Director, Category Management

You may know McCormick as a leader in herbs, spices, seasonings, and condiments – and we’re only getting started. At McCormick, we’re always looking for new people to bring their unique flavor to our team.

McCormick employees – all 14,000 of us across the world – are what makes this company a great place to work.

 

We are looking to hire a Director, Category Management to join our team! This position will be based at McCormick's global headquarters in Hunt Valley, Maryland and will be eligible to participate in our hybrid work program (50% onsite, 50% remote per month). 

 

What We Bring To The Table:

The best people deserve the best rewards. In addition to the benefits you’d expect from a global leader (401k, health insurance, paid time off, etc.) we also offer:

• Competitive compensation

• Career growth opportunities

• Flexibility and Support for Diverse Life Stages and Choices

• Wellbeing programs including Physical, Mental and Financial wellness

• Tuition assistance
 

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Director, Category Management will serve as a strategic leader, leveraging analytics and category management principles to drive market penetration, profitable growth, and customer engagement. This role will use data-driven insights to shape merchandising, assortment, pricing, and shelving strategies, ensuring best practices and tools are in place to enhance category management and sales effectiveness. This leader will provide key recommendations to internal leadership, identifying growth opportunities, diagnosing declines, and driving category and brand success. Additionally, the Director will oversee the HQ Category Management team, leading a group of eight, including four direct reports, while also managing critical vendor relationships.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and implement category management strategies to optimize merchandising, assortment, pricing, and shelving.
• Provide analytical support and strategic insights for leadership across all categories within the portfolio.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Field Sales, Internal Sales, Marketing, and Insights, to drive category strategies and share market trends.
• Create and tailor compelling, data-driven selling stories to highlight key opportunities and mitigate risks using advanced analytical and category management frameworks.
• Lead the development and execution of category management initiatives to enhance sales performance and profitability.
• Partner with Marketing and Trade Marketing to define and refine long-term category strategies.
• Identify essential tools, insights, and resources to support category growth and team effectiveness.
• Manage and mentor a team of eight Category Managers and Analysts, fostering professional growth and development.
• Oversee budget management and vendor relationships to ensure optimal resource allocation and partnership success.

 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing, Management, or related field; MBA preferred
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant Category Management /Sales/Shopper Insights experience working in consumer goods company, including experience managing people
• Must be a self motivated strategic thinker with a bias for action and demonstrated skill leading and developing others
• Expertise in the Category Management process and proficient in syndicated and panel data (Circana, Nielsen, etc.)  as well as familiarity with pricing, promotion and assortment optimization software knowledge and experience working with customer POS data systems (Retail Link or Luminate)
• Excellent organizational/project management skills.  Ability to manage multiple priorities and create structure and process where it does not currently exist
• Strong analytic skills and demonstrated ability to translate insights into actionable business recommendations that delive