Category Manager Jobs in Illinois
Category Manager jobs in Illinois are in steady demand, with the state's deep retail, consumer packaged goods, and healthcare supply chain sectors driving consistent hiring at every level from entry-level buyer to senior category director. Chicago anchors the market as one of the most active hiring metros in the country for this role, with Peoria and Rockford contributing additional volume through manufacturing and distribution operations. Major Illinois employers with lasting category management presence include Walgreens Boots Alliance, Kraft Heinz, and U.S. Foods, with the strongest demand concentrated in private label development, indirect procurement, and healthcare category strategy. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 57+ Category Manager jobs
Collaborates with the Category Manager(s) to select and purchase merchandise and services within a limited number of categories, and at the lowest possible cost. Assures that these purchases are made with a thorough analysis of general business economics and conditions, sources of supply, merchandise requirements, and overall Company policy. Responsible for providing the necessary merchandising, promotional plans and programs, and distribution services to assure that merchandise meets consumer and store needs. With direction or input from the Category Manager, develops and implements merchandising techniques and procedures.
Job Responsibilities:
- Plans, develops, and recommends sales, gross profit level, inventory control, and merchandise turnover objectives for the assigned department(s) and item(s).
- Develops and recommends merchandising, display, advertising, distribution, packaging and sales plans and programs for assigned items and merchandise departments.
- Negotiates buying contracts on categories or subsets of categories as determined by the Divisional Merchandise Manager (DMM) or Category Manager (CM). Reviews contracts with the CM.
- Analyzes market, competitive, and customer perception data, and provides recommendations to the DMM and CM regarding price levels.
- Reviews and analyzes historical and YTD category performance data. Recommends performance goals for categories, and manages category performance as assigned by the DMM and CM.
- Works closely with Store Experience and merchandise planning to build and review category insights. Utilizes data to make recommendations to Category Managers and DMMs on planograms, ROTO spots, promotional programs, merchandising assortment, forecasts, and other key category initiatives. Takes the initiative to elicit insights from data and recommend programs to division leadership.
- Develops an understanding of Walgreens and WBA private brands, including assortment and projected sales forecasts, gross profit level, and merchandising and promotional programs. Works with the Category Manager and/or DMM to project sales forecasts and gross profit levels within the assigned categories.
About Walgreens
Founded in 1901, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) proudly serves nearly 9 million customers and patients each day across its approximately 8,500 stores throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Walgreens has approximately 220,000 team members, including nearly 90,000 healthcare service providers, and is committed to being the first choice for pharmacy, retail and health services, building trusted relationships that create healthier futures for customers, patients, team members and communities.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree and at least 2 years’ experience in two or more of the following: retail, procurement/purchasing, merchandising, vendor relations, pharmacy operations, or retail marketing OR a high school diploma/GED and at least 4 years of experience in two or more of the following: retail, procurement/purchasing, merchandising, vendor relations, pharmacy operations, or retail marketing.
- Experience working with P&L concepts – revenue, cogs, gross profit margin, operating expenses and income.
- Knowledge of customer centric retailing principles and the analytics of customer purchase behavior.
- At least 2 years of experience developing programs in merchandising, vendor relations, and marketing in the retail business.
- Intermediate level skill in Microsoft Excel (for example: using SUM function, setting borders, setting column width, inserting charts, using text wrap, sorting, setting headers and footers and/or print scaling).
- Basic skill level in Microsoft PowerPoint (for example: inserting, rearranging, hiding and deleting slides, navigating between slides, increasing list level, adding, centering and editing text, changing views, inserting a table or a note, moving objects, printing outline view and/or running a slide show).
- Basic level skill in Microsoft Word (for example: opening a document, cutting, pasting and aligning text, selecting font type and size, changing margins and column width, sorting, inserting bullets, pictures and dates, using find and replace, undo, spell check, track changes, review pane and/or print functions).
Preferred Qualifications
- At least 1 year experience of cross functional team leadership.
The Salary below is being provided to promote pay transparency and equal employment opportunities at Walgreens. The actual hourly salary within this range that you will be offered will depend on a variety of factors including geography, skills and abilities, education, experience and other relevant factors. This role will remain open until filled. To review benefits, please click here jobs.walgreens.com/benefits. If you are applying on a job board or unable to click on the link, please copy and paste this URL into your browser jobs.walgreens.com/benefits
Salary Range: $65000 - $missing / Salaried
Collaborates with the Category Manager(s) to select and purchase merchandise and services within a limited number of categories, and at the lowest possible cost. Assures that these purchases are made with a thorough analysis of general business economics and conditions, sources of supply, merchandise requirements, and overall Company policy. Responsible for providing the necessary merchandising, promotional plans and programs, and distribution services to assure that merchandise meets consumer and store needs. With direction or input from the Category Manager, develops and implements merchandising techniques and procedures.
Job Responsibilities:
- Plans, develops, and recommends sales, gross profit level, inventory control, and merchandise turnover objectives for the assigned department(s) and item(s).
- Develops and recommends merchandising, display, advertising, distribution, packaging and sales plans and programs for assigned items and merchandise departments.
- Negotiates buying contracts on categories or subsets of categories as determined by the Divisional Merchandise Manager (DMM) or Category Manager (CM). Reviews contracts with the CM.
- Analyzes market, competitive, and customer perception data, and provides recommendations to the DMM and CM regarding price levels.
- Reviews and analyzes historical and YTD category performance data. Recommends performance goals for categories, and manages category performance as assigned by the DMM and CM.
