Director Private Brands

Looking for a company that treats associates with respect, understanding, and appreciation? Looking for a company that is passionate about teamwork and the growth of it's associates and communities? That's WEIS!

Job Description:

The Director of Private Brands is pivotal in driving sales growth, increasing margins, and enhancing customer loyalty through a strong, differentiated private brand portfolio to create a competitive advantage and differentiate Weis Markets in the retail grocery marketplace. The director is responsible for building and maintaining strong working relationships with multiple business units within the organization as well as external suppliers to manage the private brand development and sourcing process to aid in the stability and growth of the company’s portfolio.

The Director will champion innovation, identify marketplace trends, manage portfolio performance and support new item development to drive profitable growth. This role works closely with merchandising, marketing, advertising, pricing, operations, procurement, and vendor partners to influence strategy, align priorities, and ensure successful execution across the business.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the overall private brand strategy, assortment, innovation pipeline, and packaging portfolio while providing leadership, expertise, and cross-functional influence to support sales, margin, and penetration objectives.
• Manage the private brand portfolio through analysis of sales performance, market trends, customer insights, penetration results, and competitive activity.
• Partner with merchandising directors, category managers, pricing, procurement, marketing, and advertising teams to influence and align on sourcing, creative, pricing, promotional, and execution strategies for fresh and center store private brand items, while direct ownership of those functional activities remains within the respective business areas.
• Oversee private brand packaging design to ensure products and programs meet Weis Markets’ quality, brand, regulatory, and value standards.
• Manage supplier relationships, contractual agreements, external partnerships, and third-party service providers to ensure quality execution, cost effectiveness, and operational efficiency.
• Identify and recommend new item opportunities, product enhancements, and packaging updates that improve assortment productivity, customer relevance, and portfolio performance.
• Develop financial forecasts, monitor performance against budgets and objectives, and recommend actions to improve sales, unit growth, penetration, and profitability.
• Lead innovation efforts through trade shows, market visits, supplier engagement, product evaluations, and competitive market reviews.
• Foster a collaborative, results-oriented team environment that promotes accountability, partnership, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Education, Experience and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, merchandising or a related field required.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in category management, private brands or merchandising with progressive levels of responsibility.
• Thorough understanding of retail operations, preferably within the supermarket or grocery industry.
• Experience managing a private brand portfolio, including product development, supplier relationships, packaging, sourcing, procurement, and promotional planning.
• Demonstrates strategic thinking and long-term planning capabilities, leveraging creativity and innovation to differentiate private brands in a competitive marketplace.
• Strong merchandising and field operations background in a customer-focused environment, with a proven track record of delivering financial results.
• Proven ability to develop productive partnerships with co-ops, suppliers, brokers, and third-party vendors to drive efficiency, enhance service levels, and maximize value.
• Strong negotiation and vendor management skills, with a comprehensive understanding of the supplier community.
• Demonstrated knowledge of P&L management, budget development, forecasting, and business performance analysis.
• Working knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local regulations related to product development, labeling, packaging, sourcing, and retail food operations preferred.
• Strong project management, organizational, and analytical skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, PowerPoint and Word; experience with syndicated data tools such as Circana or Nielsen preferred.

Leadership

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to develop, motivate, and influence cross-functional teams while building productive business relationships.
• Creative, innovative, and customer-focused, with the ability to identify emerging trends and translate insights into actionable business strategies.
• Highly analytical, detail oriented, and decisive, with the ability to balance strategic thinking and execution to move initiatives forward.
• Results-oriented with a strong sense of urgency, accountability, and ownership.
• Advanced verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively present strategies, recommendations, and business results to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrates high ethical standards, professionalism and integrity.

Other Skills, Abilities, and/or Training

The following capabilities are important for success in this role:

• High level of professionalism, sound judgment, and discretion in handling sensitive information.

• Strong analytical, conceptual, and problem-solving skills.

• Strong understanding of organizational priorities, business objectives, and how technology enables enterprise outcomes.

• Strong written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.

• Strong interpersonal, collaboration, and consultative skills.

• Ability to assess emerging technologies, industry trends, and solution options to support strategic decision- making.

• Ability to communicate complex ideas clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Ability to prioritize effectively and execute in a fast-paced environment.

• Experience working effectively in collaborative, cross-functional environments.

• Familiarity with business, technology, and transformation terminology, concepts, and practices.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines consistently.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. The following work conditions may be required at times:

• Ability to work occasional weekends.

• Ability to work extended hours on an occasional basis.

• Ability to work day or evening schedules as needed.

• Willingness to use additional business applications and collaboration tools as needed.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, AND/OR REGISTRATIONS

This position does not require certifications or licenses.

Weis Markets is an Equal Opportunity Employer:  Weis Markets is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of actual or perceived age, sex, sexual orientation, race, color, creed, religion, familial status, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, disability, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances. Applicants with a disability may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation under terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the ways things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on Weis Markets.