Category Strategy & Vendor Development Manager

About the Role:
We are seeking an experienced, highly driven professional to lead the development and growth of our Engineered Hardwood category and potentially other specialty product lines. This role requires someone who can evaluate brand and product opportunities, analyze market potential, identify key players, assess demand through SEO and digital research, and build a go-to-market strategy from the ground up.

Key Responsibilities:

• Evaluate Engineered Hardwood and other specialty product categories as growth opportunities, including market size, competitive landscape, pricing, trends, and growth potential.
• Identify and engage major manufacturers, brands, distributors, and market players relevant to the category.
• Develop end-to-end strategy integrating product opportunity, sourcing, and positioning.
• Source, evaluate, and build relationships with vendors and suppliers, including outreach, qualification, negotiation support, and ongoing partnership development.
• Define product assortment, specifications, positioning, and data requirements to successfully launch and scale the category.
• Apply AI-enabled research and workflow tools (such as Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini) to improve speed, efficiency, analysis, and category decision-making.
• Collaborate across product, content, and marketing teams to bring the category to market effectively, including managing digital marketing channels like Pinterest, Instagram, Meta ads, Google ads, and Microsoft ads.
• Track category performance, identify gaps, and recommend improvements to growth, visibility, and profitability.
• Conduct customer demand research using SEO tools (e.g., Semrush), keyword analysis, search behavior, and market signals to prioritize products and opportunities.

Qualifications:

• 5-7 years in category management, product marketing, or vendor management
• Experience building product categories in e-commerce, building materials, home improvement, or adjacent industries. 
• Hands-on experience with Shopify and/or Amazon Seller Central
• Proven track record finding and building vendor/supplier relationships
  
• Strong commercial judgment and ability to translate market opportunity into actionable strategy
• Basic understanding of SEO 
• Comfortable with customer-facing interactions
• Excellent English communication skills


What Success Looks Like:

• Successfully analyze and validate the potential of the Engineered Hardwood category and other specialty product lines.
• Identify and secure partnerships with the most relevant brands, vendors, and competitive players.
• Build strong vendor relationships and establish a viable supply-side strategy.
• Recommend and help execute a comprehensive category growth plan from end to end.
• Lay the groundwork for broader responsibilities in marketing, product management, or analytical leadership over time
• Quantify demand and opportunity through SEO and market analysis to prioritize efforts.

Growth Opportunity:

This role has the potential to evolve into broader leadership positions in:

• Marketing leadership
• Product/category management
• Product data strategy
• Business analysis