The Category Manager partners with the Director of Category Development to create consumer- and customer-focused strategies that drive category growth. This role uses data and insights from multiple sources to identify opportunities, develop recommendations, and support execution across national small format customers.
The ideal candidate combines strong analytical and communication skills with sound business judgment and experience in category management, assortment planning, pricing strategy, negotiation, sales, e-commerce merchandising, and cross-functional collaboration. They are skilled at building relationships, influencing stakeholders, and turning insights into action.
This role is also eligible to sit in the following locations: Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX
RESPONSIBILITIESAreas that play to your strengthsAll the responsibilities we'll trust you with:
- CATEGORY DEVELOPMENT
Develop and cultivate business relationships with external retailer contacts that establish RBNA as the indispensable partner for all category management needs.
Build comprehensive knowledge of the products, attributes, strategies, tactics, and competitive trends in the marketplace for assigned categories online and offline.
Oversee development and execution of online and offline assortment/merchandising optimization, new product introductions, seasonal programs, and pricing/promotional planning/evaluation.
Leverage data from multiple sources to create impactful analytics and selling stories to identify risks, opportunities, and performance gaps (ie. distribution, assortment mix, incrementally, size, shelving, placement).
Employ critical thinking and problem-solving skills to recognize and anticipate issues and opportunities by elevating analyses beyond reporting and translate insight into retail action
Work effectively with Sales, Marketing, Shopper Marketing, Shopper & Consumer Insights, Brand, eCommerce, and other Category Leadership resources to establish, lead and maintain performance management including the streamlining of reporting cadences, macro assessments and opportunity gap analysis
Guide execution of Red Bull Category Management resources to provide solutions that will establish strategic plans for assigned Customer Teams
Implement Category development programs by leading the dialogue with Retailers to focus on Category growth opportunities.
Facilitate the customer business planning process by integrating with overall strategic business goals.
Turn insights into actions by executing, analyzing, and evaluating Category plans and identifying key opportunities for Red Bull and our retailers to capitalize on.
Present Red Bull's Category credentials to key Retailers in a compelling manner - CATEGORY MANAGEMENT
Develop an unassailable level of Energy Category and broader beverage insights.
Provide leading edge Category Management solutions, utilizing and understanding IRI and Nielsen syndicated scanning data, Household Panel, market demographic data, customer point-of-sale, loyalty data, and systems used to generate the information for Category reviews.
Create, develop and deliver regular Category reviews, plans and strategies with Retailer partners.
Provide business analysis and insights of sales, pricing, opportunity gaps for incremental volume.
Manage Planogram creation and store level round table process for Retailers that are best-in-class for the Category. - ANALYSIS
Deliver analysis on new item introductions and performance analysis.
Provide new product/package mix analysis.
Develop analysis to highlight merchandising effectiveness, which includes display and promotion effectiveness.
Maintain and develop regular internal and Retailer specific scorecards and trackers.
Provide ad-hoc category management reporting, trend analysis, customized reports, and special project work directly to internal / external leaders as necessary.
Keeps abreast of developments and best practices in Category Management, pursue the knowledge needed to improve departmental capabilities and professional agility.
EXPERIENCEYour areas of knowledge and expertisethat matter most for this role:
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Management, Accounting, Data Analytics, or related field preferred.
- 3-5+ years of experience in consumer goods, retail, or syndicated data with a focus on category management, sales, business analytics and/or shopper insights.
- Experience understanding, utilizing, and employing syndicated data, customer card/POS data, and panel data to drive internal and external wins through sales and share growth (experience with data sources such as Nielsen, Circana, NPD, Numerator, 84.51, dunnhumby, SPINS, Stratum, Spectra/demographics, SPSOneScreen, Symphony Retail AI/EYC).
- Ability to distill complex data into simple stories.
- Demonstrated ability to build indispensable, collaborative partnerships with retail customers and internal business partners, across functional teams.
- Highly skilled in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word and PowerPoint).
- Exceptional communication skills - verbal, written & presentation.
- Strong planning/organizing skills; the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Working knowledge of retail merchandising and in store execution tactics.
- CPCM (Certified Professional Category Manager) and/or Master's degree preferred.
- Experience in Sales and/or analytical sales support and driving face to face dialogue and initiatives preferred.
- Additional experience managing relationships with third party agencies including brokers and data and insight providers preferred.
- Experience in beverages DSD is strongly preferred.
- Additional analytical experience and competencies (i.e. Tableau, Microsoft Access, PowerBI, ProSpace, SQL, VBA, Alteryx) preferred.
- Travel 40-50%
- Permanent
- Benefits eligible
WHERE YOU'LL BE BASEDDenverColorado, United StatesUnited StatesRed Bull North America
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