Category Lead

Back to jobs New Category Lead Remote Apply About Us At Hungryroot, we understand that food is deeply personal—it fuels our bodies and minds, impacting how we feel and function every day. Yet, the current food system makes it difficult to make healthy, enjoyable choices. With busy lifestyles and traditional grocery experiences that leave us overwhelmed, many struggle to find balance. Hungryroot is changing that through a seamless digital experience designed to make healthy eating effortless. At Hungryroot, we’re building the most consumer-centric food and wellness company to ever exist, empowering people to eat healthier, feel better, and make food choices that truly support their well-being.  We are a distributed team built on top talent from over 28 states across the U.S. While we have a headquarters in New York City, we support employees working from wherever they are based. We believe in fostering team connection and collaboration across all of ourOur cutting-edge AI technology, SmartCart™, powers a personalized meal planning and grocery shopping experience that is tailored to each customer’s unique preferences, dietary needs, budget, and goals. By recommending the right groceries and recipes, SmartCart™ saves hours of meal prep and shopping time, reduces stress, and ensures that customers always have fresh, nutritious options on hand. With an intuitive, easy-to-use digital platform, we bring variety and convenience to the forefront, helping customers discover new foods they love, while minimizing waste and saving money.  employees' locations. Expect to attend regular team building events and an annual company retreat. Expect to be treated like an owner who cares about our common goal, not someone who has to clock in and out of work. About the Role Hungryroot is seeking a strategic, analytical, and passionate Category Lead to shape and scale our product assortment in alignment with our customers’ needs and preferences. This high-impact role is responsible for defining and executing data-informed category strategies that maximize customer satisfaction, drive sales and profitability, and uphold our mission to make healthy eating easy. As Category Lead, you will own end-to-end category management for your categories—including assortment architecture, vendor and item selection, packaging, and merchandising—with a clear focus on curating products and brands that meet the Root Standard: our commitment to quality, nutrition, convenience, and great taste. You’ll play a key role in building and managing supplier partnerships, unlocking value through cost optimization, vendor performance management, and innovation. In this important role, you will report directly to the Director of Category Management and collaborate closely with Culinary, Analytics, Food Safety, Marketing, and Supply Chain teams to onboard and maintain an assortment of best-in-class products.  Responsibilities Own and lead the strategic direction of your assigned categories—developing a long-term vision and executing against clear goals to drive customer satisfaction, growth, and profitability. Proactively identify and source innovative brands and products that align with Hungryroot’s core values of health, convenience, and taste—ensuring a differentiated, mission-aligned assortment. Own the end-to-end product lifecycle, leading cross-functional execution from pipeline planning and vendor negotiations through onboarding, launch, and in-market performance management. Leverage data and customer insights to inform category strategy, guiding decisions on product mix, pricing, promotion, and placement to improve business performance and customer value. Identify and deliver cost-saving initiatives, renegotiating vendor agreements or exploring alternative sourcing while preserving quality, performance, and margin goals. Steer long-term assortment health, identifying assortment gaps, whitespace opportunities, market trends, and rationalization needs to ensure the mix evolves with customer preferences and business priorities. Partner with product development, culinary, and leadership teams to conceptualize and launch private-label innovations that meet our high standards and drive business impact. Build and manage best-in-class supplier relationships, holding vendors accountable to performance standards across cost, quality, food safety, and service. Own category compliance and quality, partnering closely with food safety and regulatory teams to uphold federal, state, and internal standards. Collaborate cross-functionally with supply chain and fulfillment teams to ensure product availability, minimize disruptions, and maintain healthy inventory aligned with demand. Work with brand partners and our partnerships team to design and activate promotional opportunities that elevate category performance and support revenue goals. Qualifications 5+ years of experience in category management, buying, or merchandising—ideally within eCommerce. Proven ability to negotiate, manage projects, and communicate effectively across internal and external stakeholders. Experience building vendor partnerships and developing private-label products. Working knowledge of retail and eCommerce food safety standards. Strong analytical mindset with strong proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets. Highly collaborative, with a track record of effective cross-functional partnership. Agile and solutions-oriented; thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Self-motivated, positive, and proactive with a transparent communication style. Passion for food, health, and wellness, with a pulse on industry trends and consumer behavior. Familiarity with tools like NetSuite, Airtable, Looker, or other ERP systems is a plus. Perks & Benefits  Remote-first: work from home, work from our NYC office, work from anywhere in the U.S. - you decide! Equity  Unlimited vacation policy Universal paid parental leave Monthly Hungryroot credit for delicious, healthy groceries Comprehensive health, vision, dental, and life insurance Wellbeing benefits including One Medical, Spring Health, LiveHealth, Rightway care concierge, and more 401k A work from home stipend to support your initial home-office setup Expected Pay Range $90,000-$130,000 #LI-REMOTE The employer will not sponsor applicants for work visas. Our mission to help make healthy eating easy, accessible, and joyful is better served by a diverse workplace. We are a proud Equal Opportunity Employer committed to building an inclusive workplace. We have zero-tolerance for harassment or discrimination. 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