Category Manager Jobs in North Carolina
Category Manager jobs in North Carolina are in steady demand, concentrated in retail, consumer packaged goods, healthcare supply chain, and manufacturing procurement across roles from entry-level buyer to senior category lead. The largest hiring metros are Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro, where companies like Lowe's, Honeywell, and Food Lion maintain significant procurement and merchandising operations. The most sought-after specialties in North Carolina are indirect procurement, private-label development, and retail category management with analytics experience. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 30+ Category Manager jobs
Location: Harrisburg, NC
Department: Operations / Procurement
Reports To: General Manager
FLSA Status: Exempt
Position Summary
The Strategic Sourcing & Category Manager is responsible for developing and executing sourcing, purchasing, and inventory strategies that support both Speedway Motorsports’ retail merchandise business and race car manufacturing operations. This role oversees supplier relationships, category management, procurement analytics, inventory planning, and strategic sourcing to ensure products and components are acquired at the optimal cost, quality, and delivery while supporting operational and financial objectives.
The successful candidate will serve as the primary procurement partner for retail merchandising and manufacturing teams, using data-driven decision making to improve supplier performance, reduce costs, optimize inventory investment, and ensure uninterrupted product availability.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Management
- Develop and execute sourcing strategies for souvenir merchandise, licensed products, apparel, race car components, manufacturing materials, and related products.
- Lead supplier selection, contract negotiations, pricing discussions, and vendor performance management.
- Identify opportunities to consolidate suppliers, improve purchasing leverage, reduce total cost, and mitigate supply chain risk.
- Establish and maintain strong relationships with domestic and international suppliers while developing alternate sourcing strategies for critical products.
Category & Inventory Management
- Manage assigned product categories through demand forecasting, inventory planning, lifecycle management, and purchasing execution.
- Analyze sales trends, production schedules, inventory levels, and business forecasts to develop purchasing plans.
- Ensure merchandise availability for Speedway events while maintaining healthy inventory turns and minimizing obsolete inventory.
- Coordinate material purchases to support race car manufacturing schedules and customer demand.
Procurement Analytics & Business Improvement
- Develop reporting and dashboards that measure purchasing performance, supplier effectiveness, inventory health, spending trends, and cost savings.
- Analyze supplier spend, purchase price variance, freight expense, gross margin, inventory turns, and forecast accuracy.
- Recommend process improvements, inventory optimization strategies, sourcing initiatives, and cost-reduction opportunities supported by business data.
- Present recommendations and key performance metrics to leadership.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Partner with Retail, Manufacturing, Engineering, Finance, Operations, Warehouse, and Sales teams to align purchasing decisions with organizational priorities.
- Support new product introductions, special events, seasonal merchandise planning, and manufacturing initiatives.
- Ensure purchasing activities comply with company policies, financial controls, and procurement best practices.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Finance, Operations, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
- Five or more years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, category management, supply chain, or purchasing.
- Demonstrated success negotiating supplier agreements and managing vendor relationships.
- Strong analytical skills with advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and ERP systems.
- Excellent communication, organizational, negotiation, and project management skills.
Preferred
- Experience in retail merchandising, consumer products, manufacturing, motorsports, automotive, or related industries.
- Experience using Power BI, SQL, Power Query, or other business intelligence tools.
- Knowledge of inventory optimization, demand forecasting, and category management principles.
- Professional certification such as CPSM, CSCP, CPIM, or equivalent.
Core Competencies
- Strategic Sourcing
- Category Management
- Procurement Analytics
- Supplier Relationship Management
- Contract Negotiation
- Inventory Planning & Demand Forecasting
- Cost Reduction & Continuous Improvement
- Financial & Operational Analysis
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Project Leadership
Performance Measures
Success in this position will be measured through:
- Cost savings and cost avoidance
- Supplier performance and on-time delivery
- Inventory turns and inventory accuracy
- Product availability and manufacturing support
- Merchandise gross margin
- Forecast accuracy
- Reduction of obsolete inventory
- Purchase price variance
- Process improvements and operational efficiencies
- Achievement of annual sourcing and procurement objectives
Why Join Speedway Motorsports?
This is an opportunity to shape procurement strategy across two unique and exciting businesses—world-class motorsports manufacturing and retail merchandising. The Strategic Sourcing & Category Manager will have a direct impact on profitability, operational excellence, supplier partnerships, and the fan experience while helping support some of the most recognized brands in motorsports.
Location: Harrisburg, NC
Department: Operations / Procurement
Reports To: General Manager
FLSA Status: Exempt
Position Summary
The Strategic Sourcing & Category Manager is responsible for developing and executing sourcing, purchasing, and inventory strategies that support both Speedway Motorsports’ retail merchandise business and race car manufacturing operations. This role oversees supplier relationships, category management, procurement analytics, inventory planning, and strategic sourcing to ensure products and components are acquired at the optimal cost, quality, and delivery while supporting operational and financial objectives.
The successful candidate will serve as the primary procurement partner for retail merchandising and manufacturing teams, using data-driven decision making to improve supplier performance, reduce costs, optimize inventory investment, and ensure uninterrupted product availability.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Management
- Develop and execute sourcing strategies for souvenir merchandise, licensed products, apparel, race car components, manufacturing materials, and related products.
- Lead supplier selection, contract negotiations, pricing discussions, and vendor performance management.
- Identify opportunities to consolidate suppliers, improve purchasing leverage, reduce total cost, and mitigate supply chain risk.
- Establish and maintain strong relationships with domestic and international suppliers while developing alternate sourcing strategies for critical products.
