Director, Business Development & Insights

The primary responsibilities of the Director of Business development and Insights are to will lead cross functional teams in the development of a category management strategy and category leadership stories focusing on driving overall category growth. Leveraging syndicated and retailer data, shopper and consumer insights, category and industry trends, the CM will develop comprehensive category strategies enabling greater sell-thru and category share gains. This information will be utilized among the Customer Sales and Executive Teams to ensure cohesive messaging and execution. Based remotely, this role requires collaborating and partnering with cross-functional teams to drive strategic long-term sustainable growth.

Subject Matter Expert on Consumer and Category Knowledge

• Understand customer sustainable packaging insights, category purchase drivers, retailer category patterns, and industry consumer trends to liaise with Customer Marketing, Sales Managers, and PMO on portfolio forecast and NPI executional strategies
• Participate in Customer meetings as the credible packaging, industry and category opportunity expert
• Participate in share groups and various industry events for insight into industry trends and future opportunities
• Provide insight and perspective of the various channel dynamics across a variety of CPG categories
• Form perspective on multi-channel purchasing behaviors (i.e. Omnichannel, with specific focus on food & beverage, consumer electronics, and other FMCG.)
• Lead shopper insights work to close research gaps in understanding shopper behavior
• Ability to synthesize large amounts of data (e.g. Shopper Research, POS, Loyalty card information, registry, etc.) into actionable insights
• Utilize knowledge of shopper and consumer to recommend optimal contract portfolio assortment Customer targets, NPI adjacencies, etc.
• Lead optimal assortment work with outside vendors and make SKU optimization recommendations internally and with Customer Teams
• Liaison with Cleveland Avenue to marry category & consumer insights to brand narrative
• Partner with marketing to create brand roadmap and consumer/ customer focused communications

Strategic Insights through Reporting and Data Analytics

• Partner with key customers to secure and translate complex data metrics and analytics into valuable strategic insights driving strategic planning, NPI decisions, an internal resourcing
• Works with Director of Business Development & Insights to generate quarterly shipments vs category/ industry review/reporting to guide forecast management, new business, and NPI opportunities
• Identifies sales opportunities that exist within specific platforms, national retailers and foodservice providers, and all other regional customer bases and markets, building data to support sales growth
• Develops & deploys corporate initiatives and budget process relative to volume/ consumption.
• Analysis across a wide variety of category business issues and make fact-based recommendations

Business Insights Analysis of New Product Strategy/ Launch

• Serve as sales team departmental voice on the development of launch strategy
• Serve as customer voice in product development meetings
• Works with sales team to complete forecast tools.
• Participate in the development of new item launch and develop sales collateral
• Create category selling solutions for our customers
• Recommend any new product innovation needs to penetrate new channels/customers

Team Leadership

• Lead a team of sales, category. Consumer insights and business development associates
• Own the coaching, professional development, motivation, and retention of (2) Footprint team members

Requirements

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Demonstrated knowledge of Category Management philosophies, tools, processes and proven record of success, Category Management Certification, a plus
• Strong familiarity with syndicated data, measures, and software (i.e. Mintel, Nielsen, IRI, Consumer panel, Spectra, ECRM, or Market Track, etc.) and space management principles and software (i.e. JDA, Prospace, Spaceman, etc.)
• Knowledge of key retail sales portals (Walmart, Kroger, Target, Albertson's, etc.)
• Proven record of accomplishment of roles in data management interpretations, customer level sales strategy development, and effective presentation skills
• Ability to work independently with the minimum supervision to accomplish Company goals
• Must have previous related experience in data analysis
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft