Assistant Category Manager

Permanent opportunity based in Sydney within the Home Essentials (General Merchandise) Buying team.

Inclusive culture with a focus on creating genuine career opportunities. Opportunity to collaborate with some of the brightest and best minds in Australia.

We are Woolworths Group, connected by a shared Purpose - 'to create better experiences together for a better tomorrow'. That Purpose fuels our ambition to explore new ideas, make brave commitments, and innovate better ways to meet the food and everyday needs of more than 24 million customers every week.

If you're excited to turn today's blue-sky thinking into a better tomorrow for future generations, you'll find yourself supported and enriched in a dynamic, inclusive, and empowering workplace. With a culture of genuine care, a flexible approach to work, and opportunities across the group to grow your career and make a meaningful impact, the possibilities for what we can achieve together are endless.

Are you a proactive and commercially minded retail professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and loves creating amazing customer experiences? We are seeking an Assistant Category Manager to join our Home Essentials (General Merchandise) buying team.

Working closely with the Category Manager, you will blend commercial acumen with hands-on product sourcing and promotional execution - delivering high-performing ranges from concept to customer.

What you’ll do:

• Drive range reviews, negotiate commercial terms, and collaborate with local & international sourcing partners to curate seasonal ranges that delight our customers.
• Deliver balanced category growth across sales, gross margin, inventory health, and market share by executing customer-first commercial strategies that consistently meet financial targets.
• Maximise space productivity and deliver outstanding customer value through the end-to-end execution of engaging promotional campaigns across store and digital channels.
• Curate and land inspiring, high-performing seasonal and job-buy ranges by partnering collaboratively with local suppliers and international sourcing hubs.
• Strengthen commercial profitability, range presence, and innovation pipelines by negotiating competitive COGS, promotional funding, NPD terms, and space allocation with supplier partners.
• Keep offerings market-competitive, relevant, and simple for stores to execute by leading comprehensive, customer-led range reviews and category plans.
• Safeguard product excellence, compliance, and customer trust across the entire product lifecycle by championing QA, product safety, statutory obligations, and sustainability standards.
• Ensure seamless go-to-market execution and uplift day-to-day team capability by aligning cross-functional partners and mentoring Category Assistants.

What you’ll bring:

• 2+ years of commercial retail experience in an Assistant Category Manager, Buyer, or Junior Buyer capacity with demonstrated ranging responsibility.
• Prior experience across Toys & Party or Stationery categories is ideal.
• A strong product sensibility and a sharp eye for emerging consumer trends, product innovation, and changing shopping habits.
• Proven capability in negotiating COGS, commercial terms, and promotional funding, underpinned by a solid grasp of retail metrics including sales, margin, sell-through, and return on space.
• Strong project delivery and organisational skills to manage complex critical paths and tight deadlines across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Confident communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and articulate range outcomes to senior leadership.
• Proficiency across Google Workspace and Microsoft Excel for day-to-day commercial reporting and sales analysis.
• Exposure to working with offshore sourcing hubs or international vendors is highly regarded.

What you’ll experience:

• A global business with endless career possibilities around every corner and across every discipline.
• A commitment to flexibility through a hybrid working model which combines time spent at a support office or hub and time working from home.
• Team discounts across our range of Woolworths Group brands and a robust rewards program that celebrates and incentivises purpose-driven work.

Everyone belongs at Woolworths Group. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are key to realising our purpose of better together for a better tomorrow.

As one of the largest employers in Australia and New Zealand, we aim to create a truly inclusive workplace where everyone feels that they belong, can be their best selves, and reach their full potential.