As part of the Buying team, your focus will be putting great products in our stores that closely align with customer preferences. While working directly with customers, you'll focus on merchandising and pricing as well as corporate responsibility when it comes to our supplies. You'll also focus on developing a wide range of products that meet or exceed our quality standards. If you're looking to grow your skills and your career, choose more with ALDI.
In this position, the Assortment Planning Project Manager will oversee various multi-disciplinary projects related to assortment strategy. This role involves close collaboration with several national and international committees, as well as national departments such as Merchandising, Pricing, Customer Insights & Analytics, Business Analytics, etc. The ideal candidate should have experience in project management, category management, and an understanding of buying processes. The primary goal of this role is to enhance the current buying processes and introduce new tools and frameworks to assist the buying teams in making ranging decisions.
Position Type: Full-Time
Starting Salary: $150,000
Salary Increases: Year 2 - $160,000 | Year 3 - $170,000
Work Location: Aurora, IL
This role is eligible to participate in ALDI's Hybrid Work Program, which allows remote work up to 3 days per week (i.e., work remotely up to 3 days per week; work in-office at least 2 days per week).
Duties and Responsibilities:
Must be able to perform duties with or without reasonable accommodation.
* Makes decisions and assigns tasks to project team members to ensure project milestones are met.
* Ensures the training, development, and performance of their team's staff to retain a motivated, professional workforce that achieves their career objectives.
* Recruits and recommends qualified employees for their team's staff positions.
* Establishes, communicates and evaluates job responsibilities and performance expectations to their team to ensure a mutual understanding of desired results.
* Understands the overarching company strategy while communicating and modeling the core values of the organization to create a sense of teamwork and membership among employees.
* Cultivates strong and positive working relationships with stakeholders to support successful implementation, adoption, and integration of strategic plans.
* Advises leadership on projected impact of new business opportunities and/or projects.
* Liaises with Buying management and leadership, Advertising, Merchandising, Analytics, and ALDIFinds Coordination owners; attends committee meetings when requested.
* Collaborates with International departments.
* Consults with leadership on the development of their team's strategy.
* Advises leadership to source external vendors for applicable services when appropriate.
* Liaises with applicable areas of the business to ensure timely and efficient communication flow.
* Consults with the business to effectively design and streamline applicable processes within the organization.
* Keeps up-to-date on external best practices and relevant changes to their field/area; communicates updates to leadership.
* Creates appropriate documentation and effectively communicates status and potential organizational changes that may result out of a project's scope.
* Manages project issues and risks, and reviews the associated impact to project scope, timelines, and resources.
* Manages projects from their assignment and conception to their implementation, documents its deadlines, and prepares status reports to inform the project team and their leader.
* Evaluates feasibility and financial impact related to assigned projects.
* Organizes and manages project meetings and assigns tasks to the project team as required.
* Analyzes working procedures with the objective to identify best practices.
* Communicates and assures compliance with all established company policies and procedures.
* Provides standardized data and information to leadership to help with assortment decisions.
* Manages relevant Assortment Planning meetings and meeting minutes.
* Responds to requests made by leaders in relation to the Assortment Planning program.
* Coordinates records ensuring information is up-to-date and accurate at all times.
* Develops tools, templates, frameworks, and business processes.
* Supports National Buying teams in making assortment decisions in the area of core range, test, regional and seasonal items.
* Manages adhoc requests such as, optimizing process workflows, supporting process change management when needed.
* Manages their team by driving projects and tasks to completion through effective prioritization, work planning, resource allocation, and cross-functional collaboration.
* Identifies cost-saving opportunities and potential process improvements.
* Serves as the primary link between their team's staff and leadership to ensure understanding of company goals, objectives, and opportunities for improvement.
* Complies with ALDI privacy and security requirements and policies if job responsibilities include possible access to confidential and/or sensitive information.
* Other duties as assigned. Job-specific Competencies: Knowledge/Skills/Abilities * Consistently demonstrates the ALDI Acts Competencies as outlined for the role.
* Ability to recommend, interpret, and/or apply company policies and procedures.
* Gives attention to detail and follows instruction.
* Ability to develop rapport, trust, and open communication that enhances the growth and job performance of direct reports.
* Understands the history, strategy, organizational authority, interdependence of job duties, products, systems, and services of the company.
* Conflict management skills.
* Ability to organize and conduct group meetings and presentations including the ability to facilitate group engagement.
* A self-starter with the ability to prioritize duties among multiple, concurrent projects.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
* Ability to communicate effectively across many levels of the business and work with cross-functional teams.
* Ability to stay organized and multi-task in a professional and efficient manner.
* Proficient understanding of business analytics.
* Advanced skill level with Excel and PowerPoint.
* Thinks critically and analytically.
* Intellectually curious and takes initiative.
* Ability to prepare executive-level recommendations and reports. Education and Experience: * Bachelor's Degree required. * Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration preferred. * A minimum of 3 years of progressive experience in Business, Project Management and/or retail operations required or a minimum of 3 years of relevant ALDI experience required. Physical Requirements: * Work may be performed in an office, remote office or a combination of both where a computer and office equipment may be used as needed to perform duties.
* Regularly required to sit, reach, grasp, stand and move from one area to another.
* Constantly and repeatedly use keyboard/mouse.
* Occasionally required to push, pull, bend, lift and move up to 25 lbs. Travel: * International & Domestic travel required. * Up to 10%.
ALDI offers competitive wages and benefits, including:
- 401(k) Plan
- Company 401(k) Matching Contributions
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- PerkSpot National Discount Program
In addition, eligible employees are offered:
- Medical, Prescription, Dental & Vision Insurance
- Generous Vacation Time & 7 Paid Holidays
- Up to 6 Weeks Paid Parental Leave at 100% of pay
- Up to 2 Weeks Paid Caregiver Leave at 100% of pay
- Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance
- Life, Dependent Life and AD&D Insurance
- Voluntary Term Life Insurance
ALDI is committed to equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. As a proud Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE), we do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, religion, sex, sexual stereotyping, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, pregnancy (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), or any other protected characteristic. Employment may be contingent upon ALDI's receipt of an acceptable and job-related drug test, motor vehicle report, and/or reference check, as applicable and permissible by law.
