Whole Foods Market attracts people who are passionate—about great food, about the communities they live and work in, about how we treat our planet and our fellow humans—and who want to bring their passion into the workplace and make a difference.
We are looking for a highly motivated Principal Category Analyst to join our Category Analytics Team. You will be part of a team responsible for delivering data-driven, actionable insights that contribute to all parts of Merchandising; Price, Promotion, Space Analytics, and Assortment Planning. This position will lead strategic and analytic support for assigned Merchandising teams. Your objective is to use data and analyses to uncover problems and inform critical business decisions. Above all, you will help shape the strategic direction of category management by ensuring best analytical practices and techniques are used throughout the enterprise

 Responsibilities:

• Lead strategy planning for master categories within assigned Merchandising teams
• Leverage retail analytical background to develop merchandising strategies for a variety of products including insights from other analytical teams and various 3rd party sources.
• Lead activation of Category Management framework across master categories within assigned Merchandising teams (including identifying levers to move key metrics for improve business performance)
• Detect root causes of changes in metrics and effectively communicate these insights to different audiences
• Oversee development of analytical materials to be shared internally during category insights and other Merchandising planning discussions; including brand partner discussions to support negotiations
• Develop strong collaborative relationships at Principal and Executive Category Merchant level
• Primary analytical point of contact for special projects, ad hoc analysis, and other initiatives related to assigned Merchandising teams
• Lead collaboration with business partners to identify gaps in analytical processes and reporting; then problem solve with various other teams to fill gaps.
• Partner with Enterprise Analytics (EA) team to develop solutions to improve internal workflows and tooling
• Be well versed in the implementation and use of various retail software solutions; pricing, assortment, etc.
• Manage and develop 1-2 direct reports (Sr. Category Analyst).

 Qualifications:

• Proven ability to take complex business analyses and projects from concept to completion and make the results accessible and relevant to business users at all levels. Often requires interaction with multiple departments and senior leadership.
• Knowledge of retail business to include all aspects of pricing, merchandising, retail operations, financial operations and reporting.
• Intellectual and analytical curiosity – initiative to dig into the “why” of various results.
• A desire to grow in responsibility to become a strategic thought leader in pricing and category analysis.
• Self-directed, innovative thinker with a strong attention to detail and commitment to consistently meeting timelines and operating from a sense of urgency.
• Ability to develop effective working relationships with Merchandising leadership team; along with business partners.
• Creative problem solving skills, maturity to handle ambiguity, flexibility to perform in a dynamic environment, and ability to multitask across projects simultaneously.
• Proficient with Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint; and experience working with visual analytics platforms (e.g. Tableau) and business intelligence tools.
• Familiarity with retail software solutions a plus.
• Familiarity with data basics, structure, and relationships. Experience querying data from large enterprise databases. SQL proficiency a plus; not required 
• Positive attitude, ability to work well and fast under pressure, exceptional customer service attitude. Comfortable in a decentralized structure where results are based on cooperation with and influence of others.
• Good judgment and decision-making ability
• Exceptional change management skills.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.

Education:

• BA/BS degree and 6-8 years relevant experience OR equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
• Minimum of 5 years of full-time work experience in a highly analytical capacity
• Bachelor's degree in Statistics, Economics, Mathematics, Finance, Analytical Business Specialty, Marketing Research or commensurate retail experience preferred; assortment planning, field retail, merchandising, and inventory management a plus 
• MS or MBA plus 

At Whole Foods Market, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all Team Members and candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. Whole Foods Market hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs.