Senior Associate, Category Management

About Misfits Market:

Misfits Market is a mission-driven, high-growth startup dedicated to reducing food waste and making shopping for sustainable, high-quality groceries easier and more affordable. We deliver organic produce, high-quality meats and seafood, plant-based proteins, dairy, bakery, wine, and other grocery items to nearly every zip code in 48 states at up to 30 percent off traditional grocery store prices. In 2022, Misfits Market acquired sustainable e-grocer Imperfect Foods and now leverages its in-house transportation network to deliver directly to consumers with one of the most carbon-efficient grocery delivery models on the market. By tackling inefficiencies in the food system, our passionate and motivated team of problem solvers helps save an average of 500,000 pounds of food per week from waste or lesser outcomes, with an all-time savings of 190+ million pounds of food.

As Misfits we support our customers and mission by embracing our core values of:

Prioritizing our Customers                             

Doing more with less

Thinking Differently         

Respecting one another                            

Moving deliberately and quickly                   

Taking initiative and delivering 

Job Overview

As a Senior Associate Category Manager, you are a Category Manager in training with growing ownership of assigned categories and a strong role in supporting broader company goals.

You will be expected to build a foundational understanding of your business, contribute to category performance, and develop a stronger point of view over time on actions that improve results.

This role is intentionally administrative heavy and plays an important part in improving the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of the Category Management function. You will handle essential day-to-day execution, including new item setup, new vendor setup, pricing updates, reporting, and promotional coordination, while taking on ownership of 1 to 3 smaller assigned categories under the guidance of category leadership.

Success in this role requires a high level of organization, follow-through, and attention to detail, along with the ability to connect daily execution to category and company priorities.

You will play a key role in analyzing performance, supporting vendor relationships, executing pricing and promotional strategies, and helping strengthen the systems and processes that support Category Management at Misfits Market.

This role works closely with Inventory Planning, Strategy Planning, Site Merchandising, Marketing, and other cross-functional partners to support strong execution in service of Misfits Market’s mission of sustainability and value.

Key Responsibilities

• Category Ownership: Support the day-to-day management and performance of 1 to 3 smaller assigned categories under the guidance of category leadership. Review and analyze category, item, and vendor reporting to identify risks and opportunities and provide insights and recommendations to your manager. Help connect day-to-day category execution to broader business goals, including sales, margin, pricing, inventory health, and promotional performance. Assist in preparing category recaps, business reviews, and other reporting needed to support team decision-making.
• Administrative Execution and Process Support: Own essential daily administrative responsibilities that support the health and efficiency of the Category Management function, including new item setup, new vendor setup, item maintenance, pricing updates, and reporting. Maintain a high level of accuracy across spreadsheets, trackers, and systems used to manage category information. Support the ongoing improvement of category management workflows by identifying inefficiencies in recurring tasks and proposing practical ways to improve accuracy, consistency, and speed. Help ensure that key category processes are well organized, documented, and executed on time.
• Vendor Management: Establish and maintain relationships, serving as a reliable point of contact for routine business needs. Support Category Managers in discussions related to costing, vendor funding, promotions, inventory levels, and new item opportunities. Provide a point of view on new items and potential suppliers using internal performance data and competitive market insights. Help maintain strong follow-through with vendors across documentation, timelines, and execution.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Use in-house reporting and third-party data to create clear, concise recommendations for category, item, pricing, and vendor strategies. Analyze category performance and support action plans that improve or maintain the business. Monitor trends and flag issues or opportunities that require follow-up or escalation.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Inventory Planning and Strategy Planning on department goals, forecast alignment, and inventory productivity. Work with Site Merchandising to coordinate weekly promotions, new item launches, optimal product placement, and strong customer-facing execution. Partner with Marketing and other internal teams to support launches, product storytelling, and promotional activity. Communicate clearly across teams to support clean handoffs, timely execution, and strong follow-through.
• Strategic Execution: Implement pricing strategies and support pricing decisions with a clear understanding of value, competitiveness, and unit economics. Support promotional planning and help track performance against key goals. Help manage item lifecycle execution from setup through launch, in-market review, and exit recommendation as needed.
• Process Improvement: Identify inefficiencies in recurring workflows such as item setup, reporting, vendor maintenance, and promotional execution. Recommend practical improvements that increase speed, accuracy, and team efficiency. Maintain trackers, reporting files, and category documents with a high level of organization and accuracy.

Skills & Qualifications

• Experience: 1 to 3 years of experience in Category Management, Merchandising, Buying, eCommerce, or a related analytical retail role.
• Technical Skills: Demonstrated ability to manage data in Google Sheets or Excel, including data organization, reporting, and basic analysis. Experience with third-party competitive data systems, Asana, or similar project management tools is a plus.
• Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present analysis and recommendations clearly to management and cross-functional partners.
• Mindset: A proactive problem-solver who thrives in a fast-paced environment, is comfortable with occasional ambiguity, and can balance detailed execution with growing commercial judgment.

Details of Position & Benefits:

• Annual Salary $65k - $75k
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) 
• Annual Misfits grocery box credit of $1200 paid in weekly installments
• Life insurance
• Paid vacation time
• Paid holidays 
• Paid sick days
• Commuter benefits

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