Handler Announces NAPA Category Manager, Heavy Duty Search

ATLANTA, GA. – April 21, 2026

We are pleased to announce Handler’s launch of a search for NAPA to hire a Category Manager, Heavy Duty. 

The Category Manager, Heavy Duty will own the strategic category direction focused on enhancing NAPA’s sales, profit, inventory turns, and market position within the industry while upholding NAPA’s high standards of ethics and integrity as a representative of the company. This role will manage relationships with suppliers to both procure and present competitive programs to the market. It will create efficiencies with key internal and external stakeholders while working across various departments to develop procurement, sales, and marketing programs.

The ideal candidate will have 3+ years of Category Management experience and the ability to present the details of a category plan they have implemented from start to finish. We seek candidates with a customer-centric approach to category management.

Qualifications include:

  •  Demonstrated experience managing complex supplier networks
  •  Demonstrated success in contract negotiations, program management, and procurement activities
  •  Strong financial acumen and data-driven mindset
  •  B2B / wholesale distribution experience strongly preferred
  •  Managerial presentation and reporting experience
  •  Strong merchant mindset (assortment planning, pricing, line structure, brand strategy)
  • Experience building and scaling processes in complex multi-SKU, multi-vendor environments
  • Ability to build/transform a category vs. maintain
  • Strong analytical skills and ability to derive insights from imperfect data (advanced Excel)

Education Requirement — Bachelor’s degree required with a concentration in Business

Next steps:

  1. To learn more about this exciting role, listen to our audio
  2. Qualified and interested.    Schedule a call with our Search Consultant, Kathleen Leard
  3. Refer a Colleague / Learn about the search because you may have referrals- contact Kathleen Leard

We look forward to hearing from you.