Associate Product Manager, Impulse Merchandising Program

Job Identification

• Job Title: Associate Product Manager, Impulse Merchandising Program
• Area of Responsibility: Operation Support and Distribution
• Department: Military Resale
• Reports To: Senior Director, Retail
• Location: Alexandria, VA
• Grade: 18
• FLSA Status: Exempt

Statement of Purpose

The National Industries for the Blind (NIB) Military Resale program provides SKILCRAFT and Impulse Merchandising Program consumer goods to military installation commissaries (Defense Commissary Agency facilities) and military exchanges (Army & Air Force Exchange Service, Navy Exchange, Marine Corps Exchange, and Coast Guard Exchange) worldwide.

The Associate Product Manager, Impulse Merchandising Program (IMP) ensures comprehensive day-to-day operational, distribution, and administrative support for the Military Resale program, primarily supporting product management for NIB's Impulse Merchandising Program with supplemental operational support to other Military Resale program requirements.

The position supports NIB's mission of creating employment opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired by ensuring seamless execution of IMP product management, providing exceptional customer service to NIB's Non-Profit Agency producer and to product distributors to maintain a 97% or higher fill-rate standard.

The Associate Product Manager additionally serves as a critical cross-functional team member supporting the Military Resale Senior Director in the areas of retail equipment management; base visit reporting; promotional items, and new item tracking.

Business Communication Engagement

• NIB Associated Non-Profit Agencies Continually
• NIB Supervisory Personnel Continually
• Employees in other NIB Divisions Frequently
• Private Sector Business/Suppliers Frequently
• Federal and/or State Government Agencies Occasionally

Education

Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited university or college in Business Administration or Business Management, Supply Chain Management, Logistics Management, Marketing or Retail Management, or a comparable related field required. An equivalent combination of education plus experience in retail, supply chain, marketing, or logistics experience may be accepted.

Core Competencies

• Accountability
• Communication Skills
• Ethics /Integrity
• Customer Care
• Job Knowledge/ Technical Skills
• Process Improvement

Additional Competencies

• Problem Solving
• Multi-tasking & Prioritization
• Accountability & Ownership
• Written and Verbal Communication Skills
• Internal and External Customer Care

Training and Specialized Knowledge

• Specialized knowledge of retail, marketing, sales, supply chain management, and product distribution concepts (fill rates, inventory management, planograms, new-item setup, and out-of-stock processes).
• Strong business management and project planning skills.
• Demonstrated skill in interpreting sales data, tracking Key Performance Indicators, and recommending actionable solutions to maintain fill rates.
• Strong knowledge of MS Office software, with an emphasis on data management. Business Intelligence (BI) tool knowledge desirable.
• Knowledge of Military Resale (Defense Commissary Agency, military installation base, and post exchanges) is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of the AbilityOne Program's policies, regulations, and requirements is desirable but not mandatory.

Travel

Limited travel (5%)

Physical Requirements

Ability to perform light physical tasks, including receiving inbound equipment shipments, lifting, and moving boxes or display units weighing up to 50 pounds, and stocking equipment in the on-site storage room (typically day of arrival or within 24 hours).

Experience

• Minimum of six (6) years of experience in retail operations, merchandising, distribution, supply-chain coordination, category management support, or project coordination in a marketing-focused, data-driven retail environment.
• Experience handling vendor compliance, promotional tracking, equipment logistics, broker, and sales support functions a strong plus.
• Demonstrated ability to interact with diverse stakeholders providing exceptional customer service while accomplishing organizational business development goals.
• Experience applying critical thinking to identify and mitigate risk and apply proactive, sustainable solutions in a high-tempo, cross functional environment required.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

IMP Product Distribution & Supply Chain

The position provides Impulse Merchandising Program (IMP) product management support to include introduction of new items, ongoing management of supply chain performance, product sales analysis, planogramming, management of vendor portal transactions, execution of IMP promotional activities, program data tracking, and data reporting to maintain a 97% or higher fill-rate standard.

• Serve as primary operational owner for NIB's Impulse Merchandising Program (approximately 6-8% of NIB's Military Resale volume)
• Monitor daily and weekly fill-rate performance across all NIB-affiliated distribution centers, identify delinquency causes, document corrective actions, and track resolution in program delinquency log.

• Track new items, setups and first shipments to ensure product reaches stores on or before authorized start-sell dates.
• Coordinate startup quantities, Purchase Order accuracy, and delivery management for 60-80 new items annually.
• Manage the deletion processes for approximately 60-80 discontinued items annually identifying and updating impact across all affected systems.
• Track and analyze promotional and new item execution at the store level, providing insights and recommendations to support sales and target fill rates.
• Function as day-to-day liaison to NIB's affiliated Non-profit Agency to manage deviation requests and reconcile obsolete inventory.

• Manage new item introduction workflow to include receipt of product samples, verification of barcodes, evaluation and approval of specification deviations, and new item monitoring in the Military Resale specification tracker.
• Assist with the annual pricing process and accurately maintain the IMP price list.

Operational Support

• Monitor Military Resale's Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) database of supplier-provided product data.
• Manage exit strategies for SKILCRAFT discontinued products, ensuring salvage and write-off costs are minimized, product catalogs are updated, and impact across all MR program areas is assessed.
• Process an average of 500-600 Vendor Credit Memos (VCMs) monthly, evaluating, approving, or denying line items and documenting decision rationale.
• Maintain data and develop reports reflecting Non-Profit Agency product and distribution information.
• Maintain SKILCRAFT catalog for all Military Resale facilities.
• Maintain SKILCRAFT and IMP deletion tracker and SKILCRAFT item specification database.
• Serve as IOS point of contact for the Military Resale program, ensuring all associated documents reflect current corporate IOS standards.

Planogram Management

• Manage all planograms for the Military Resale program.
• Create updated planograms for all new product items and for deletions.

• Obtain stakeholder approval for changes.

• Review planograms quarterly to maximize space for top selling items.

Data Analytics

• Provide data analysis and compliance reporting for Military Resale promotional execution.
• Provide data analysis and compliance reporting for Military Resale new product execution, with focus on reducing speed to shelf time.
• Maintain Military Resale program distribution fill rate report.

Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) Vendor Portal

• Update tracker incorporating all new orders, track shipments, and payments for Direct Store Delivery-Single (DSD-S) orders.
• Provide monthly summary of sales by item, location, and fill rate for SKILCRAFT and IMP programs.

Equipment Management

• Coordinate Military Resale equipment orders, receiving inbound shipments, unpacking, and stocking equipment room typically on day of arrival or within 24 hours, and maintaining accurate equipment inventory records of all in-house display equipment.
• Maintain Military Resale database of equipment orders and associated freight expenditures.
• Communicate with the Military Resale broker to provide status of equipment shipments.
• Process broker equipment orders, track shipments, confirm receipts, and reconcile invoices for payment.
• Maintain the Military Resale Program Standard Operating Procedure.

Broker Compliance Base Visit Support

• Create and track all Broker Base Visit reports, ensuring timely resolution to all Base Visit report action items.
• Communicate with field representatives to rapidly resolve report actions, to include providing reminders and escalating resolution delays to Senior Director as needed.
• Provide updated reports for all store visits.

This job description does not imply that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee. The incumbent in this position will perform such other tasks as may be required for the effective operation of the Division/Department at the request of his/her supervisor.

NIB IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

NIB is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status.