Clarification from the agency

This is a direct hire authority announcement. Current competitive service DoD Wide employees with career or career-conditional status, displaced employees (Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan - ICTAP eligible) within the Local Commuting Area, and Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) eligible applicants.

Performs commercial retail like category management functions in an extremely fast-paced environment that drives the Agency's product assortments. Consistently executes category management strategies across a portfolio of categories and brands. Effectively balances patron savings with revenue growth. Achieves sales goals and margin targets, while providing patron savings. Anticipates and meets the needs of both internal and external customers. Delivers high quality products and services and is committed to continuous improvement.

• SAVINGS: Constantly seeks to provide grocery items at significant savings while enhancing quality of life and readiness to our military and their dependents. Must be keenly aware of competitive trends and changes in the retail grocery sector to provide grocery items at significant savings. Ensures the commissary items meet or exceed the overall savings objective compared against local market baskets.
• REVENUE: Continuously seeks opportunities to capitalize on demand creation and increase customer base to drive incremental revenue. Seeks outs cutting edge product innovation and incentives to grow, expand, and increase DeCA's revenue share.
• MARGIN: Consistently delivers the target margin by executing competitive pricing strategies and increasing demand. Achieves cutting edge strategies for increasing gross margin.
• COST OF GOODS: Research market prices, leverage data analysis/sources, and use strategic negotiation skills to achieve the best cost of goods to ensure the most cost effective posture to meet the savings, revenue and margin objectives.
• Directly responsible for establishing a business partnership with Pricing and Promotions Chief to quantify and execute retail pricing strategies in all stores. Responsibility includes executing advanced analytical techniques, tools, and scorecards to drive business results.
• Requires mastery of the retail grocery industry, the retail grocery macro trends that impact category performance, how the industry identifies and manages category assortments.
• Performs competitive analyses and evaluates retail and military demographic profiles and consumer purchasing behavior in individual categories and groups of categories, in order to execute successful category strategies.
• Conducts meetings with suppliers, agents/brokers and distributors to identify new technologies, strategies and enhanced category ideas and initiatives.

Responsible for administering a broad array of category management activities including, but are not limited to:

• Manage the product mix, including adding or removing products, and plan in-store and online displays (Planograms).
• Developing and executing plans for the assigned categories to exceed savings, revenue, and margin goals.
• Analyzing market trends, consumer behavior and competitor activities in order to identify growth opportunities and market gaps.
• Managing product assortment and promotions to maximize category performance.
• Evaluating customer feedback and implementing changes to enhance the overall customer experience and drive customer loyalty.
• Developing relationships with key suppliers and brokers focused on integrated customer focused business planning Assesses employees' developmental and training needs, providing or arranging necessary training; works with staff to resolve customer complaints and implement effective solutions; evaluates subordinates' performance, develops performance standards, and participates in hiring processed by interviewing candidates and recommending appointments, promotions, or reassignments.

Supervisory Duties:

• Supervises specialists performing category management support functions, providing leadership and guidance to ensure effective execution of strategies, managing work assignments, overseeing personnel at the GS-13 level.
• Guides and leads subordinates in devising and implementing visionary plans, programs, and procedures to enable the Sales Directorate to operate with optimum efficiency, economy, and customer service. Identify developmental and training needs of employees, providing or arranging for needed development and training. Works with staff members to resolve customer complaints and implement viable resolutions. Evaluates the work performance of subordinates and develops performance standards. Interview candidates for positions in the unit; recommend appointment, promotion, or reassignment to such positions.
• Acts as the Agency spokesman and recognized subject matter expert in category management, covering visual merchandising, pricing, management, and sales.
• Personally executes complex category management assignments, ensuring optimal product performance and placement.
• Guides the plano-grammer and reset team on changes/additions in placement and facings of new and existing products to maintain adequate space for all items in the section.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen or national.
• Males born after 12-31-1959 must be registered with or exempt from Selective Service.
• Appointment is subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as required.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain security clearance eligibility based on an appropriate background investigation.
• May be subject to a probationary/trial period.
• May be subject to one year supervisory probationary period.
• Must complete a Conflict of Interest Questionnaire.
• Must sign a Mobility Agreement upon accepting a job offer from HR.
• Direct deposit of pay is required.
• Required to complete the certification program for category management professionals within 18 months of appointment to this position.
• Required to file an OGE Form 450, Confidential Statement of Affiliations and Financial Interest.

