourage you to submit your application. You can learn more about working with us on LinkedIn or via www.wowcareers.com.au. #LI #work180.

Our Talent Acquisition Team and Hiring Leaders kindly request no unsolicited resumes or approaches from Recruitment Agencies. Woolworths Group is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.