Category & Inventory Management
- Manage assigned product categories through demand forecasting, inventory planning, lifecycle management, and purchasing execution.
- Analyze sales trends, production schedules, inventory levels, and business forecasts to develop purchasing plans.
- Ensure merchandise availability for Speedway events while maintaining healthy inventory turns and minimizing obsolete inventory.
- Coordinate material purchases to support race car manufacturing schedules and customer demand.
Procurement Analytics & Business Improvement
- Develop reporting and dashboards that measure purchasing performance, supplier effectiveness, inventory health, spending trends, and cost savings.
- Analyze supplier spend, purchase price variance, freight expense, gross margin, inventory turns, and forecast accuracy.
- Recommend process improvements, inventory optimization strategies, sourcing initiatives, and cost-reduction opportunities supported by business data.
- Present recommendations and key performance metrics to leadership.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Partner with Retail, Manufacturing, Engineering, Finance, Operations, Warehouse, and Sales teams to align purchasing decisions with organizational priorities.
- Support new product introductions, special events, seasonal merchandise planning, and manufacturing initiatives.
- Ensure purchasing activities comply with company policies, financial controls, and procurement best practices.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Finance, Operations, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
- Five or more years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, category management, supply chain, or purchasing.
- Demonstrated success negotiating supplier agreements and managing vendor relationships.
- Strong analytical skills with advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and ERP systems.
- Excellent communication, organizational, negotiation, and project management skills.
Preferred
- Experience in retail merchandising, consumer products, manufacturing, motorsports, automotive, or related industries.
- Experience using Power BI, SQL, Power Query, or other business intelligence tools.
- Knowledge of inventory optimization, demand forecasting, and category management principles.
- Professional certification such as CPSM, CSCP, CPIM, or equivalent.
Core Competencies
- Strategic Sourcing
- Category Management
- Procurement Analytics
- Supplier Relationship Management
- Contract Negotiation
- Inventory Planning & Demand Forecasting
- Cost Reduction & Continuous Improvement
- Financial & Operational Analysis
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Project Leadership
Performance Measures
Success in this position will be measured through:
- Cost savings and cost avoidance
- Supplier performance and on-time delivery
- Inventory turns and inventory accuracy
- Product availability and manufacturing support
- Merchandise gross margin
- Forecast accuracy
- Reduction of obsolete inventory
- Purchase price variance
- Process improvements and operational efficiencies
- Achievement of annual sourcing and procurement objectives
Why Join Speedway Motorsports?
This is an opportunity to shape procurement strategy across two unique and exciting businesses—world-class motorsports manufacturing and retail merchandising. The Strategic Sourcing & Category Manager will have a direct impact on profitability, operational excellence, supplier partnerships, and the fan experience while helping support some of the most recognized brands in motorsports.
See All 30 Category Manager Jobs in North Carolina
Find roles in North Carolina that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Category Manager JobsCategory Manager Jobs by City in North Carolina
Where North Carolina roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Category Manager Job Market in North Carolina
A snapshot from current North Carolina openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Retail
- Construction & Real Estate
What North Carolina Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in category manager jobs across North Carolina.
- Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, or a related field required
- Three or more years of category management or merchandising experience preferred
- Proficiency in data analytics tools such as Excel, Nielsen, or Circana
- Experience managing vendor relationships and negotiating supplier contracts
- Familiarity with planogram software and retail space planning principles
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with marketing and supply chain teams
Category Manager Jobs in North Carolina: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a category manager in North Carolina?
Most category managers in North Carolina enter the field through a bachelor's degree in business administration, supply chain management, or marketing, followed by experience in buying, merchandising, or procurement. There is no state-issued license required for the role. Many North Carolina employers value candidates who have worked in buyer or analyst roles at retail or manufacturing companies and can demonstrate hands-on experience with vendor negotiations and category data.
How much do category managers make in North Carolina?
Category managers in North Carolina earn a median of about $138,710 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $94,240 for the lowest 10% to over $219,150 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire category managers in North Carolina?
Employers hiring category managers in North Carolina right now include Circle K, The Fresh Market, and Carrier, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. North Carolina's strong retail and manufacturing base, anchored by companies like Lowe's and Food Lion, means category management roles appear consistently throughout the year across both corporate and regional operations.
Which North Carolina cities have the most category manager jobs?
Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh have the most category manager openings in North Carolina. Charlotte leads because of its concentration of retail headquarters and large CPG operations, while Raleigh's growth in technology and healthcare procurement drives demand there, and Greensboro draws openings from the distribution and manufacturing companies clustered in the Piedmont Triad region.
Are there remote category manager jobs in North Carolina?
Yes, and more than many fields, since category management is largely analytical and can be done effectively from home. About 71% of category manager openings tied to North Carolina are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting the desk-based nature of the work. Vendor data analysis, assortment planning, and reporting tasks are the parts of the role most commonly performed remotely.
How can I get hired as a category manager in North Carolina with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is starting as a category analyst, merchandise assistant, or procurement coordinator at a North Carolina retailer or manufacturer, then moving into a category manager role after building vendor and data skills. Companies like Lowe's in Mooresville and Food Lion in Salisbury run structured buying and merchandising programs that bring in early-career candidates. A strong foundation in Excel-based data analysis and a willingness to complete a rotational role in supply chain or store operations can accelerate the transition.
Where can I find and apply to category manager jobs in North Carolina?
You can find and apply to category manager jobs in North Carolina on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings across the state. Find roles that fit your experience and location, then apply directly to each one.
See All 30 Category Manager Jobs in North Carolina
Find roles in North Carolina that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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