Category Manager – Grocery (Bilingual)

Talpa Supermercados · Duluth, GA
Full-time / Mid-Senior Level / Procurement / Bilingual EN/ES

Talpa Supermercados is a growing Hispanic grocery chain serving communities across the Atlanta metro area. We take pride in offering authentic produce, fresh perishables, and culturally relevant products to our customers. As we expand, we're building a best-in-class merchandising team that combines retail discipline with a passion for freshness and quality.

The Category Manager – Grocery is responsible for leading strategic sourcing and end-to-end category management for assigned dry grocery and consumer packaged goods categories, including Latin-focused, national, and international brands. This role owns category strategy, supplier partnerships, pricing, promotions, and risk mitigation to ensure profitable growth, supply continuity, and alignment with Talpa Supermercados customer needs.

Strategic Sourcing & Category Strategy
• Lead strategic planning for assigned grocery categories, including category business plans, pricing strategies, and promotional roadmaps.
• Develop annual promotional and merchandising plans in partnership with vendors, including funding, displays, and LTO execution.
• Identify supply chain opportunities and proactively mitigate supply risks based on forecasted demand and contingency planning.
• Research and anticipate shifts in supplier negotiating power, market conditions, and cost drivers.
• Discover, evaluate, and develop strategic vendor partnerships.
• Lead supplier negotiations to deliver best total value including cost, rebates, marketing funds, service levels, lead times, MOQs, and innovation.
• Work collaboratively with Supply Chain, Finance, and Legal to execute contracts aligned with company strategy and compliance standards.
• Propose and recommend optimal contracting structures and sourcing strategies.
• Partner closely with CPFR, Supply Chain, Logistics, and Distribution to ensure product availability and minimize out-of-stocks.
• Support sourcing, order placement, fulfillment, and vendor compliance processes.
• Serve as subject matter expert for grocery sourcing, contracts, pricing, and category best practices.
• Conduct monthly supplier performance reviews and support quarterly business reviews.
• Report on cost savings initiatives, supplier improvements, and innovation opportunities.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Finance, or related field preferred.
• 3+ years of experience in Category Management, Procurement, or Supply Chain.
• Proven experience managing grocery or CPG categories in a retail, CP, or foodservice environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading negotiations, sourcing strategies, pricing, and supplier agreements.

SKILLS
• Strong knowledge of grocery category management and pricing strategies.
• Advanced negotiation and supplier relationship management.
• Financial acumen and cost analysis expertise.
• Advanced Excel skills (modeling, pivot tables, lookups).
• ERP and BI tools experience.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and communication skills.
• Knowledge of the U.S. grocery retail market, including Latin and national brands, preferred.
• Bilingual English/Spanish required.
• Up to 30% travel to stores, distribution center, vendor meetings, and trade fairs.