Manager, Category Strategy

Walgreens
Deerfield, IL
Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled, analytical, strategic, and collaborative Manager to join our Merchandising team. In this role, you will play a critical part in driving category strategy, optimizing assortment planning, and ensuring that product offerings align with customer needs, market trends, and business goals. This position will also support supplier negotiations and joint business planning by providing analysis, insights, and cross-functional coordination that strengthen partnerships and enable effective decision-making.

Job Responsibilities
  • Manages the daily strategic activities that develop and operationalizing a customer-led and data-driven approach to multiple components / processes for a specified section of work within Category/Format Strategy.
  • Collaborates with a team and / or cross-functional partners responsible for developing and implementing strategies that support category at growth within established policies, procedures and standards of the specified discipline. Outcomes managed have an impact on category at initiatives.
  • May become actively involved, as required, to meet schedules and resolve problems highly complex in nature.
  • May make recommended changes to strategy/roadmap for area of responsibility.
  • Develops protocols to support established standards. Manages the development and implementation of processes and /or tools. May oversee team(s) assigned to projects and manages the execution processes.
  • Collaborates and works cross-functionally to develop strategies to mitigate loss and/or optimize profitability.
  • Shares information cross-functionally to improve workflow processes. Interacts with direct reports and peers in management / customers / vendors to share information and improve cross-departmental processes and relationships.
  • Continuously evaluates best practices, methodology and tools and seeks to improve deliverables in order to maintain alignment with business needs.
  • Reviews reports and metrics and identifies opportunities to grow and optimize specified area of responsibility.
  • Analyzes the competitive marketplace for patterns and trends and makes recommendations for application of findings. Provides recommendations in creation and development of templates, methodologies, and presentations relating to strategies for area of responsibility.
  • May create and execute divisional projects based on strategic need. Utilizes project management skills to create client-focused deliverables, delegate work, execute project analysis, and deliver strategic results.
  • Provides guidance, direction, coaching, and counseling to a team of analysts and/or cross-functional partners.
  • Allocates available resources to meet strategic objectives. Fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace.
About Walgreens
Founded in 1901, Walgreens ( proudly serves nearly 9 million customers and patients each day across its approximately 8,500 stores throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Walgreens has approximately 220,000 team members, including nearly 90,000 healthcare service providers, and is committed to being the first choice for pharmacy, retail and health services, building trusted relationships that create healthier futures for customers, patients, team members and communities.

Basic Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree and at least 2 years of experience in promotions, marketing, retail, analytics, pricing, consumer packaged goods, insights, vendor collaboration, consumer research, inventory, category management and/or business analysis OR High School Diploma /GED and at least 5 years of experience in promotions, marketing, retail, analytics, pricing, consumer packaged goods, insights, vendor collaboration, consumer research, inventory, category management and/or business analysis.
  • Experience establishing & maintaining relationships with individuals at all levels of the organization.
  • Experience using time management skills such as prioritizing/organizing and tracking details and meeting deadlines of multiple projects with varying completion dates.
  • Experience analyzing and reporting data in order to identify issues, trends, or exceptions to drive improvement of results and find solutions.
  • Experience collaborating with internal and external resources to develop strategies that meet department goals within budget and established timelines.
  • At least 1 years of direct leadership, indirect leadership and/or cross-functional team leadership.
  • Willing to travel up to 15% of the time for business purposes (within state and out of state).

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience identifying operational issues and recommending and implementing strategies to resolve problems.
We will consider employment of qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

The Salary below is being provided to promote pay transparency and equal employment opportunities at Walgreens. The actual hourly salary within this range that you will be offered will depend on a variety of factors including geography, skills and abilities, education, experience and other relevant factors. This role will remain open until filled. To review benefits, please click here jobs.walgreens.com/benefits. If you are applying on a job board or unable to click on the link, please copy and paste this URL into your browser jobs.walgreens.com/benefits
Salary Range: $102800 - $164400 / Salaried
Posted 2026-04-10

Recommended Jobs

Regional Commercial Manager

Cummins Inc.
Bolingbrook, IL

DESCRIPTION We are looking for a talented Regional Commercial Manager to join our European team specializing in Sales for our Distribution Business in the United Kingdom. In this role, you will…

View Details
Posted 2026-02-27

Volunteer 1-1 Language Teacher

The Education Equality Institute
Chicago, IL

Share Your Language Skills & Change Lives: Volunteer with Language Connect for Ukraine Looking for a meaningful way to volunteer from home? As a native or fluent speaker in any language, you ca…

View Details
Posted 2026-01-14

NVH Performance VMFD Engineer

Capgemini
Chicago, IL

: NVH Performance VMFD Engineer (Contract) Chicago, IL, United States (On-site) Contract (3 months 27 days) Published 6 hours ago NVH Vehicle Dynamics six sigma Noise, Vibration, & Harshnes…

View Details
Posted 2026-04-12

Paradise Park - Bartender

Happy Camper
Chicago, IL

Job Description Job Description We are the marinara-muddled minds behind Chicago’s Happy Camper, Homeslice, and Paradise Park. Our restaurants are wall to wall with lights, murals, and vignet…

View Details
Posted 2026-03-23

Director, Origination

Deerpath Capital Management
Chicago, IL

Company Description Deerpath Capital is a leading direct lending firm specializing in providing first lien senior debt financing to middle market companies. Deerpath is focused on providing debt c…

View Details
Posted 2026-01-20

Complex Controller

International Paper
Aurora, IL

Position Title: Complex Controller Pay Rate : $118,400 - $157,800 Multiple factors, including Individual experience, skills and abilities will determine where an employee is ultim…

View Details
Posted 2026-04-06

26ft Box Truck Owner-Operator

Arsen Trucking
Chicago, IL

Arsen Trucking LLC is onboarding reliable 26ft Box Truck Owner-Operators to haul consistent OTR freight across the United States. This is an independent contractor opportunity with weekly pay, full …

View Details
Posted 2025-12-18

Area Supervisor - Key Holder (Full Time)

dd's Discounts
Bolingbrook, IL

About the Job: Our values start with our people, join a team that values you! We are the nation’s largest off-price retailer with over 2,000 stores, and a strong track record of success and gr…

View Details
Posted 2026-04-12

Cloud Deployment Architect- Manager

PwC
Chicago, IL

Specialty/Competency: Platform Engineering & Architecture Industry/Sector: Not Applicable Time Type: Full time Travel Requirements: Up to 60% At PwC, our people in integration and plat…

View Details
Posted 2026-04-12

Sales Assistant-2

Ralph Lauren
Chicago, IL

Position Overview The Sales Assistant plays a critical role assisting the Executive Sales Professional by engaging with clients and sales processes to  deliver a seamless and memora…

View Details
Posted 2026-04-12