Category Manager
Apply NowCompany: DSJ Global
Location: Mount Prospect, IL 60056
Description:
### Category Manager Role Overview
The Category Manager will serve as the category expert, providing top-tier category and shopper insights along with actionable go-to-market recommendations for a diverse set of retail customers. This role involves analyzing various data sources, identifying insights, and recommending solutions to drive profitable category growth. The Category Manager will work cross-functionally to influence comprehensive Category Growth Strategies focused on shopper centricity, enabling sales growth and market share gains. This position acts as a strategic thought leader, imparting knowledge of the category and shopper to drive profitable business results.
### Primary Responsibilities & Requirements
- Subject Matter Expertise: Function as the expert across Pasta Sauce, Vinegar, and Asian Categories, providing thought leadership guidance to internal stakeholders and external customer decision-makers.
- Data Utilization: Serve as the expert on the use of syndicated and customer loyalty data to aid sales team members, brokers, and business segment leads in making well-informed decisions from actionable insights.
- Reporting & Insights: Generate weekly, monthly, and ad hoc reporting to supply insights, identify opportunities, channel shifting, and associated trends, and deliver solutions that drive profitable category growth.
- Sales Team Alignment: Work in alignment with Sales Team partners to influence the line review process with shopper insights and fact-based data to make proposals on optimal assortments and POG strategies to drive category and share growth.
- Multi-Channel Insights: Provide insights, suggestions, and perspective on multi-channel purchasing behaviors (in-store, omni, OGP, etc.).
- Data Presentation: Develop consistent formats/presentation and analysis of syndicated data, KPI scorecards, customer category and shopper research, and competitive activity to formulate strategies and plans for sales growth.
- Executive Summaries: Take ownership of monthly executive summaries and participate in company calls, sharing in-market performance, key insights, opportunities, and recommendations for all growth channels customers.
- Data Visualization: Lead the development of the critical transition to data visualization from static reporting formats.
- Thought Leadership: Continue to elevate the company as a top CPG partner and an objective Category first thought leader.
- Self-Development: Take ownership of self-development, proactively seeking continuous improvement, coaching, and development.
- Travel: Approximately 25% of the time.
### Education, Experience, & Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a related field.
- Experience: 8-10+ years in category management, sales, data analytics, and shopper insights.
- Technical Skills: Advanced knowledge of working with Panel/Numerator, shopper insights, customer data, Nielsen, and Circana, with proficiency in JDA/Apollo preferred. Proven advanced abilities to use Microsoft Suite of tools (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.) effectively.
- Stakeholder Understanding: Clear understanding of key stakeholders, both internally and externally, and what information motivates them to work effectively across teams and customers.
- Storytelling Skills: Strong storytelling skills and proven experience in building cohesive, actionable, and fact-based selling stories.
- Leadership & Integrity: Demonstrated history of a strong passion for winning, being a leader, and a dependable team member. Exhibit unwavering integrity, ethics, and the ability to maintain an objective point of view.
- Initiative & Accountability: Must be proactive, with personal responsibility and accountability for execution and results.
- Communication Skills: Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and listening skills.
The Category Manager will serve as the category expert, providing top-tier category and shopper insights along with actionable go-to-market recommendations for a diverse set of retail customers. This role involves analyzing various data sources, identifying insights, and recommending solutions to drive profitable category growth. The Category Manager will work cross-functionally to influence comprehensive Category Growth Strategies focused on shopper centricity, enabling sales growth and market share gains. This position acts as a strategic thought leader, imparting knowledge of the category and shopper to drive profitable business results.
### Primary Responsibilities & Requirements
- Subject Matter Expertise: Function as the expert across Pasta Sauce, Vinegar, and Asian Categories, providing thought leadership guidance to internal stakeholders and external customer decision-makers.
- Data Utilization: Serve as the expert on the use of syndicated and customer loyalty data to aid sales team members, brokers, and business segment leads in making well-informed decisions from actionable insights.
- Reporting & Insights: Generate weekly, monthly, and ad hoc reporting to supply insights, identify opportunities, channel shifting, and associated trends, and deliver solutions that drive profitable category growth.
- Sales Team Alignment: Work in alignment with Sales Team partners to influence the line review process with shopper insights and fact-based data to make proposals on optimal assortments and POG strategies to drive category and share growth.
- Multi-Channel Insights: Provide insights, suggestions, and perspective on multi-channel purchasing behaviors (in-store, omni, OGP, etc.).
- Data Presentation: Develop consistent formats/presentation and analysis of syndicated data, KPI scorecards, customer category and shopper research, and competitive activity to formulate strategies and plans for sales growth.
- Executive Summaries: Take ownership of monthly executive summaries and participate in company calls, sharing in-market performance, key insights, opportunities, and recommendations for all growth channels customers.
- Data Visualization: Lead the development of the critical transition to data visualization from static reporting formats.
- Thought Leadership: Continue to elevate the company as a top CPG partner and an objective Category first thought leader.
- Self-Development: Take ownership of self-development, proactively seeking continuous improvement, coaching, and development.
- Travel: Approximately 25% of the time.
### Education, Experience, & Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a related field.
- Experience: 8-10+ years in category management, sales, data analytics, and shopper insights.
- Technical Skills: Advanced knowledge of working with Panel/Numerator, shopper insights, customer data, Nielsen, and Circana, with proficiency in JDA/Apollo preferred. Proven advanced abilities to use Microsoft Suite of tools (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.) effectively.
- Stakeholder Understanding: Clear understanding of key stakeholders, both internally and externally, and what information motivates them to work effectively across teams and customers.
- Storytelling Skills: Strong storytelling skills and proven experience in building cohesive, actionable, and fact-based selling stories.
- Leadership & Integrity: Demonstrated history of a strong passion for winning, being a leader, and a dependable team member. Exhibit unwavering integrity, ethics, and the ability to maintain an objective point of view.
- Initiative & Accountability: Must be proactive, with personal responsibility and accountability for execution and results.
- Communication Skills: Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and listening skills.