GENERAL POSITION SUMMARYThis position is responsible for the creation, maintenance and ongoing development of a specific product category assortment, including operational support to meet strategic sales, margin dollar, inventory, availability, quality and compliance goals. This position(s) partners with internal functions, including but not limited to GlobalSourcing, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Store Operations, Compliance & Quality and/or other functions as needed, to develop and execute the business plan for the product category assortment. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (DUTIES AND REQUIREMENTS) OF THE POSITIONReasonable Accommodations StatementTo perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to complete each essential function (job duty/requirement) satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities or sincerely held beliefs, to perform the essential functions. Contact HR for additional information. Job and : Provide category-level guidance to Global Sourcing to enable procurement of products with the highest possible quality at the best possible cost, including deals to supplement the ongoing permanent assortment. Serve as informational resource to Global Sourcing in the facilitation of cost negotiation, forecasting, payment terms, product specifications and delivery schedules. Determine and maintain sales to space ratios, responding to changing sales and market trends to ensure that planned sales, margin dollar, inventory and available weeks of supply are achieved by each product category assortment. Partner with Inventory management, Global Sourcing and Supply Chain to secure uninterrupted inventory supply of purchased items for the purpose of maintaining adequate stock levels to support customer demand and/or the category sales strategy. Develop everyday and promotional pricing and category strategy that aligns to the Company's customer value proposition and to achieve specific goals for driving traffic, increasing top line revenue and gross margin dollars, and/or reducing inventory levels. Own the product life cycle that begins with strategic and planned product introductions into the category and ends with product end of life process. As product transitions are made, take into consideration the impact on category profitability, inventory levels and sales. Develop the trade-up and accessory structure of the category and ensures the selling strategy is communicated through training and creation of selling tools for sales associates. Review and adjust assortment plans as needed to achieve sales and margin plans and to maintain competitive presence in the marketplace. Identify new products to innovate and refresh product offering by securing and evaluating feedback fromstores, evaluation of competitor assortments, and research of market trends/consumer demands. Facilitate timely communication with internal and external customers to ensure pertinent category information is provided to all applicable departments/clients. Create and/or review all product information for external communications, including catalogs, brochures and web presentation. Function as SME for product knowledge and product category training. Partner with Training team to create relevant sales training tools for selling associates. Demonstrate continuous effort to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, streamline processes and work cooperatively with other teams Visit stores, suppliers and competition to assess needs, challenges and competitor activities to review assortments, product availability, pricing, and product development Provide technical support to the stores and customers as required Other duties and special projects, as assigned Additional : Demonstrated knowledge of the flooring industry, retail matrices, product performance measurements, and inventory evaluation and planning tools. Demonstrated experience in retail procurement and planning activities. Excellent verbal and written communication skills for presenting information and ideas and responding to questions from carriers, vendors and other members of the organization. Demonstrated skill and experience with negotiating product buys. Ability to build positive relationships with peers, departments and vendors (team player). Ability to create and present business plans and manage to budget. Demonstrate sound judgment by making effective decisions consistent with department strategy and company policies and being able to support decisions with facts and details. Ability to organize and independently troubleshoot, plan, lead and manage projects. Ability to persuade and collaborate to achieve personal, category and company goals. Ability to travel and navigate independently, domestically up to 20% and internationally, up to 10%. Proactively assist others. Step in and help when and as needed Ability to solve problems and apply creative and timely solutions. Attendance and reliability is extremely important in this position Customer Focus - Establish and maintain effective customer relationships. Seek to understand customer needs and deliver solutions that meet customer expectations. Accountability - Follow through on commitments. Take personal responsibility for decisions, actions, andfailures. Collaboration - Cooperate with others to achieve shared objectives and get work done. Consider interests of others as well as one's own. Instill Trust - Show consistency in word and action. Treat others with respect. Operate with honesty and integrity. Change Management - Adaptable to a fast paced, shifting work environment; willing to remain flexible to accommodate changing business conditions, work requirements, customer and scheduling needs. Detail Oriented - Attention to detail, ability to focus on the project or task at hand, adherence to Company policies and requirements while consistently delivering error free results. Leads by example in following the Company Code of Business Conduct (Ethics), all applicable tenants of the Lacey Act and all other applicable laws, policies and procedures. Immediately reports all concerns to the appropriate party. POSITION QUALIFICATIONSEducation: Bachelor's degree in business or other related field, requiredRelated Experience, and/or Certifications: 5 10 years of experience in sourcing, planning and forecasting, product development, and/or inventorymanagement in a retail environment Experience with wood and flooring products, preferredComputer Skills / Special Equipment Knowledge: Proficient with MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point). Working experience with SAP and MS Access a plus. WORK ENVIRONMENTIndividuals in this position generally work in an office environment that involves the use of office equipment,such as computers, copiers, telephones, and other office machinery/equipment. Individuals may experienceoccasional exposure to a retail sale and/or warehouse environment involving material moving and heavy equipment (eg forklift) where there may be some exposure to moderate noise, outdoor elements (heat and cold) and airborne particles.The Company has reviewed this job description to ensure that essential functions and basic duties have been included. It is intended to provide guidelines for job expectations and the employee's ability to perform the position described. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills andabilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate. This document does not represent a contract of employment, and does not change the "at-will" relationship. The company reserves the right to change this job description and/or assign tasks for the employee to perform, as the Company may deem appropriate.