Director, Category Leadership

Job Description

​​​The Director of Category Leadership is a strategic and transformational leader with superior leadership skills and a passion for lifelong learning. The Director reports directly to the Head of Category Leadership and leads a large team of Associate Directors, Leads, Sr. Advisors, and Advisors, serving as a coach to empower team to reach their maximum potential. The Director sets the 3 Year Category Leadership Strategy guided by shopper insights, customer strategies and KHC initiatives.

The Director will play an inspirational and strategic role on a range of transformational initiatives and create innovative solutions to complex business issues that significantly impact category performance. The Director can lead team to effectively leverage big data to harness unique shopper insights that propel category growth long term. The Director achieves their business objectives by being a thought leader to our customers, coaching the team to deliver outstanding category stewardship, challenging the status quo, streamlining operations, strategically selling through unique insights in a captivating manner and delivering KPIs: Sales, Profit, Market Share and Perfect Path 2 Purchase Distribution, Shelf, and Innovation. The Director’s ultimate success is defined by their ability transform Category Leadership’s strategic impact and inspire their people to transform, develop and grow, which is a unique balance to strike. ​ 

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Essential Functions & Responsibilities  

Strategic Collaboration 

• Establishes trust and rapport with key customers SVPs/VPs to ensure we are their indispensable partner of choice for all their total store needs; meets on a consistent basis to discuss ideating, scoping and partnering on strategic projects  

• Creates and implements breakthrough customer strategies to accelerate market share gains and profitable growth for our customers and KHC, anchored in shopper insights 

• Identifies and proactively shares whitespace opportunities for category growth  

• Leads major customer engagements including customer strategy alignment, transformational JVPs and is a thought partner whom secures new customer engagements that build resilient categories for the future 

• Accomplishes business objectives through understanding of customer goals, strategies, capabilities, organizational structure, and the channels in which they operate 

• Serves as a thought leadership and strategic advisor to the Area Vice President  

• Plays a proactive role in the Area leadership team, helping to define the 3 year strategy and execute on the 1 year plan 

• Elevates impact of Category Leadership with Area Leadership Team, and Cross Functional Partners including but not limited to, Business Unit, Customer Business Development and Insights Team 

Superior Leadership 

• Takes a Leader as Coach approach to managing large team to achieve their full potential and deliver business results; Intentionally develops team members, creating an environment where all careers grow according to our talents’ ambitions and capabilities, which is achieved through courageous conversations and authentic connection with our people at an individual level 

• Leads Team Engagement progress YoY to be on par or better with the industry benchmark 

• Plays leadership role with Customer Development Organization to drive best practice sharing and serves as a culture cultivator 

• Partners externally with strategic partners to propel people’s learning and growth, find innovative ways to drive category growth and live into our value of continuous improvement 

• Proactively builds future talent pipeline, internally and externally, as we aspire to be a talent magnet for KHC  

• Serves as a strategic advisor to the Customer Business Team's on category, brand, and customer market performance to maximize category growth opportunities 

• Operates as a thought leadership partner to identify opportunities and risks, and can build offensive and defensive plans  

• Effectively facilitates cross functional partners to win in retail with the Perfect Path 2 Purchase KPI comprised of Distribution, Shelf and Innovation  

Data & Technology Strategy and Capabilities  

• Leads Data and Technology Strategy in conjunction with Global Data Excellence partners  

• Maximize usage of current data capabilities to create a competitive advantage for category growth, rooted in deep shopper insights  

• Lean into learner for life mentality to ensure Category Leadership LT is informed on the upcoming/latest new technologies that can advance KHC and our categories  

• Manages Market Research budget for retail