Senior Category Associate - B2B Education

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about 1 year old

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This is a hybrid role based out of our Boston office. 

We’re seeking a highly analytical, passionate, self-motivated individual to join our Education Category Management team on Wayfair Professional, the B2B arm of Wayfair. Wayfair Professional is a fast-growing business built just for Pros, with the mission of being the #1 destination for all furniture, fixtures and equipment purchases for every business in our 7 verticals: Commercial Office, Contractor, Interior Design, Accommodations, Property Management, Education and Foodservice. The Education Vertical serves K-12 Schools, Early Education Centers and Higher Education Institutions, and is focused on offering our customers an unbeatable selection, strong pricing, dedicated sales and service and an unmatched delivery experience.. You will be responsible for working with suppliers to grow their business on our platform, identifying new supplier and category opportunities, representing Wayfair Professional in external partner and supplier conversations , and working with multiple cross functional teams (Sales & Service, Brand, Marketing, Site Nav, Premium Catalog Merchandising, to name a few!) to achieve broader goals. You will also work closely with our K-12 lead to build out our K-12 offering (e.g., assortment, brand, merchandising) and develop our long-term strategy. We welcome applications from high caliber professionals who love digging into data to solve a problem, thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy cross-functional collaboration and are analytical and organized.


Who We Are


The B2B Category Management team offers a unique opportunity to drive strategy for Wayfair Professional’s customers segments and product categories through tight internal and external partnership. We know our customers cold (and often speak with them on calls, or hear their feedback indirectly through our Sales teams), and serve as ambassadors of the product categories we manage. We are at the forefront as the company redefines the supplier experience as a platform, giving suppliers more data, more transparency, and more control while retaining the high-touch elements that make working with us exceptional. Internally, we leverage a diverse set of cross-functional partners to execute our strategic vision. In a role on the Wayfair Professional B2B Category Management team, you will be expected to define overarching goals and strategy within your aisle and category, problem-solve, articulate and execute against tactical plans, manage key business metrics and work with cross functional teams. Members of the team must be able to expertly negotiate internally and externally, while also being effective project managers.


How is this opportunity unique?The Category Management team interacts with our suppliers every day. We like candidates with consultative mindsets who want to work with external partners. Collaborative partnerships are a hallmark of a relationship with Wayfair. The B2B Category Management is oriented around specific customer segments in addition to categories, so you’ll be expected to work closely with our Sales partners to better understand your customer and their needs.Wayfair is a data-driven environment. Candidates with experience using data to drive decision-making are great matches.
We move fast and take risks. If you have experience at a start-up or in another fast-paced, risk-taking environment, you’d enjoy working at Wayfair. Be prepared to constantly evolve.
Strong communication is key. Category Associates have a 360° view into their suppliers and their category. You’ll need to be able to gain buy-in from senior leaders and cross-functional teams to accomplish your goals.
We like to have fun. Our team takes time each month to celebrate our wins and toast our accomplishments.  We foster an environment that values balance, and we encourage personal development by offering a broad spectrum of opportunities for continuous development and mentorship.


What makes our team different?


The Wayfair Professional Education Category Management team is focused on growing the business in both K-12 and Early Education segments. We work cross functionally with many teams such as Sales, Marketing, Site Navigation, Premium Content Merchandising, and other Category teams across the Wayfair ecosystem  in order to make data driven decisions and provide a best-in-class customer experience. The Category Associate can expect to work with 10+ suppliers across the K-12 and Early Education areas, attend 2-4 trade shows a year, and have a strategic focus on winning with K-12 public, private and charter schools. 

What You’ll Do

  • Develop and enhance strategic B2B category plans to achieve revenue and profitability goals
  • Analyze event and category performance to gain actionable insights and pivot business accordingly
  • Conduct competitive and product category analysis to evaluate market trends
  • Drive relationships and collaboration with cross-functional teams to identify and fill assortment opportunities
  • Negotiate for favorable terms with suppliers (selection, price and quantity)
  • Establish relationships with brands, partnering effectively to achieve mutual business goals
  • Conduct competitive and product category analysis to identify new trends and brands to increase and expand selection across product categories
  • Collaborate with many cross-functional partners (Sales, Marketing, Pricing, Promotions, Operations, Merchandising and many more!

What You’ll Need

  • 2-4 years of experience within an e-commerce, consulting or corporate retail organization, preferred
  • You love to learn and are naturally curious. You’re a strong generalist, with an interest in building a career in buying, merchandising and/or supplier relationship management
  • Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
  • Analytical thinker who looks for (and finds) answers in the data
  • A personable and energetic communicator, eager to build relationships with new business partners
  • Ability to communicate and feel comfortable speaking directly with C-suite level suppliers from large companies
  • Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects at once (you don’t miss the details)
  • An interest in, and/or ability to learn retail math concepts
  • Ability to “hit the ground running” – a self-starter capable of achieving specific target goals
  • An entrepreneurial spirit and mindset
  • Familiarity with Microsoft Excel and Google Suite, preferred
  • Passion for driving growth with an ability to think outside of existing limitations
  • Demonstrated potential to work as part of a cross-functional team
  • Desire to build business plans and execute against strategic initiatives

Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities

Wayfair is fully committed to providing equal opportunities for all individuals, including individuals with disabilities. As part of this commitment, Wayfair will make reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of qualified individuals with disabilities, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on business operations. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please let us know by completing our Accomodations for Applicants form.

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About Wayfair Inc.
Wayfair is one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home. Whether you work in our global headquarters in Boston or Berlin, or in our warehouses or offices throughout the world, we’re reinventing the way people shop for their homes. Through our commitment to industry-leading technology and creative problem-solving, we are confident that Wayfair will be home to the most rewarding work of your career. If you’re looking for rapid growth, constant learning, and dynamic challenges, then you’ll find that amazing career opportunities are knocking.

No matter who you are, Wayfair is a place you can call home. We’re a community of innovators, risk-takers, and trailblazers who celebrate our differences, and know that our unique perspectives make us stronger, smarter, and well-positioned for success. We value and rely on the collective voices of our employees, customers, community, and suppliers to help guide us as we build a better Wayfair – and world – for all. Every voice, every perspective matters. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristic.

We are interested in retaining your data for a period of 12 months to consider you for suitable positions within Wayfair. Your personal data is processed in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Notice (which can found here: https://www.wayfair.com/careers/privacy). If you have any questions regarding our processing of your personal data, please contact us at [email protected]. If you would rather not have us retain your data please contact us anytime at [email protected]