Senior Manager, Category Capabilities

Job Location: ​Parsippany​

Company description

Ferrero is a family-owned company with a truly progressive and global outlook and iconic brands such as Nutella®, Tic Tac®, Ferrero Rocher®, Raffaello®, Kinder Bueno® and Kinder Surprise®. As the love for our brands continues to grow, so too does our global reach. Represented in more than 50 countries, with products sold in more than 170, the Ferrero Group is loved by generations around the world. The secret to our global success? 40,000  dedicated employees who celebrate care and quality to craft a business, careers and brands we are proud of. Join us, and you could be one of them.

About the Role:

With new innovations and exciting expansions plans in place, there has never been a better time to join the Ferrero Group and be extraordinary with us!

The Category Capability Sr. Manager will be responsible for developing the category management center of excellence to drive technical capabilities and standard processes for the category management team.  In this position you will also be responsible for developing the shelving and assortment strategy across all categories Ferrero participates in.  You will be instrumental in driving key selling initiatives and measure execution of space and assortment initiatives.

The position will be hybrid, based in our US headquarters in Parsippany, NJ and report to the VP of Category Management.

Main Responsibilities:

•    Develop and maintain the shelving and assortment strategy across all categories Ferrero participates in.
•    Demonstrate & leverage a strong understanding of space planning software/resources, such as JDA, VR Infinity, and Assortment tool to provide planogram recommendations and analyses across channels.
•    Develop and maintain the planogram database and reporting to support internal and field sales. 
•    Own the standardized space and assortment planning process for consulting with key customers
•    Own our planogram compliance process, integrating HQ and Field personnel into the space planning effort.  
•    Coordinate big data integration with category management data sources
•    Develop and maintain “Category to Customer” tools to enable the field category management team to customize national category growth strategies for their accounts
•    Coordinate category management technology needs with the commercial IT function
•    Maintain the category management training curriculum
•    Present executive presence and an ability to work & deliver materials across multiple levels within the organization, including the Chief Customer Officer.  
•    Meet with customers and act as Subject Matter Expert for key space planning initiatives.
•    Develop & manage direct report(s), finding the right balance of delegation & direct ownership of deliverables.  
•    Support innovation and seasonal efforts by providing category based data analysis and presentation materials.
•    Develop and maintain a positive, productive relationship with trade marketing, field sales, and brand team stakeholders.
•    Support a high achieving Category Management team capable of sustaining the company’s profitability, goals, and vision.
•    Take on a subject matter expert role for key data tools (i.e. assortment, IRI, loyalty data, etc.) to help assist other team members. 
•    Create, build, and deploy a pro-active, consultative engagement plan with Sales and Field Category teams to engage customers on checkout solutions that balance shopper convenience, operational efficiency, and sales conversion.
•    Build and maintain foundational knowledge of impulse conversion, retail design, shopping behavior, and other knowledge areas working with Impulse Marketing, CSU and External thought leaders. 

Developmental Opportunities: 

•    Interact with cross-functional team members from different departments and levels of the organization, gaining exposure, awareness of other functions, and experience collaborating.
•    Lead key projects and demonstrate entrepreneurial spirit as you help address category management opportunities.  Be responsible for launching & developing important resources that will be leveraged across the organization.    
•    Participate in Ferrero & CatMan specific trainings to sharpen your skills and prepare for advancement opportunities within the CatMan team.  
•    Formal and informal mentorships with stakeholders for Sales, Trade Marketing, Brand, and Consumer & Shopper Understanding.  Provides for multiple career mapping opportunities.  

Who we are looking for:

• 7 years relevant experience required, CPG Foods experience is preferred
• Bachelor’s degree in a business/marketing discipline required; MBA a plus
• Prior Category