Product Strategy Specialist

Department: Product Strategy & Merchandising
Employment Type: Full-Time
Requisition ID: 942
Date Posted: March 28, 2025
Closing Date: April 4, 2025 or until filled

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Manager, Product Strategy & Merchandising, the Product Strategy Specialist is responsible for the management of the assigned products including profitability, sales, advertising, category planning, vendor negotiations, and product selection; for developing and managing their overall product strategy and direction for the UFA Agribusiness division. The Product Strategy Specialist under the guidance of the Manager, will develop & implement their UFA product assortments, pricing strategies and promotional plans, as well as the merchandising direction to meet member-customer needs and deliver the financial goals and objectives for the organization. The Product Strategy Specialist will apply best practices in category management to achieve the sales, margin & gross margin % budgets by developing key strategic vendor relationships, pricing strategies, product and inventory, promotion campaigns, and assortment plans.

Key Responsibilities/Accountabilities:

• Develop strategies for Product assortments, Pricing, Promotions and Merchandising for specific product segments to drive revenue & margin growth, deliver on UFA’s business objectives and financial budgets.
• Collaborate with internal partners and stakeholders to ensure product strategies and plans are rolled-out to the business in an effective and efficient manner.
• Develop promotional strategies and tactics, based upon customer segmentation and category management principles that will achieve business and financial objectives.
• Develop the product assortment strategy and manage the product segment’s overall inventory productivity; through the product life cycle stages, aged-inventory levels and implement required actions as needed.
• Develop, lead, and communicate the pricing strategies for their product that will achieve expected business and financial objectives.
• Lead, plan and communicate the implementation of product business plans and initiatives:
  • Communicate product segment strategies to vendors and supply chain partners to ensure appropriate forecasts are in place that will support business plans and improve UFA’s financial productivity.
  • Work closely with cross-functional teams to communicate product segment and merchandising strategic direction to UFA’s operational leaders.
• Research marketplace trends involving product, customers, suppliers, and competitors to identify new products, sourcing and business ideas to ensure our product assortments and customer experience are best in class. Gather market intelligence through formal and informal means to aid in the development of the overall business strategies and product portfolio performance.
• Manage and optimize vendor relationships with respect to their product segments and assortments. Partner with vendors regularly to focus on: business growth, strengthen partnerships, improve cost of goods / payment terms / rebates / marketing co-op, and drive synergies across the business with a global approach.
• Provide fact-based recommendations to the business stakeholders and management. Influence future purchases and/or risks for assortment strategies.
• Initiate, write and present strong business cases to support product opportunities or mitigate situational risks.

Qualifications required for the position:

• Degree in Business, Economics, Mathematics or related field and /or equivalent work experience.
• More than 5 years relevant experience with minimum 3-5 years relevant in product category management
• Livestock & Agricultural product knowledge an asset
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Applications
• Microsoft Dynamics experience an asset
• Proven track record to build strong relationships and work with cross-functional teams
• Strong presentation & communication skills (both written and verbal).
• Exposure to competitor and business intelligence with a demonstrated ability to synthesize and report on business relevance.
• Ability to create successful strategies that meet / exceed member & customer needs and achieve product goals and financial objectives
• Provide accurate and timely reporting to the business stakeholders to facilitate business opportunity discussions and strategy development
• Able to multi-task with shifting and competing business priorities, in conditions of minimal supervision.

#IND1

Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

At UFA we care about the lives of our employees, members, customers, elected officials, and partners. This includes their whole selves and what makes them unique. We strive to create an inclusive environment that welcomes employees from diverse populations and backgrounds, where everyone can do their best work. In our world of agriculture, it takes time for growth, this is our seed to grow inclusion and belonging at UFA.

If you require accommodation in submitting this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to careers@ufa.com

Stay Connected with us:
 

• Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook for the latest job postings and company news.
• View our Sustainability Video to see UFA’s pillars in regard to environmental, social, and economic topics.

We thank all candidates for their interest, however only qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview.