Senior Category Manager - Food Service

Who we are:

CrossAmerica Partners is a leading wholesale distributor of motor fuels, operator of convenience stores, and owner and lessor of real estate used in the retail distribution of motor fuels. We are a top ranked wholesale distributor with eight major fuel brands, our seven high quality convenience store brands have 250+ locations, and we are actively buying, selling, and leasing sites across the US. With a geographic footprint across 34 states, we strive to be an industry leader, providing fuel and convenience products essential to keep people moving across America!

About the Role:

The Senior Category Manager - Food Service is the end-to-end owner of our food and dispensed beverage program across 300+ convenience retail locations in 18 states. This is a builder role. You will help create what best-in-class operators already have: a clear core offer, disciplined culinary standards, repeatable execution tools, and a training system that drives consistency.

This role blends category leadership + culinary/R&D + operational execution. You will develop products, validate recipes and builds, simplify the menu for scalability, and create the tools that make execution "hard to mess up" in stores. You must be comfortable operating in a high-pace environment with real-world constraints and variability-and still deliver results with integrity, urgency, and purpose.

Reports to the Director of Marketing and leads three (3) Food Service Specialists.

Category Scope Includes: Hot, cold, and frozen dispensed beverages; proprietary foodservice (including roller grill); and branded (non-franchised) food programs including Hunt Brothers Pizza, Krispy Krunchy Chicken, and Perfectly Southern Fried Chicken.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build and own the Foodservice program: Define the core offer, daypart roles, item rationalization, innovation pipeline, and the guardrails that keep the program consistent across store formats and markets.
• Culinary + R&D ownership: Lead product development and recipe/build standards for proprietary foodservice. Create scalable, repeatable items that perform in real store conditions (speed, labor, equipment, food safety, quality). Validate through tests, pilots, and field feedback.
• Execution system + tool creation: Build the execution backbone-SOPs, job aids, station standards, photos, build charts, training guides, rollout kits, and "what good looks like." Establish a launch discipline so stores are ready before go-live.
• Training and consistency: Partner with Operations to create a training approach that works in the field (simple, visual, repeatable). Drive consistency through audits/scorecards, coaching, and corrective action loops.
• Pricing, promotions, and financial performance: Set pricing and margin guardrails; build promos that stores can execute; measure results and adjust quickly. Own the scorecard (sales, GP$, margin %, units, transactions, waste, participation, promo ROI).
• Vendor leadership and accountability: Own supplier relationships and negotiations (costs, terms, service levels, rebates/funding, program support). Hold vendors accountable to performance, quality, and availability.
• Cross-functional program leadership: Partner with Ops, Supply Chain, Procurement, Marketing, and Pricebook to ensure programs are set up end-to-end: item setup, specs, ordering, store comms, and field support-no late surprises.
• Field leadership: Be in stores. Run pilots, observe execution, identify bottlenecks, and fix root causes. Build credibility with Operations by improving their day, not adding work.
• Lead and develop the team: Lead three (3) Foodservice Specialists with clear priorities, ownership, and accountability. Create a tight operating rhythm and deliverables that move the business.
• M&A / integration support (preferred): Support foodservice transitions for acquisitions/conversions including program changes, vendor swaps, readiness, and training support.

QualificationsSkills:

EducationExperience:

• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, culinary, hospitality, or a related field preferred.
• 4+ years of experience in foodservice category management, convenience retail food leadership, culinary/R&D leadership in a multi-unit environment, or comparable food program ownership roles.
• Convenience industry experience is required.
• Experience building or scaling a food program with strong execution discipline and measurable performance improvement.
• Vendor negotiation and supplier management experience required.
• People leadership experience required; this role manages three (3) direct reports.
• Intermediate skills in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint required; Power BI is a plus.

Skills:

• Strong computer skills (non-negotiable).
• Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with leadership, store teams, and vendor partners.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to analyze data, identify root causes, and translate findings into clear actions.
• High integrity and accountability; communicates early and follows through.

Who You Are: You love great food, but you know what matters most is repeatable execution. You can create products that taste amazing and work in real stores with real labor, real equipment, and real time constraints. You move fast, communicate clearly, and build tools that make consistency possible.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to travel (up to 40%)
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods during store visits, pilots, audits, and training sessions.
• Ability to occasionally bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and climb short distances (e.g., step stools or ladders) to observe equipment, signage, or merchandising.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull up to approximately 25–30 pounds (e.g., food samples, small equipment, display materials, training kits).
• Ability to work safely around hot surfaces, cold/freezer environments, food preparation equipment, and cleaning chemicals while following required safety and sanitation protocols.
• Ability to use a computer, tablet, and phone for extended periods, including typing, viewing screens, and conducting virtual meetings.
• Ability to meet the physical demands of a fast-paced, field-oriented role with varying schedules and locations.

Other Requirements:

• Additional time may be required depending on business needs.
• Ability to travel up to 40% (store visits, market reviews, vendor meetings, launches).
• Location preference: within 50 miles of the corporate office near Allentown, PA, or willingness to relocate.
• Valid driver's license.

Closing Statement:

This summary is not an all-inclusive description of job duties. Duties may change based on business needs. CrossAmerica Partners LP is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer.

Equal Employment Opportunity

CrossAmerica Partners (or its subsidiaries and related entities) contract with employment service organizations to provide staffing for its corporate operations. The employment service organizations are equal opportunity employers. For this position, the employment service organization is VUC Inc. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

The employment service organizations with which CrossAmerica Partners contracts, including VUC Inc, make all employment decisions in accordance with applicable laws and provide reasonable accommodations to qualifying individuals on the basis of any protected characteristic consistent with applicable law. VUC Inc is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. VUC Inc also provides reasonable accommodation to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [email protected].