Category Manager, Food & Health - Red River Co-op

Red River Co-op is recruiting for a Category Manager, Food & Health to join our Food & Pharmacy Operations team. Reporting to the Vice President, Food & Pharmacy Operations, this newly created position will lead the development and execution of category strategies for Food & Health products across our food stores and pharmacies. This role plays a key part in driving sales, profitability, customer experience, and category growth through strategic purchasing, vendor partnerships, assortment planning, merchandising, and promotional initiatives.

Essential responsibilities of the position include the following:

• Lead Food & Health category strategy, growth, and financial performance. 

• Manage product assortment, pricing, inventory, and merchandising initiatives. 

• Develop strong vendor partnerships and negotiate supplier agreements. 

• Identify opportunities through sales, market, and customer insights. 

• Partner with Food Store, Pharmacy, and Marketing teams to drive category success. 

• Collaborate with FCL category teams to enhance Food & Health assortments through market insights, customer advocacy, and locally sourced product strategies that drive competitive advantage.

• Act as the organization’s subject matter expert for Food & Health products.

About You:

To be successful in this role, you will bring the following skills and competencies:

• Post-secondary education in Business, Commerce, Supply Chain, Marketing, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.
• 3-5 years of experience in category management, purchasing, merchandising, procurement, vendor management, or business development.
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and business analytics.
• Valid Class 5 Driver's License and the ability to travel within Red River Co-op's trading area as required.

Start Your Career with one of Manitoba’s Top Employers! 

We have deep roots in our community. More than 85 years deep. And through the years we have proven our commitment to our members by making their priorities our priorities. We donate regularly to a wide range of organizations, feature local products prominently, and most importantly - give back to our members through profit sharing. We look to the past to inform our present core values.

But in this rapidly changing world, our roots ground us so that we can keep pace and innovate. We have grown from one standalone Gas Bar in downtown Winnipeg to an ever-expanding co-operative with 50 gas bar locations, 24 car washes, 6 cardlocks, 9 food stores, 8 pharmacies and an oil supply centre. Our fleet of trucks are on the road delivering fuel to farm and commercial accounts in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario.

And we just keep growing as we develop fresh, modern ways to deliver premium products with extraordinary customer service.

This role can be just the start of your career as there is ample opportunity for advancement within Red River Co-op. We are a proud member of the Co-operative Retailing System, a vast network of 160 retail Co-ops across western Canada.