Category Manager

Job Overview:

The Category Manager drives category growth and strengthens partnerships with key retail customers by leveraging shopper, consumer, and syndicated data to identify opportunities that increase sales, distribution, and assortment performance. Working closely with Sales, Marketing, Insights, and customers, this role translates market trends and business performance into actionable strategies and recommendations. The ideal candidate is a collaborative, analytical, and results-driven professional who influences decision-making through insights and category expertise.

Responsibilities:

Category Leadership & Customer Development

• Develop and execute category growth strategies for assigned customers and channels
• Provide category expertise and insights to support customer business reviews, line reviews, assortment decisions, and merchandising initiatives
• Partner with Sales teams to identify and capture revenue and profit opportunities. Build trusted relationships with retail customers, brokers, and cross-functional business partners
• Serve as the category thought leader for fruit snacks, confectionery, and adjacent snacking categories

Analytics & Insights

• Leverage syndicated data sources, retailer POS, shopper insights, and internal sales data to identify actionable opportunities
• Analyze sales performance, market trends, consumer behavior, and competitive activity to develop strategic recommendations
• Conduct assortment, distribution, pricing, shelving, and promotional analyses
• Identify whitespace opportunities through gap analyses and category assessments
• Translate complex data into concise, compelling business recommendations.

Strategic Planning

• Develop annual category and customer situation assessments to support strategic planning and brand growth initiatives
• Create customer-specific category playbooks highlighting assortment opportunities, merchandising recommendations, placement strategies, and promotional best practices
• Partner with Marketing and Insights teams to integrate consumer and shopper learnings into category strategies
• Support innovation launches through category sizing, placement recommendations, and retailer sell-in materials.

Presentation & Communication

• Develop and deliver impactful presentations communicating trends, O&Rs and reco’s for internal leadership, sales teams, brokers, and retail customers
• Lead category reviews, business reviews, and insight-based selling presentations

Cross Function Collaboration

• Work closely with Sales, Marketing, Revenue Growth Management, Supply Chain, and Consumer Insights teams to align priorities and drive execution

Work Site:

• The PIM Brands Global Headquarters in Park Ridge, New Jersey
• The role can be based anywhere in the U.S. and requires the ability to travel 25%.
• Summer Fridays between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Statistics, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in Category Management, Sales Analytics, Consumer Insights, Shopper Marketing, Marketing, or related CPG disciplines
• Experience supporting retail customers within the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry
• Demonstrated success using data and insights to influence business decisions and drive category growth
• Strong expertise with syndicated data platforms, including NielsenIQ, Circana (IRI), and/or 84.51°
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including complex formulas, pivot tables, and data analysis
• Exceptional PowerPoint and presentation development capabilities
• Familiarity with planogram software and space management tools preferred
• Knowledge of Power BI, Tableau, or other business intelligence tools is a plus
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to synthesize large amounts of data into meaningful insights and strategic recommendations
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills
• Strong business acumen with an understanding of consumer and retail dynamics
• Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment
• Self-motivated with a strong bias for action and results
• Collaborative team player with exceptional interpersonal skills.