VP Meat & Seafood Merchandising

At Heritage Grocers Group, how we work is defined by shared values that include absolute integrity, respect, and collaboration. However, it's more than that; it's smart and highly driven people united in purpose to serve one another.

Bring your energy and unique perspective and you'll have the opportunity to grow with us professionally, personally, and financially. You'll be part of a team that genuinely cares about helping you succeed, and you'll work alongside talented colleagues, while making a difference in our communities.

POSITION SUMMARY:

Reporting to the Chief Merchandising Officer, the Vice President, Meat & Seafood provides enterprise leadership for the Meat and Seafood merchandising strategy, category portfolio, supplier partnerships, financial performance, and customer experience across the organization. This role sets the short- and long-term vision for the department, translates market insights and business objectives into actionable merchandising plans, and ensures execution through strong cross-functional alignment with operations, procurement, supply chain, replenishment, pricing, marketing, finance, and store leadership.

The Vice President is accountable for sales growth, gross margin, inventory productivity, promotional effectiveness, vendor funding, and overall category profitability. This role leads and develops a high-performing team of category management and merchandising professionals and serves as a senior business partner in enterprise planning, capital decisions, innovation, and strategic initiatives that strengthen the Company's competitive position.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The essential duties and responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Lead the enterprise merchandising strategy for Meat and Seafood, including assortment architecture, pricing, promotional strategy, innovation pipeline, seasonal planning, and category growth priorities;
• Own department-level financial performance, including sales, gross margin, shrink, vendor funding, inventory productivity, and profitability; identify risks and opportunities and drive corrective action;
• Establish and communicate a clear short- and long-term strategic vision for Meat and Seafood merchandising aligned with Company goals, customer needs, market trends, and competitive positioning;
• Lead high-impact negotiations with strategic supplier partners, including cost, terms, promotional investment, supply commitments, service levels, vendor funding, and innovation support;
• Build and maintain executive-level supplier relationships that support long-term category growth, product quality, value, freshness, and supply continuity;
• Partner with procurement, replenishment, supply chain, operations, pricing, marketing, finance, and store leadership to ensure seamless execution of merchandising plans and self-distribution strategies;
• Oversee category review processes, business planning, performance reviews, and scorecards to ensure data-driven decisions and consistent execution across banners and store formats;
• Champion customer-focused assortment and merchandising innovation, including new item development, multicultural relevance, local market differentiation, and value-driven solutions;
• Guide schematic, space planning, adjacencies, fixtures, and merchandising standards to optimize the customer experience, operational efficiency, and return on invested capital;
• Develop business cases for capital investments, store layout changes, equipment, fixtures, and other strategic initiatives for review by senior leadership;
• Lead, coach, and develop category managers, purchasing support, and dotted-line merchandising partners; establish goals, accountability, succession plans, and performance expectations;
• Serve as a senior merchandising leader and thought partner, providing recommendations, insights, and updates to executive leadership on business performance, market dynamics, and strategic priorities;
• Ensure compliance with applicable product standards, food safety expectations, supplier requirements, and Company policies while promoting a culture of integrity, collaboration, and accountability;
• Perform other duties as assigned.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ten (10) or more years of progressive merchandising, category management, procurement, or retail leadership experience, including significant experience leading fresh food, meat, seafood, or perishables categories;
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Food Industry Management, or related field a plus
• Proven executive leadership experience managing teams, developing talent, leading through influence, and driving accountability across cross-functional partners;
• Demonstrated success owning financial outcomes, including sales growth, margin expansion, inventory productivity, shrink management, vendor funding, and profitability;
• Strong strategic planning, analytical, negotiation, and decision-making skills with the ability to translate complex data and market insights into executable business plans;
• Deep understanding of retail store operations, merchandising methodologies, supplier management, fresh product standards, logistics, and food safety or regulatory requirements;
• Ability to build trusted relationships with executive leaders, operations teams, vendors, and cross-functional stakeholders while representing the best interests of the Company;
• Excellent executive communication skills, including the ability to present business strategies, financial performance, recommendations, and risk assessments to senior leadership;
• Strong change leadership, problem-solving, prioritization, and organizational skills with the ability to lead multiple enterprise initiatives in a fast-paced environment;
• Bilingual English and Spanish preferred.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK CONDITIONS:

The physical demands and work conditions below represent those that must be met or be able to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Some requirements may be modified to accommodate individuals with disabilities:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, and use the hands to handle objects, tools, or controls.
• Successful performance requires vision abilities that include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
• The work environment is that typical of an office and retail store. The noise level ranges from quiet to loud.
• LIFTING: Ability to lift up to 25 lbs. and occasionally lift up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to travel to all company divisions, across six (6) operating states.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER NOTICE

The job duties, elements, responsibilities, skills, functions, experience, educational factors, and the requirements and conditions listed in this job description are representative only and not exhaustive of the tasks that an employee may be required to perform. The Employer reserves the right to revise this job description at any time and to require employees to perform other tasks as circumstances or conditions of its business or the work environment change.

Disclaimer:

Pay Scale $200-$230k

The pay scale above is a good faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage range that the employer reasonably expects to pay for the position. Within this range, individual pay is determined by multiple factors including, but not limited to, specific skills, relevant work experience, and relevant education and/or training. This information is provided to applicants in accordance with California Labor Code § 432.3 and state and local minimum wage standards.