Senior Category Manager - Core Pantry
Thrive Market
California, USA · playa vista, los angeles, ca, usa · Los Angeles, CA, USA · Remote
USD 110k-130k / year + Equity
Posted on Jan 14, 2026
ABOUT THRIVE MARKET
Thrive Market was founded in 2014 with a mission to make healthy and sustainable living easy and affordable for everyone. As an online, membership-based market, we deliver the highest quality healthy, and sustainable products at member-only prices, while matching every paid membership with a free one for someone in need. Every day, we leverage innovative technology and member-first thinking to help our over 1,600,000+ members find better products, support better brands, and build a better world in the process. We are also a Certified B Corporation, a Public Benefit Corporation, and a Climate Neutral Certified company.
Join us as we bring healthy and sustainable living to millions of Americans in the years to come.
THE ROLE
We are seeking an experienced Sr. Category Manager to own merchandising efforts for the Core Pantry (1. Soups, Meals & Side Dishes 2. Cereals & Granola 3. Applesauce & Fruitcups 4. Canned & Packaged Foods) categories at Thrive Market. This role will be responsible for driving growth in revenue and margin for the category through product assortment and selection, vendor relationship management, pricing, promotion, site merchandising, and a keen understanding of trends. A key component of this position is having a fundamental understanding of the brands, products, and trends driving the Core Pantry, while upholding the highest bar for quality products & ingredients. We maintain a very curated assortment vs. many of our online competitors. Our merchandising team is lean and as a business we are growing quickly, which means priorities change constantly. We’re looking for a nimble, driven, accomplished category management professional who is equally comfortable designing processes, setting clear strategy, and working cross-functionally to achieve our growth goals. The role typically requires 15-20% travel to trade shows and vendor meetings when possible.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Grow and maintain the Core Pantry categories to meet expansion goals including revenue, margin, and other KPIs while at the same time balancing our ingredient/quality standards.
- Drive category strategy and innovation, including best in class shopping experience for Core Pantry.
- Actively identify, seek out, and cultivate strong vendor relationships with large volume vendors - negotiate the best pricing and margin terms, promotional support, maintain consistent and clear communication, and be a strong representative of Thrive Market’s brand and values in every interaction.
- Review and vet every brand and product that comes through the door to ensure that their ingredients and sourcing practices meet our quality standards.
- Track, measure, and analyze data and report on KPIs and metrics to identify successes and challenges within category performance, action on areas for improvement, and inform new brand/product opportunities.
- Negotiate with partners to secure the most competitive everyday value pricing for our members, accruals, marketing & promotional budgets, rebate growth incentives, delivery, and payment terms.
- Drive the new product/brand vetting and onboarding process to ensure timely addition to market.
- Collaborate closely with Merchandising Marketing team to develop and execute annual promotional strategies for brands and categories.
- Partner with Procurement team on inventory forecasts, new item projections, vendor fulfillment rates, expiry risks, and exiting out of slow moving inventory.
- Be curious, experimental, and rigorous in your research to make sure our assortment at Thrive Market is on-trend and setting the bar for new products. Know the competitive landscape inside-out.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams and be a positive leader both within the merchandising team and the company as a whole.
QUALIFICATIONS
- 5+ years of experience in a buying or category management role.
- E-commerce experience highly preferred.
- Strong negotiation and vendor relationship skills.
- Deep knowledge of consumer trends and behavior, as well as ingredients and Non-GMO certifications.
- Proven track record of over delivering on KPIs and financial plans.
- Fluency in technical and tactical merchandising: Excel, Power Point, Google Sheets expertise critical.
- Willingness to roll your sleeves up and get into the day to day of category management and item launches.
- Exemplary communication skills: you can present, write clear/concise emails, and understand the nuances of how best to communicate with different teams and vendors.
- Self-directing and self-correcting: you’re a natural problem solver skilled at prioritization.
- Flexibility and ability to adapt quickly to an ever-evolving environment.
- Over-the-top excitement about making healthy, affordable products available to every American.
BELONG TO A BETTER COMPANY
- Comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental, vision, life and disability)
- Competitive salary (DOE) + equity
- 401k plan
- 9 Observed Holidays
- Flexible Paid Time Off
- Subsidized ClassPass Membership with access to fitness classes and wellness and beauty experiences
- Ability to work in our beautiful office in Playa Vista
- Free Thrive Market membership with exclusive employee discount
- Coverage for Life Coaching & Therapy Sessions on our holistic mental health and well-being platform
JOB INFORMATION:
- Compensation Description - The base salary range for this position is $110,000 - $130,000/Per Year.
- Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on several factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and geographic location.
- Total Compensation includes Base Salary, Stock Options, Health and Wellness Benefits, Flexible PTO, and more!
We're a community of more than 1 Million + members who are united by a singular belief: It should be easy to find better products, support better brands, make better choices, and build a better world in the process.
At Thrive Market, we believe in building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic culture. If you are excited about this role along with our mission and values, we encourage you to apply.
Thrive Market is an EEO/Veterans/Disabled/LGBTQ employer.
At Thrive Market, our goal is to be a diverse and inclusive workplace that is representative, at all job levels, of the members we serve and the communities we operate in. We’re proud to be an inclusive company and an Equal Opportunity Employer and we prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success as a company, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. If you’re thinking about joining our team, we expect that you would agree!
If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please email us at eeo@thrivemarket.com and we’ll be happy to assist you.
Ensure your Thrive Market job offer is legitimate and don't fall victim to fraud. Thrive Market never seeks payment from job applicants. Thrive Market recruiters will only reach out to applicants from an @thrivemarket.com email address. For added security, where possible, apply through our company website at www.thrivemarket.com.
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