Category Manager - Multicultural Foods

Overview:

At Coborn's, Inc., we believe our stores should reflect the communities we serve. As our International Foods Category Manager, you'll play a key role in helping us connect with increasingly diverse guests by bringing authentic, culturally relevant products, brands, and food experiences to our stores.

 

This unique opportunity combines the worlds of food, retail, supplier partnerships, sourcing, merchandising, and community engagement. Whether your background is in grocery retail, restaurant operations, foodservice distribution, product sourcing, international food procurement, or category management, you'll have the opportunity to influence how thousands of guests experience foods and flavors from around the world.

 

In this role, you'll identify emerging food trends, build relationships with suppliers and brands, develop product assortments, and help shape strategies that drive sales, profitability, and guest loyalty. You'll also serve as a trusted expert on international foods, helping our organization better understand and respond to the needs of the diverse communities we serve.

 

If you are passionate about food, culture, innovation, supplier relationships, and creating meaningful guest experiences, this is an opportunity to make a visible impact across our employee-owned organization.

 

What You'll Do

• Lead International Foods Strategy
  Develop and execute category, product, and merchandising strategies that drive sales, profitability, market share, and guest satisfaction while responding to evolving food trends and community needs.
• Build Consumer-Relevant Assortments
  Identify opportunities to expand and enhance international food offerings by analyzing consumer behavior, demographic trends, cultural preferences, competitive insights, and market opportunities.
• Source Products & Develop Supplier Partnerships
  Build and maintain relationships with domestic and international manufacturers, importers, distributors, diverse-owned businesses, and emerging food brands to bring unique products and experiences to our guests.
• Drive Business Performance
  Manage category performance through ownership of sales, margin, inventory, and shrink results while leveraging data and market insights to identify growth opportunities.
• Shape Pricing & Promotional Strategies
  Partner with Pricing, Marketing, and Operations teams to develop competitive pricing, promotional campaigns, and culturally relevant programs that drive engagement and category growth.
• Bring Products to Life in Stores
  Work cross-functionally with Supply Chain, Space Management, Operations, Marketing, and Store Leadership to successfully execute product launches, assortment changes, seasonal programs, and merchandising initiatives.
• Connect with Communities & Industry Partners
  Develop relationships with community organizations, cultural groups, suppliers, industry professionals, and guests to better understand evolving consumer needs and identify future opportunities.
• Identify Emerging Trends
  Stay connected to changing consumer preferences, international food trends, restaurant and foodservice innovations, and new product developments to ensure Coborn's remains relevant and differentiated in the marketplace.
• Lead & Influence Across the Organization
  Serve as a subject matter expert for international foods and merchandising strategies, communicating insights and recommendations while mentoring and developing team members.

What's In It For Me?

Our remarkable employees are at the heart of everything we do. At Coborn’s, we’re committed to creating a supportive and rewarding workplace—one that offers a vibrant, team-oriented environment, ongoing career growth, and meaningful benefits. As an employee-owned company, we believe in investing in our people and their futures.

 

We’re proud to offer a variety of benefits to both our full-time and part-time employees, including: 

 

• Medical & Dental insurance with Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options
• Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) – yes, we're employee-owned! Our team members benefit from the success of the company through this company-sponsored benefit!
• 401(k) plan options – we also match up to 20% of the first 5% contributed
• Competitive Paid Time Off (PTO/Vacation)
• 10% employee discount on grocery items, with additional franchise-specific discounts available at company-owned Ace Hardware, Caribou Coffee, Erbert and Gerbert's, and Pet Supplies Plus locations.
• Additional Voluntary Benefits – such as vision, accident and critical illness insurances
• Adoption Reimbursement, Paid Family Caregiver Leave, as well as company-sponsored Term Life Insurance
• Get Paid Daily with DailyPay – for employees who would like access to their pay before payday, we offer this great benefit!
• Paid Military Leave
• Employee recognition programs with monetary rewards, including in-store vouchers, years of service, and employee of the month
• Employee Health & Wellness Programs, Challenges and Resources – to assist our team members in living a life of wellbeing!
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – unlimited phone access to legal, financial, and work-life services and up to five free in-person counseling sessions, per situation/issue, per year
• Access to a national discount marketplace for travel, electronics, auto/home insurance, entertainment and more!
• Tools, resources and opportunities for career growth and development
• Education benefits including tuition discount and scholarship programs

Requirements:

Education and Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Merchandising, Marketing, Supply Chain, Retail Management, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.

