AJ’s Wine, Spirits, and Cheese Category Specialist 

About AJ’s  

At AJ’s, we redefine the grocery shopping experience by offering a curated selection of gourmet, organic, and health-conscious products in a luxurious, welcoming environment. Our mission is to nourish our community with exceptional food and personalized service that reflects our passion for quality, wellness, and curating for our guests. 

Why This Role Matters:  

The AJ’s Wine, Spirits and Cheese Category Specialist curates and manages AJ’s wine, spirits, and cheese portfolio, delivering a world-class selection that delights connoisseurs and casual shoppers alike.  This role is responsible for planning, directing, and monitoring the buying, merchandising, pricing, promotion, and product assortment for specified categories. This role applies category management principles to achieve category sales, profit, market share, and cost objectives within their categories.    

AJ’s is repositioning its store teams to reflect a “luxury experience” brand. This role is central to that transformation—moving beyond transactional service to curated, memorable guest interactions.  

It aligns with AJ’s broader goals of:  

Empowering team members to “make the moment right” without needing manager approval.  

Creating “legendary service” moments that guests talk about.  

Elevating the in-store experience through personalization, consistency, and hospitality. 

Key Responsibilities:  

Build relationships with boutique wineries, distilleries, importers, and artisanal cheesemakers. 

Host tastings, pairing events, and educational experiences for guests and team members. 

Maintain optimal inventory levels and merchandising standards. 

Collaborate with the Marketing team to promote seasonal and exclusive offerings. 

Conduct all merchandising and pricing activities within beer, wine, spirits, and cheese categories to support sales and margin goals. 

Provide training, guidance and coaching to department members demonstrating proper techniques for production, care and merchandising of all items. Supports merchandising clarity and consistency to enable easier execution and a compelling shopping experience. 

Build and maintain collaborative relationships with suppliers to evaluate products, equipment, supplies, and promotional offers. 

Participate in product research and development to drive innovation and product transformation within categories. 

Minimum Qualifications:  

High School Diploma or G.E.D. and a minimum of five or more (5+) years or of related grocery, merchandising and management experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.  

3+ years in wine/cheese buying or specialty retail. 

Some college courses in a relevant field are preferred. 

 

Skills and Abilities:  

Strong storytelling and guest engagement skills. 

Must demonstrate working proficiency with MS Office suite. 

Ability to learn related software packages to fully utilize financial reports. 

Ability to monitor and analyze performance data, including the P&L and other key performance reports. 

Excellent financial and analytical skills. 

Strong verbal and written communication skills. 

Strong prioritization skills. 

Ability to manage multiple assignments and meet tight deadlines. 

Self-initiative, a sense of urgency, and innovation/creativity. 

Ability to work in a team and maintain effective working relationships. 

Ability to train and develop store staff.