Merchant/Buyer - Impulse

Ace Hardware hiring for Merchant/Buyer - Impulse jobs in Oak Brook, IL, US

About This Role

The Merchant /Buyer - Impulse role is responsible for all aspects of Ace and Emery Jensen Distribution assortment strategy, operations development and execution through to retail for the Impulse category.  This responsibility spans both B2C and B2B customer types.  The position provides leadership within the organization via a thorough understanding of the competitive marketplace and trends, opportunities for Ace retailers and EJD customers to grow via differentiated assortment, optimized operational best practices and ability to articulate and drive an action plan to execute. 

What You’ll Do

• Develop and consistently improve Ace’s go-to-market strategy for the Impulse category.

• Provides leadership within the organization by applying a thorough understanding of his/her product, the competitive landscape, consumer demands, and industry trends and operational best practices.

• Controls the omni channel inbound product strategy and works cross-functionally (e.g. with eCommerce, International, EJD, RSCs) to deliver outbound results

• Accountable for all aspects of the category strategy including product, pricing, place/environment, promotion and people. training, from ideation to development through to retail execution.

• Articulates a clear strategic plan and drives it to execution

• Creates opportunities for Ace retailers and wholesale customers (e.g. EJD) to grow bottom-line profits by lowering cost of goods, driving top line sales, and delivering consumer-relevant differentiated assortments

Who You Are

You love casting a vision and working cross-functionally to bring that vision to life.  You can anticipate roadblocks and craft solutions to them before they happen.  You are energized by building new programs and leading teams to success and have an passion around the Impulse category.

Required Skills

• 7+ years of business experience

• 3+ years managing product categories

• Excellent problem-solving skills required

• Excellent interpersonal skills required

• Understand financial measures that impacts corporation

• Demonstrate strong decision-making skills

• Highly creative, flexible and adaptable with good follow-through

• Versatility to shift category responsibility

• Proven ability to multi-task projects and meet deadlines

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 

• Proficient in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, Power Point,

• Knowledge of IDM, SAP and guided Ad-hoc reporting tools

• Ability to travel 25%

Preferred Skills

• Strong overall business acumen

• Impeccable presentation skills

#LI-CK1

$131000 - $168000 Per Year

We live our values - W.E.L.I.G.H.T (Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility, and Teamwork). Gratitude. Humility. Love. You don’t often see values like these in most corporate statements, but Ace is different. These things are important to us. They represent our commitment to the company, our employees, to Ace retailers and to the Ace brand.

In addition to providing our employees a great culture, Ace also offers competitive benefits* that address life’s necessities and perks, many of which expand and improve year after year, including:

• Incentive opportunities, based on role/grade level (rapid company growth over the past 5 years resulted in incentives being paid out at an average of 126% of your target opportunity!)
• Generous 401(k) retirement savings plan with company contributions, averaging 9.6% per year of eligible earnings over the past 5 years
• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision and disability – up to 26 weeks short-term disability and long-term disability) & life insurance benefits for you and your dependents
• 21 days of vacation immediately available (prorated in the first year) and up to 6 paid holidays depending on the month of hire
• Company Car, phone and fuel card are provided for field-based positions
• Your career at Ace is more than just a job. It’s a chance to be part of something meaningful. We help locally-owned businesses thrive and make an impact in their communities – and we support our employees in doing the same by offering an annual Ace Cares Week, 20 hours off work per year to volunteer at an organization of your choice, opportunities to help Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the Ace Helpful Fund through the Ace Foundation
• Ace invests in every employee we hire, with a key focus on development and coaching. We offer on-site classes, facilitator-led courses, and a generous tuition assistance program, plus a performance management approach that goes beyond the typical annual review
• We know the work environment matters. That’s why Ace holds frequent campus events like Employee Appreciation Week, vendor demos, cookouts, and merchandise sales
• We bring them to you! Services such as mobile spas, auto maintenance, car wash and detailing, dry cleaning, dentists, eye doctors, flu shots, recycling and more!
• Employee discounts on Ace merchandise (including top brands like Weber, Traeger, Yeti, Craftsman, DeWalt and more), travel, fitness, computers and thousands more
• Birth/Adoption bonding paid time off
• Adoption cost reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – access to free visits to therapists and lawyers, guidance on financial matters, elder and childcare, and assistance with tickets to entertainment events
• Identity theft protection

* Benefits are provided in compliance with applicable policies.

We want to hear from you!
When most people think of career opportunities with Ace Hardware, they often think of the helpful cashiers and sales associates at their local store. However, have you also considered the people behind the scenes who select, promote, ship and process the invoices for more than 75,000 products? Maybe you haven't, but we'd like you to. Because together we help our customers take care of their homes. Come find out why a career with the Ace Hardware Corporation is one of America's best kept secrets.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Ace Hardware Corporation and its subsidiaries are committed to a policy of promoting equal employment opportunities. The company recognizes the importance of diversity and leveraging the skills and talents of all people to the mutual advantage of each individual and the organization. The company is committed to the prevention of employment discrimination related to race, religion, color, sex (including sexual harassment), gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, disability and military or veteran status, sexual orientation or any other action covered by federal or applicable state/local laws.

The pay range for this position starts as listed in the job posting, but could be higher based on education and experience. Please note, compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each opening. We take into consideration the minimum requirements outlined in the job description, such as an individual’s education, training and experience, the position’s work location, required travel (if any), and external market conditions when determining the final salary for potential new hires.

Be aware that salary estimates published via alternate online job boards may not be a true representation of the actual pay range offered for this position. Please refer to the Ace position description for the accurate starting pay range information and feel free to discuss this with a Talent Acquisition professional if you are chosen to move forward with an interview.

This written “Position Description” is not intended to cover all aspects of the position listed. It is meant to cover the basic/general essential job functions of a particular position. Ace Hardware Corporation reserves the right to change job duties, including essential job functions, according to business necessity.