Position Summary
The Assistant Category Manager plays a critical role in supporting the Category Management team by maintaining the integrity of the company's product master data, supporting category performance analysis, coordinating cross-functional initiatives, and driving process improvements.
This role is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of product information across thousands of SKUs while supporting pricing, promotions, assortment management, and vendor administration. The successful candidate will work closely with Category Management, Purchasing, Supply Chain, Retail Operations, Marketing, Finance, E-commerce, and vendors to ensure product information is accurate, timely, and supports operational excellence.
This position is ideal for someone who enjoys working with data, solving problems, improving processes, and supporting a fast-paced retail organization.
Key Responsibilities
Item Master & Product Data Management
- Maintain the Item Master within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
- Create new products and maintain existing item records.
- Update pricing, costs, UPCs, product descriptions, attributes, dimensions, units of measure, tax information, and vendor details.
- Maintain accurate product hierarchy and category classifications.
- Manage product lifecycle activities including:
- New item creation
- Product changes
- Product discontinuations
- Vendor changes
- SKU consolidations
- Ensure product information is consistent across ERP, POS, E-commerce, and reporting systems.
- Perform regular audits to ensure data integrity.
- Identify and resolve data discrepancies before they impact stores or customers.
Data Quality & Cleansing
- Perform ongoing data cleansing and validation of large product databases.
- Standardize product descriptions and attributes.
- Remove duplicate records.
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete product information.
- Ensure consistency in naming conventions and data standards.
- Develop and maintain data governance best practices.
- Monitor item file accuracy and recommend improvements.
Category Analysis
- Analyze category performance using sales, margin, inventory, and promotional data.
- Monitor key performance indicators including:
- Sales
- Gross Margin
- Inventory Turns
- Sell-through
- Vendor Performance
- Promotional Results
- Identify trends and opportunities.
- Prepare weekly and monthly business reports.
- Support assortment optimization.
- Assist with pricing and competitive analysis.
- Support category reviews and business planning.
Project Management
- Coordinate category initiatives from planning through implementation.
- Track project timelines and deliverables.
- Maintain project documentation.
- Schedule meetings and prepare agendas.
- Record meeting minutes and action items.
- Follow up with stakeholders to ensure deadlines are achieved.
- Assist with new category launches and merchandising initiatives.
Process Improvement
- Identify opportunities to improve department efficiency.
- Document Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
- Support implementation of new systems and tools.
- Recommend improvements to data management processes.
- Assist with testing of new ERP functionality.
- Participate in continuous improvement initiatives.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Work closely with:
- Category Management
- Purchasing
- Retail Operations
- Supply Chain
- Finance
- Marketing
- E-commerce
- Vendors
- Store Operations
Support cross-functional initiatives including:
- Product launches
- Promotional execution
- Price changes
- Vendor onboarding
- Inventory optimization
- Seasonal assortment planning
Qualifications
Education
- Diploma or Bachelor's Degree in Business, Commerce, Supply Chain, Retail Management, Data Analytics, or a related discipline.
Equivalent experience will also be considered.
Experience
- 2–4 years of experience in Category Management, Merchandise Administration, Purchasing, Master Data Management, Retail Operations, or Product Administration.
- Experience managing large product databases.
- Experience working in a retail environment.
- Experience maintaining high-volume SKU assortments.
- Experience performing data cleansing and validation.
- Experience supporting cross-functional projects.
Preferred Experience
Highly preferred:
- Medical retail
- Healthcare retail
- Pharmacy
- Home healthcare
- Medical device distribution
Experience working with:
- 10,000+ SKUs
- Large multi-location retail organizations
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
- ERP implementations or ERP support
- Product Information Management (PIM) systems
- Pricing and promotional management
- Vendor management
Experience with the following product categories is considered an asset:
- CPAP
- Mobility
- Compression
- Bracing
- Ostomy
- Wound Care
- Continence
- Home Safety
- Durable Medical Equipment (DME)
Technical Skills
Required:
- Advanced Microsoft Excel
- Pivot Tables
- XLOOKUP
- Power Query
- INDEX/MATCH
- Advanced formulas
- Data validation
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Microsoft Teams
- SharePoint
Preferred:
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
- Power BI
- Microsoft Planner
- Microsoft Project
- Monday.com
- Smartsheet
- Asana
- Jira
Core Competencies
- Exceptional attention to detail
- Strong analytical skills
- Highly organized
- Excellent problem-solving abilities
- Strong written and verbal communication
- Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
- Excellent time management
- Process-oriented mindset
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Ability to work independently
- Collaborative team player
- Customer-focused
- Results-oriented
- Continuous improvement mindset
Success Measures
Success in this position will be measured by:
- Accuracy of the Item Master.
- Timely completion of item maintenance requests.
- Reduction in product data errors.
- Accuracy of pricing and product information.
- Quality of category reporting and analysis.
- Completion of projects on schedule.
- Continuous improvement of department processes.
- Effective collaboration with internal stakeholders.
- Support of category growth and operational excellence.
Why Join Us?
At Wellwise, we are transforming healthcare retail by providing innovative products and exceptional service that improve the lives of Canadians. As part of our Category Management team, you will have the opportunity to work on meaningful projects, influence business decisions through data, and help shape the future of one of Canada's leading home healthcare retailers.
If you enjoy solving complex problems, working with large product assortments, improving processes, and collaborating across departments, we'd love to hear from you.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: $60,000.00-$65,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Extended health care
- On-site parking
Education:
- Bachelor's Degree (preferred)
Experience:
- general business or merchandising: 1 year (required)
Work Location: In person
