Manager, Sales Planning & Category Insights

Manager, Sales Planning & Category Insights            The Category Manager plays an important role in supporting the growth of the brand through data-driven insights, category analytics, and compelling storytelling. This individual will analyze consumer, shopper, retailer, and syndicated data to identify opportunities, develop actionable recommendations, and support customer and business initiatives.The ideal candidate is intellectually curious, highly analytical, and capable of transforming complex data into clear and compelling stories. Success in this role requires strong analytical rigor, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate insights that help drive decision-making across sales, marketing, and leadership teams.While experience in grocery category management is preferred, we welcome candidates from a variety of analytical and commercial backgrounds who have a passion for using data to solve business challenges. Key ResponsibilitiesAnalytics & Insights·      Analyze retailer, consumer, shopper, and syndicated data to identify trends, opportunities, and performance drivers. ·      Evaluate assortment, pricing, promotion, distribution, and merchandising performance to generate actionable insights. ·      Monitor competitive activity, category trends, and shopper behavior to support business planning and decision-making. ·      Identify opportunities and potential risks through ongoing analysis of category and brand performance.Storytelling & Recommendations·      Translate complex data into concise, compelling, and actionable business stories. ·      Support development of presentations, reports, and insights that support customer meetings, internal business reviews, and strategic planning efforts. ·      Collaborate with manager to synthesize multiple data sources into clear recommendations for sales, marketing, and leadership teams. ·      Tailor communications to effectively engage a variety of audiences, from analytical teams to executive stakeholders.Category & Brand Support·      Support category and customer initiatives through fact-based analysis and strategic recommendations. ·      Assist in the development of category reviews, customer presentations, and selling stories. ·      Contribute insights that help inform assortment, merchandising, promotion, and innovation opportunities. ·      Provide analytical support for key business priorities and growth initiatives.Cross-Functional CollaborationPartner closely with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, and other internal teams to support business objectives.Serve as a resource for category, shopper, and marketplace insights across the organization.Collaborate on projects that strengthen category understanding and drive informed business decisions. QualificationsRequiredBachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Statistics, Analytics, or a related field.3-5+ years of experience in category management, shopper insights, consumer insights, sales analytics, retail analytics, market research, revenue growth management, or related commercial functions.Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and identify meaningful business opportunities.Strong presentation, storytelling, and communication skills.Experience using syndicated data and analytics platforms such as Circana (Unify+), NielsenIQ, retailer POS data, or similar tools.Advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.PreferredExperience supporting grocery, food, beverage, or consumer packaged goods categories.Experience developing customer-facing presentations and selling stories.MBA or advanced degree.