Qualifications

You must meet qualifications and requirements by the announcement closing date. Your resume must clearly show that you meet the qualifications (i.e., specialized experience requirements) for the below grade level.

• At the GS-14 grade level, one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. You can meet minimum qualifications only through having the required specialized experience.

Specialized experience is demonstrated knowledge of retail procurement and distribution methods; principles, procedures, and techniques of retail food merchandising and retail food store management, and developments in commercial retail food store items, equipment, and practices. Examples of creditable qualifying specialized experience include:

• Managing a commissary store, supermarket, or similar type of commercial retail food store.
• Managing a department in a retail food store.
• Planning, standardizing, or controlling operations in an assigned group of retail food stores.
• Developing, interpreting, or applying policies, procedures, and operating standards for use in a retail food store.
• Providing technical advice on merchandising and operational matters pertaining to grocery, meats, and produce supplies, as well as front-end operations.

AND

• Driving category/brand management principles and practices through the application of strong data analytics and compelling business plans and other information in support of sales growth and patron savings.
• Executing retail category strategies, merchandising rules, standards, and guidelines that deliver on financial goals.
• Work consisting of project, studies, and assignments that require the analysis of interrelated issues and involves executing predictive models, gathering information, identifying and analyzing issues, and executing recommendations to resolve substantive problems of category management operations.
• Performing assignment involving various project, studies, or evaluations requiring the application of many different and unrelated processes, differing regulatory criteria and procedures, and significant departures from established practices.
• Making decisions, or executes and implements new methods and techniques to optimize retail category assortments to achieve a desired outcome.
• Executing long-range sales plans, goals, and objectives and provides continuous evaluation to ensure sales growth and patron savings.
• Providing solutions to category operational problems and questions.

You will receive credit for all relevant qualifying experience (paid and unpaid), including volunteer work done through National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).

Qualifications
One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level.

Time after competitive appointment. Current federal civilian employees must have completed at least 90 days of federal civilian service since being selected for a non-temporary appointment from a competitive examination register of eligibles (an announcement opened to the public) or under a direct hire authority.


Overtime: Occasional
Bargaining Unit Status: Not covered
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
Obligated Position: If obligated, you occupying the position is subject to the former incumbent returning. If the former incumbent does not return to the position, your occupancy may become permanent. Tentative job offers identify if the position you are offered is obligated.
Those retired under CSRS or FERS considered: No. DoD criteria not met.
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives Offered: None

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

HR reviews your resume and supporting documents to determine if you meet the qualifications and requirements, and to determine if you meet the eligibility/eligibilities you selected. Your questionnaire score is a preliminary measure of how well your background matches the competencies. If you submit multiple resumes, the last one received is used for this evaluation and sent to the hiring manager if you are referred for selection consideration.

Appointment Eligibility Criteria. You choose how you wish to be considered for this position by selecting one or more of the eligibilities listed in the Assessment Questionnaire and providing the supporting documents for the selected eligibility/eligibilities. Documents required to prove you can be considered for the selected eligibility/eligibilities are listed within the eligibility description.

HR does not select or change your eligibility/eligibilities for you, regardless of the supporting documents you submit. You are considered ONLY for the eligibility or eligibilities you select and for which you provide all required supporting documents. You will not be considered if you do not select an eligibility. If you have questions about which eligibility/eligibilities apply to you, contact the HR POC listed on this announcement.

Selections are subject to restrictions of the DoD referral system for displaced employees.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). This program applies to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria AND 2) be rated well-qualified for the position AND 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. Well-qualified means you possess the type and quality of experience that exceeds the position's minimum qualifications.

ICTAP. If you are Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligible, indicate on your resume that you are applying as ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy you must be well-qualified for the position. Applicants must be well-qualified for the vacancy. Well qualified is defined as possessing the type and quality of experience that exceeds the position's minimum qualifications, including all selective placement factors and appropriate quality ranking factors. Provide (1) a copy of the agency notice, (2) a copy of your most recent performance rating and (3) a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing your current position, grade level and duty location.