- Works closely with Store Experience and merchandise planning to build and review category insights. Utilizes data to make recommendations to Category Managers and DMMs on planograms, ROTO spots, promotional programs, merchandising assortment, forecasts, and other key category initiatives. Takes the initiative to elicit insights from data and recommend programs to division leadership.
- Develops an understanding of Walgreens and WBA private brands, including assortment and projected sales forecasts, gross profit level, and merchandising and promotional programs. Works with the Category Manager and/or DMM to project sales forecasts and gross profit levels within the assigned categories.
About Walgreens
Founded in 1901, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) proudly serves nearly 9 million customers and patients each day across its approximately 8,500 stores throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Walgreens has approximately 220,000 team members, including nearly 90,000 healthcare service providers, and is committed to being the first choice for pharmacy, retail and health services, building trusted relationships that create healthier futures for customers, patients, team members and communities.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree and at least 2 years’ experience in two or more of the following: retail, procurement/purchasing, merchandising, vendor relations, pharmacy operations, or retail marketing OR a high school diploma/GED and at least 4 years of experience in two or more of the following: retail, procurement/purchasing, merchandising, vendor relations, pharmacy operations, or retail marketing.
- Experience working with P&L concepts – revenue, cogs, gross profit margin, operating expenses and income.
- Knowledge of customer centric retailing principles and the analytics of customer purchase behavior.
- At least 2 years of experience developing programs in merchandising, vendor relations, and marketing in the retail business.
- Intermediate level skill in Microsoft Excel (for example: using SUM function, setting borders, setting column width, inserting charts, using text wrap, sorting, setting headers and footers and/or print scaling).
- Basic skill level in Microsoft PowerPoint (for example: inserting, rearranging, hiding and deleting slides, navigating between slides, increasing list level, adding, centering and editing text, changing views, inserting a table or a note, moving objects, printing outline view and/or running a slide show).
- Basic level skill in Microsoft Word (for example: opening a document, cutting, pasting and aligning text, selecting font type and size, changing margins and column width, sorting, inserting bullets, pictures and dates, using find and replace, undo, spell check, track changes, review pane and/or print functions).
Preferred Qualifications
- At least 1 year experience of cross functional team leadership.
The Salary below is being provided to promote pay transparency and equal employment opportunities at Walgreens. The actual hourly salary within this range that you will be offered will depend on a variety of factors including geography, skills and abilities, education, experience and other relevant factors. This role will remain open until filled. To review benefits, please click here jobs.walgreens.com/benefits. If you are applying on a job board or unable to click on the link, please copy and paste this URL into your browser jobs.walgreens.com/benefits
Salary Range: $65000 - $missing / Salaried
See All 57 Category Manager Jobs in Illinois
Find roles in Illinois that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Category Manager JobsCategory Manager Jobs by City in Illinois
Where Illinois roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Category Manager Job Market in Illinois
A snapshot from current Illinois openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Manufacturing
- Healthcare & Medical Services
- Food & Beverage
- Marketing & Advertising
- Distribution & Wholesale
What Illinois Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in category manager jobs across Illinois.
- Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, marketing, or a related field
- Three or more years of experience in category management, buying, or procurement
- Demonstrated proficiency with Nielsen, IRI, or similar syndicated data platforms
- Experience negotiating vendor contracts and managing supplier relationships
- Strong command of Microsoft Excel and category planning or ERP software
- Familiarity with retail planogram tools and shelf space optimization processes
Category Manager Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a category manager in Illinois?
Most category managers in Illinois enter the field through a bachelor's degree in business, supply chain management, or marketing, followed by roles in buying, merchandising, or procurement. Illinois does not require a state-issued license for this role. Earning credentials such as the Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) from the Institute for Supply Management or the Category Management Association's Category Management certification strengthens candidacy with major Illinois retailers and distributors.
How much do category managers make in Illinois?
Category managers in Illinois earn a median of about $153,370 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $100,990 for the lowest 10% to over $225,450 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire category managers in Illinois?
Employers hiring category managers in Illinois right now include Motorola Solutions, International, and Walgreens, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Illinois's concentration of national retail headquarters, food and beverage manufacturers, and large healthcare distributors means category management roles here often carry enterprise-level scope and cross-functional responsibility.
Which Illinois cities have the most category manager jobs?
Chicago, Lisle, and Deerfield have the most category manager openings in Illinois, with Chicago accounting for the bulk of postings given its role as headquarters city for major retail, CPG, and healthcare supply chain companies, while suburban corridors like Deerfield and Downers Grove add volume through the regional offices of companies like Walgreens and Dover Corporation.
Are there remote category manager jobs in Illinois?
Yes, and more than many operational roles, since category management is largely analytical and collaborative rather than hands-on. About 91% of category manager openings tied to Illinois are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the desk-based nature of the work. Strategy, data analysis, and vendor negotiation tasks translate well to remote setups, while planogram resets and retail store visits typically require an on-site presence.
How can I get hired as a category manager in Illinois with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is a buyer's assistant or merchandise coordinator role at one of Illinois's large retail or distribution companies, which regularly hire early-career candidates and promote from within. Walgreens, U.S. Foods, and Grainger all run rotational or development programs that move associates through procurement and category functions. Building proficiency with Nielsen or IRI data tools and completing the Category Management Association's foundation course gives candidates without experience a concrete edge in Illinois interviews.
Where can I find and apply to category manager jobs in Illinois?
You can find and apply to category manager jobs in Illinois on Migrate Mate, which lists current Illinois openings. Find roles that fit your experience and location and apply directly to the ones that match.
See All 57 Category Manager Jobs in Illinois
Find roles in Illinois that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Category Manager Jobs