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:  

AJ’s Meat & Seafood Category Specialist is the steward of our hyper-curated, premium meat and seafood offerings — delivering an assortment that reflects AJ’s commitment to culinary excellence, global inspiration, and luxury service. This role merges strategic category management with hands-on merchandising execution to ensure impeccable product quality, visual storytelling, and exceptional guest experiences.  

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:  

Source and negotiate with local and global suppliers for premium cuts, organic meats, and sustainable seafood. 

Monitor trends in gourmet and health-conscious protein offerings. 

Collaborate with culinary and merchandising teams to develop seasonal features and chef-curated selections.   

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.   

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.   

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. Some college courses in a relevant field are preferred.  

Deep knowledge of butchery, sourcing standards, and sustainability certifications.  

Passion for food and guest experience. 

Skills and Abilities:  

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.