Category Strategy Manager - Cooking Aids + Mini Meals

Category Strategy Manager – Cooking Aids + Mini Meals

Work Level 2A 

Background & Purpose of the Job:
This position is responsible for driving the growth for Unilever’s Cooking Aids and Mini Meals categories, and its trade customers. This person interfaces with many key organizational functions (Brand, Category Management, Consumer & Shopper Insights, Sales, and Shopper Marketing) to design, facilitate and implement Category strategies, processes, and tools for field sales and our retail customers. This role will be responsible across all channels and reports into the Foods Category Strategy Lead.

Who You Are & What You’ll Do:

• Identify and understand industry, category, shopper, and consumer trends to proactively seek and recommend shopper-led solutions.
• Integrate Category Management and Shopper Insights information into customer business planning materials.
• Development of Category Management strategies providing insights and retail solutions, specifically addressing assortment and shelving.
• Own creation of Category Growth Strategy for the Cooking Aids and Mini Meals Category to drive future thinking and showcase thought leadership with our retailer partners.
• This is an internal and external facing role. Presenting national strategies and Category 101’s to retailers in addition to facilitating Win the Shelf (voice of the customer) with internal key stakeholders.
• Partners with our Category CMI team to own and create shelving recommendations and inputs to be used in numerous category and brand led tests + research.
• Have a transformative mindset to shape, drive and influence future shelf opportunities that drive Category growth across our top retail customers.

Challenges  

• Multi-faceted business challenges that require interaction with various groups across organization.
• Flexible mindset required to adapt to the nuances across retailers, channels, and key stakeholders.
• Ability to prioritize and manage both internal and field requests + workstreams.
• The ability to decompose a business situation and apply the appropriate category management tools to maximize business results.

What You Will Need To Succeed:

• Minimum of BA/BS degree, MBA a plus  
• Experience:  4-6 years consumer product goods industry exp. with background in Category Management 
• Minimum 2 Years of Customer Facing Experience and understanding of retailer merchandising dynamics in a Sales or Category role preferred. 
• Foods experience a plus 

Specialized Training:  

• Syndicated data sources, i.e., IRI, Numerator, (loyalty card data a plus)  
• Merchandising software, JDA Space Planning a plus 
• Adept at analyzing and utilizing Consumer/Shopper Insights in Category Management sales stories and Category Management strategies.

Competencies:  

Problem Solving:  

• ·       Strong analytical/data interpretation capabilities a must
• ·       Ability to identify and prioritize business critical and strategic initiatives.

Multi-Level Strategic Influencing:  

• ·       Excellent oral/written and presentation skills.
• ·       Demonstrated ability to influence through data led insights and actions.

Team Leadership:  

• Desire to work in a team environment and foster cross-functional support and learning. 
• Objective analytical power – makes accurate/objective assessments.
• Evaluates business situations and proposes well thought-out solutions
• Entrepreneurial approach to the business, taking ownership and leadership of business opportunities.

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