Category Managers are product experts for Scholastic Reading Events (Book Fairs and Book Clubs) responsible for strategizing, developing, curating, and directing the implementation of product assortments, marketing, and merchandising plans to achieve sales and profit growth and support our mission to get kids reading.
1. Lead the development and management of high-volume non-book product categories for Scholastic Reading Events’ customer profit redemption businesses.
2. Develop and execute category strategies and curate assortments for the Book Fairs Scholastic Dollars Catalog and the Book Clubs Classroom Collection, encompassing product assortment planning, pricing, marketing, and merchandising to achieve sales, inventory productivity, and profitability targets.
3. Review, evaluate, select, develop, and acquire compelling, relevant, and high-performing products each season to support Scholastic Reading Events’ objectives.
4. Analyze sales performance, inventory sell-through, and market research to deepen understanding of school and educator customers, refine product selection, and identify new category and growth opportunities.
5. Ensure that School Reading Events opportunities are created and prioritized within the publishing, children’s product and media/marketing communities by leveraging strong vendor and children’s business partnerships.
6. Negotiate product costs, vendor marketing support, and act as primary point of contact for our vendor partners for assigned categories.
7. Partner with Inventory Planning to develop and execute inventory optimization strategies aligned with sales trends, inventory levels, and financial objectives; provide demand forecasts to support purchasing decisions within established open-to-buy budgets.
8. Lead product marketing by providing strategic direction and detailed product information to the marketing team for the development of catalogs, website promotions, email campaigns, direct mail, and related marketing vehicles.
9. Develop product presentation strategies and deliver clear product overviews to Book Fairs field operations, sales, and customer care teams via SBFGo shareouts to help drive customer redemptions and conversions.
10. Represent the Scholastic Reading Events Product team at cross-divisional meetings, trade shows, and publishing conferences.
11. Define, implement, and refine processes, procedures, and tools to enhance Product Department effectiveness and operational excellence.
12. Continuously assess category management systems, tools, and workflows, recommending improvements to increase efficiency, clarity, and financial performance.
13. Lead and support special projects within the Product team, as assigned.
1. Minimum of 3 years’ experience in category management.
2. Demonstrated achievement in identifying, analyzing, and capitalizing on category trends for product procurement and development to drive sales and profit.
3. Ability to lead, manage projects, and problem-solve independently.
4. Self-motivated to thrive and multi-task in a fast-paced, dynamic environment (remote)
5. Detail-oriented with strong communication, and organization skills, and the ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
6. High level of proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and Google Workspace applications.
The salary range for this position is $84,000 to $95,000 annually.
Scholastic is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is clear: there shall be no discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, pregnancy, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam veteran. Those factors shall not influence the determination of qualifications for a job or other opportunity within the company. Further, all personnel actions (such as compensation, tuition aid, benefits, transfers, promotions, and dismissals, company-sponsored training, social and recreational programs) shall be administered without discrimination.