Assistant Product Manager - Merchandising

Essendant is a purpose-driven company that reaches beyond business goals to define its success within commerce today. We support our associates, customers and communities – our core values and guiding principles shape what we aspire to do. Integrity, Collaboration, Customer-Centric, Embrace and Drive Change are our core values that serve as the foundation of our pathway to success. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Giving Back, Associate Safety, and Accountability are our guiding principles that motivate us to focus on creating a safe and rewarding experience. Essendant is a leader in supporting the supply chain industry and has been in business for 100 years to deliver the best practices for our customers and associates. Join us at Essendant, the better way to commerce.

Major Responsibilities:

• Drive joint business planning initiatives with assigned supplier/s to create yearly and long-range objectives for growth.


• Manage and maintain relationship/s with assigned supplier/s by leading quarterly business reviews focusing on the following areas: identification and assessment of commercial opportunities (both sales and marketing), negotiations around assortment, inventory, supplier performance, and pricing, develop plans around new product success and report out on the state of the business.


• Develop and refine go to market techniques and strategies to drive sales growth opportunities by closely working with Essendant and manufacturer’s sales teams.  Maintain regular reports to track performance and identify impact of activities on assigned supplier/s performance against established metrics.


• Develop and facilitate all marketing activities throughout the year for assigned supplier/s including negotiation of supplier/s spend, communication to all necessary parties on campaign/s, implementation of all campaigns and post roll out analysis of campaigns and proof of performance to supplier partner/s.


• Manage and provide detailed analysis of assigned supplier/s performance to category leaders with areas of focus around product assortment, pricing, promotions, new product introductions, excess and overstock, commercial growth and more.


• Conduct product assortment review and analysis, identifying top-performing SKUs by district/ region. Identify areas for potential growth and analyze impact of proposed assortment changes. Recommend changes and actions to the Category Manager, aimed at enhancing category effectiveness and performance.


• Review supplier/s pricing on a regular basis, identifying potential pricing issues and opportunities. Conduct a detailed analysis on the impact of pricing and assortment changes and provide findings and recommendations to the Category Manager.


• Support assigned supplier/s by developing category specific communications and product launch packages, conduct trainings, live meetings, webinars, or on-site trainings to educate our sales partners on assigned assortment and attending tradeshows when applicable.


• Identify and report on trends, changes, and opportunities and provide recommendations aimed at increasing supplier or category performance to category owner.


• Form effective cross-functional relationships with a broad cross-section of Essendant personnel and be responsible for working effectively with all product planning functions within assigned category.


• Understands and demonstrates Essendant’s Core Values.


• Performs other duties as assigned.

 Skills/Knowledge Required:

• Strong business acumen with the ability to perform analytics that drive decision making


• Flexible and agile, able to prioritize for impact in a highly demanding environment


• Results oriented, self-starting with exceptional interpersonal and communication skills


• Track record of taking ownership, driving results and self-motivated


• Experience in different business functions (finance, operations, marketing, customer care or sales)


• Ability to create innovative solutions


• Detail oriented, results oriented, excellent verbal, excellent oral and written communication skills, and time management skills


• Strong computer skills: MS Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint.


• Strong ability to work on a national level cross functionally with warehouses, Customer Service, Credit, etc. to exceed customers’ expectations in a timely manner

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in a Business Discipline, or relevant experience 


• Minimum 2-5 years of administrative, merchandising, marketing, or vendor management experience

Benefits:

• Health benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision)


• 401k with matching


• Company Holidays


• Overtime Pay for hourly employees


• Paid Vacation, Floating Holidays, and Sick Time


• Maternity and Parental leave benefits


• Employee discount


• Tuition Reimbursement


• Employee Assistance Program

ABOUT ESSENDANT

Essendant drives to be inclusive and celebrates diversity by starting with our associates. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that is committed to building a diverse and inclusive environment. We strongly encourage candidates to apply for opportunities, even if you do not believe you meet every one of the qualifications described. At Essendant we are building an elevated community by creating a safe and supportive work environment. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind, including or based on age, race, color, disability, ancestry, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. People are what drives our company. We are one team with endless possibilities. We are Essendant.