Category Director, Drinks & Cannabis

Job description

The Opportunity

Calgary Coop is looking for a Category Director to lead our Drinks & Cannabis business. This is a rare chance to lead category strategy end-to-end — from product selection and pricing to vendor negotiation and team leadership — for one of the most dynamic and fast-evolving categories in retail today.

You'll set the direction for marketing, programs, and procurement across the division, build and mentor a team of category professionals, and partner closely with senior leadership to shape a business that customers already trust and love. If you're a strategic, people-first category leader who wants real ownership and visibility, this is the role.

What You'll Own

- Set the strategic direction for Drinks & Cannabis — marketing programs, new product offerings, procurement, and pricing — to drive profitability and elevate the customer experience.

- Own end-to-end category management: product selection, space allocation, competitive costing, pricing strategy, and promotional planning across every Drinks & Cannabis category.

- Lead weekly flyer planning, forecasting, and item selection, tracking sales and margin performance to keep programs on target.

- Analyze category and product performance, industry trends, and the competitive landscape to build sales-growth strategies for key products and product families.

- Shape budget guidelines and store layout/design recommendations that improve efficiency, service, and the bottom line.

- Drive forecasting accuracy for Limited Time Offerings, warehouse stock, and flyer programs to maximize turns and margin.

- Own vendor relationships end-to-end — selecting and negotiating with suppliers, optimizing promotional funding, and resolving site-level issues.

- Establish policies, procedures, and best practices for receiving, inspection, storage, and merchandising across Drinks & Cannabis.

- Lead business analysis and category reviews, translating insight into marketing plans, sales fundamentals, and business initiatives.

- Partner closely with Retail Operations on program rollouts, merchandising, pricing, inventory management, store layouts, and audits.

- Ensure full compliance with company policy and government regulation across product handling, pricing, stock control, and costing integrity.

- Champion a safe, healthy workplace — modeling HSE standards and ensuring the team understands and follows all related policies and legislation.

The Team You'll Lead

- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Category Managers and Assistant Category Managers, aligning their day-to-day work with broader company goals.

- Set clear objectives and KPIs, and hold regular, constructive performance conversations that help the team grow.

- Build a culture of accountability and engagement — delegating effectively, resolving conflict, and keeping the team motivated through change.

- Participate in your own annual competency and development planning, continuing to grow as a category leader.

What You Bring

- 5+ years of retail category management experience, including people leadership and budget ownership.

- Project management experience, with a track record of taking initiatives from concept through to the consumer.

- Proven experience coaching direct reports and conducting performance reviews.

- Strong analytical skills, with the ability to draw clear insight from internal and external data sources.

- Confident, constructive communicator who can set direction and hold two-way dialogue on both work and results.

- Skilled at resolving conflict and driving employee engagement.

- Comfortable delegating and distributing workload while maintaining clear accountability.

- Strong negotiation and problem-solving skills, with sharp attention to detail.

- Proven ability to work cross-functionally while maintaining strong internal and external relationships.

- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

- Comfortable adhering to tight deadlines in a fast-moving retail environment.

- Equivalent combinations of skills and experience will be considered.

Nice to Have

- Business-related post-secondary education.

- A creative approach to negotiation and problem-solving.

Why Calgary Co-op

Category ownership, not just execution.

This is a role with real authority — you'll shape strategy, pricing, and vendor relationships across an entire division, not just manage a category calendar.

A growing, high-interest category.

Drinks & Cannabis is one of retail's most dynamic spaces right now, with new products, trends, and customer expectations evolving constantly — plenty of room to innovate.

A team that grows with you.

You'll build and mentor a team of Category and Assistant Category Managers, with real investment in their development and yours.