• Five or more years of progressive experience in category management, merchandising, buying, sourcing, retail operations, or a related field. Experience within grocery, food retail, consumer products, or a multi-location retail environment is preferred.

• Demonstrated experience developing and executing category strategies, including assortment, pricing, promotions, and/or product sourcing.

• Experience leveraging consumer, sales, market, competitive, and demographic insights to identify opportunities and support strategic business decisions.

• Proven experience building supplier relationships and negotiating product costs, terms, promotional support, and other business agreements.

 

We believe that building a team of people with different backgrounds, beliefs, experiences and perspectives inspires fresh thinking and opens us up to new possibilities. We are an EEO/AA Employer - All qualified individuals, including minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities, are encouraged to apply.

What's In It For Me:

Our remarkable employees are at the heart of everything we do. At Coborn’s, we’re committed to creating a supportive and rewarding workplace—one that offers a vibrant, team-oriented environment, ongoing career growth, and meaningful benefits. As an employee-owned company, we believe in investing in our people and their futures.

We’re proud to offer a variety of benefits to both our full-time and part-time employees, including: 

 

• 10% employee discount on grocery items, with additional franchise-specific discounts available at company owned Ace Hardware, Caribou Coffee, Erbert and Gerbert’s, and Pet Supplies Plus locations.
• Get Paid Daily with DailyPay – for employees who would like access to their pay before payday, we offer this great benefit!
• Paid Time Off (PTO/Vacation)
• Paid Floating Holidays & time and a half (1 ½) paid for hours worked on a company-recognized holiday!
• Sunday Premium Pay – an extra $1 per hour for hours worked on Sundays (some exclusions apply)
• Paid Military Leave
• Employee recognition programs with monetary rewards including in-store vouchers, years of service, and employee of the month
• Employee Health & Wellness Programs, Challenges and Resources – to assist our team members in living a life of wellbeing!
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – unlimited phone access to legal, financial, and work-life services and up to five free in-person counseling sessions, per situation/issue, per year
• Access to a national discount marketplace for travel, electronics, auto/home insurance , entertainment and more!
• Tools, resources and opportunities for career growth and development
• 401(k) plan options – we also match up to 20% of the first 5% contributed
• Participation in our Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) – yes, we’re employee-owned! Our team members benefit from the success of the company through this company-sponsored benefit!
• Education benefits including tuition discount and scholarship programs
• Additional Voluntary Benefits – such as vision, accident and critical illness insurances

 

If you’re hired or promoted into a full-time position with our company, you will also be eligible for: Medical & Dental Insurance, Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Tuition Reimbursement, Adoption Reimbursement, Paid Family Caregiver Leave, as well as company-sponsored Term Life Insurance, Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance, and Short-Term & Long-Term Disability Insurance!

Pay Range: USD $82,000.00 - USD $130,000.00 /Yr. Company Introduction:

Build a career with a company that invests in people, strengthens communities, and creates opportunities to grow. At Coborn's, Inc., we're more than a grocery retailer. We're an employee-owned company where team members are empowered to make a difference, contribute to our success, and help shape the future of our organization. For more than 100 years, we've been committed to serving our guests, supporting local communities, and helping our team members thrive. We've also been certified as a Great Place To Work® for three consecutive years, a recognition earned entirely through employee feedback about their experience working at Coborn's, Inc.

 

As one of the Midwest's largest independent grocery retailers, Coborn's, Inc. operates 77 grocery stores across six states under the:

• Coborn's
• Cash Wise Foods
• Marketplace Foods
• Hornbacher's
• Tadych's Marketplace Foods
• Sullivan's Foods
• Kessler's Food & Grocery

banners. Guided by our vision to inspire happiness, healthy living, and simplicity, we continue to grow while staying true to our local roots and community-focused values. With more than 135 business units across our organization, team members have opportunities to learn, grow, and build meaningful careers.

 

Beyond grocery, our diverse retail operations include liquor stores, convenience stores, fuel locations, pharmacies, and franchise businesses such as Ace Hardware, Country Floral, Caribou Coffee, Dunn Brothers Coffee, Erbert and Gerbert's, Godfather's Pizza, and Pet Supplies Plus. Supporting it all are our own central bakery, fresh foods commissary, and grocery warehouse and distribution center. From neighborhood stores to behind-the-scenes operations, every team member plays a role in helping us serve our guests and strengthen the communities we call home.