**Job Description:** **Job Summary:** Collaborates with the Category Manager(s) to select and purchase merchandise and services within a limited number of categories, and at the lowest possible cost. Assures that these purchases are made with a thorough analysis of general business economics and conditions, sources of supply, merchandise requirements, and overall, Company policy. Responsible for providing the necessary merchandising, promotional plans and programs, and distribution services to assure that merchandise meets consumer and store needs. With direction or input from the Category Manager, develops and implements merchandising techniques and procedures. #LI-NL1 **Job Responsibilities:** + Plans, develops, and recommends sales, gross profit level, inventory control, and merchandise turnover objectives for the assigned department(s) and item(s). + Develops and recommends merchandising, display, advertising, distribution, packaging and sales plans and programs for assigned items and merchandise departments. + Negotiates buying contracts on categories or subsets of categories as determined by the Divisional Merchandise Manager (DMM) or Category Manager (CM). Reviews contracts with the CM. + Analyzes market, competitive, and customer perception data, and provides recommendations to the DMM and CM regarding price levels. + Reviews and analyzes historical and YTD category performance data. Recommends performance goals for categories, and manages category performance as assigned by the DMM and CM. + Works closely with Store Experience and merchandise planning to build and review category insights. Utilizes data to make recommendations to Category Managers and DMMs on planograms, ROTO spots, promotional programs, merchandising assortment, forecasts, and other key category initiatives. Takes the initiative to elicit insights from data and recommend programs to division leadership. + Develops an understanding of Walgreens and WBA private brands, including assortment and projected sales forecasts, gross profit level, and merchandising and promotional programs. Works with the Category Manager and/or DMM to project sales forecasts and gross profit levels within the assigned categories. **About Walgreens** Founded in 1901, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) has a storied heritage of caring for communities for generations, and proudly serves nearly 9 million customers and patients each day across its approximately 8,500 stores throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and leading omni channel platforms. Walgreens has approximately 220,000 team members, including nearly 90,000 healthcare service providers, and is committed to being the first choice for retail pharmacy and health services, building trusted relationships that create healthier futures for customers, patients, team members and communities. Walgreens is the flagship U.S. brand of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq WBA), an integrated healthcare, pharmacy and retail leader. Its retail locations are a critical point of access and convenience in thousands of communities, with Walgreens pharmacists playing a greater role as part of the healthcare system and patients’ care teams than ever before. Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy provides critical care and pharmacy services to millions of patients with rare disease states and complex, chronic conditions. **Job ID:** 1531742BR **Title:** Associate Category Manager - Plush/Toys **Company Indicator:** Walgreens **Employment Type:** **Job Function:** Merchandising/Procurement **Full Store Address:** 102 WILMOT RD,DEERFIELD,IL 60015 **Full District Office Address:** 102 WILMOT RD,DEERFIELD,IL,60015-05104-01102-2 **External Basic Qualifications:** + Bachelor’s degree and at least 2 years’ experience in two or more of the following: retail, procurement/purchasing, merchandising, vendor relations, pharmacy operations, or retail marketing OR a high school diploma/GED and at least 4 years of experience in two or more of the following: retail, procurement/purchasing, merchandising, vendor relations, pharmacy operations, or retail marketing. + Experience working with P&L concepts – revenue, cogs, gross profit margin, operating expenses and income. + Knowledge of customer centric retailing principles and the analytics of customer purchase behavior. + At least 2 years of experience developing programs in merchandising, vendor relations, and marketing in the retail business. + Intermediate level skill in Microsoft Excel (for example: using SUM function, setting borders, setting column width, inserting charts, using text wrap, sorting, setting headers and footers and/or print scaling). + Basic skill level in Microsoft PowerPoint (for example: inserting, rearranging, hiding and deleting slides, navigating between slides, increasing list level, adding, centering and editing text, changing views, inserting a table or a note, moving objects, printing outline view and/or running a slide show). + Basic level skill in Microsoft Word (for example: opening a document, cutting, pasting and aligning text, selecting font type and size, changing margins and column width, sorting, inserting bullets, pictures and dates, using find and replace, undo, spell check, track changes, review pane and/or print functions). **Preferred Qualifications:** + At least 1 year experience of cross functional team leadership. We will consider employment of qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. **Shift:** **Store:**