Director of Category Development - Southern California based - Global CPG
The Director of Category Development will ensure that we are seen as the thought leader both externally building selling opportunities with our retail partners, and internally building the business planning process with our category and account management teams.
Managing a team of category development personnel, we are looking for a strategic thinker who can inspire the team to develop diverse business insights and connect the dots to develop holistic approach to lead with data.
Other focal points will include:
Providing insights into new item development insuring launches are consistent with Retailers needs and expectations.
Ownership of all data – syndicated, customer, consumer and the relationships and budgets associated with ensuring we are at the forefront of fact-based selling.
Sales analytics and business intelligence. Understanding our performance and trends in the marketplace.
Understand and leverage full spectrum of data analysis, consumer and category insights, assortment, and merchandising recommendations using category management principles to exceed targets.
This role is based as a hybrid position at our North LA County office location. 2-3 days in the office.
Responsibilities:
Working with the Brand Marketing team and Field Sales and sales strategy, integrate Category Management Principles and Consumer/Shopper Insights to achieve consistent sales growth, share targets, and profitable category/aisle growth strategy.
Lead, mentor, manage and develop the Category Management team
Evaluate and plan assortment selections to the Customer by providing fact based category insights and shelf recommendations within key categories
Marketing research knowledge: extensive use of research methodologies and industry resources (IRI, Retailer loyalty programs, (84.51, Dunnhumby) to track, analyze, and evaluate internal and external business (channel and consumer) trends and offer actionable insights to achieve category/aisle business growth goals
Incorporate fact-based consumer and shopper insights to provide recommendations related to the segments in which we compete or expect to compete
Analyze new item sales to track performance against objectives
Analyze account specific POS or available syndicated data and provide relevant recommendations to achieve share of shelf, market share, merchandising flow, and promotional objectives
Support and provide thought leadership to achieve share of shelf targets and succeed in points of distribution negotiations
Evaluate current category management strategies on assigned businesses.
Provide visionary leadership to identify business opportunities/solutions for short and long term business decisions by continually develop consumer and category insights
Provide category, segment, consumer, and product intelligence to marketing team through retail visits/in-market knowledge of specific customer, as well as competition
Collaborate with HQ Marketing Teams to ensure new items are developed with category, customer and shopper insights
Identify essential management level partners within their customer accounts and establish relationships through Insights led conversations, driving mutually beneficial decisions at retail
Other duties as assigned
Qualifications:
· Required experience: 10+ years CPG relevant experience, Category Manager or Analytics, internal or field based
· We are seeking candidates with highly developed skills in the following areas; presentation, interpersonal, negotiation, sales, people management, time management and project management
· Proficient with Microsoft Office, advanced skills with Excel and PowerPoint
· Ability to analyze, interpret, and organize information from syndicated data sources to develop meaningful insights with solution recommendations
· Technical skill set including Shipment and Consumption analytics experience, Knowledge of syndicated data (Nielsen and/or IRI) and shopper data (IRI Panel, Numerator and retailer loyalty data such as 84.51 and Dunnhumby
· Prior Experience with Consumer Insights and other Primary Research,
· Solid understanding of category and customer management, and Working knowledge of retail operations to help make strategies come alive at retail