Category Manager

Category managers are responsible to set, communicate, execute, manage, and support a set of Customer-focused strategies for their category to deliver growth in revenue, margin, inventory productivity, and Customer engagement. They drive omnichannel Customer engagement and loyalty through ensuing the right product, information, and content is at the right place and merchandised in a way that drives the Customer decision path, at the right everyday and promotional prices, and the right time.

The Music & Arts Category managers serve our K-12 students, their parents, music, band, and orchestra educational leaders, more advanced band and orchestral musicians, our Retail Store teams, and our Education Representatives. Category Managers own the relationship with the Vendors and ensure the brand is getting the best costs, trade spend, inventory allocation, and service to meet our goals, while also being ahead of our competitors on innovation, new items, access to artists and other digital, content, training and human assets from the vendor.

They work closely with the Planning and Allocation, Marketing, Finance, eCommerce, Supply Chain, Customer Care, Training and other teams to bring the category strategies to life. The team also works closely with their counterparts at The Guitar Center.

The reason this job exists is to perform these functions. They are performed regularly, seriously impacting other roles and the Customer. To perform the job successfully, an individual must be able to execute each of these functions satisfactorily. Other duties, assignments and specific projects may be assigned at the discretion of leadership. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Know the Customer
  • Spend time with the appropriate Customer facing teams stay current and deeply understand the category’s Customers, build powerful category insights that inform the category’s strategy and tactics
  • Work with the appropriate data teams to mine data to build insights through the understanding of Customer segmentation and behavior
• Know the business
  • Stay current on and communicate internally industry, vendor, and competitive news and trends. This will include event, trade show, vendor training, competitive shopping, vendor facility tour participation
  • Cultivate competitive intelligence for the category and ensure we are advantaged in our assortments, pricing, positioning, content, and Customer engagement
• Build Category Plans
  • Define, communicate, manage, and execute the category role, definition, and strategic and tactical category plans. Ensure that the category strategies are in line with the Customer and company’s goals
• Achieve the financial targets
  • Help plan and achieve the category’s revenue, margin rate and dollars, open to buy, inventory productivity, markdown and promotional plans across the appropriate eCommerce properties, Retail stores, and School Services and Special Order teams
• Manage the assortments
• Manage the Inventory
• Enhance Customer engagement
• Own the vendor relationship
• Build visual and digital navigational merchandising standards
• Drive item data accuracy
• Support our internal Customers other key and unique business priorities

Music & Arts embodies the world of creativity and music by encouraging our teammates to find their own individual sound. We strive to create lifelong musicians and make a difference in the world by enabling musicians and non-musicians alike to experience the almost indescribable happiness that comes from playing an instrument. We believe in putting our customers first, engaging with respect and integrity and fulfilling our mission with passion.

The first Music & Arts was located in a small house in Bethesda, MD and run by founder Benjamin O'Brien. When Music & Arts opened its doors in 1952, we offered printed music, music lessons, dance lessons, and art supplies. Ben decided shortly after opening his business that he wanted to focus on music to better serve his customers – a decision that remains intact to this day.

Since the 1990's, Music & Arts has expanded nationwide…