Associate Category Manager - Retail Sales

Sartori Cheese Brand•Plymouth, WI

16d•Remote

About The Position

The Associate Category Manager is a highly collaborative role that supports and influences cross-functional teams. The position develops and executes category strategies and trade marketing plans to drive growth, enhance market share, and maximize profitability. It owns the narrative for customer meetings and coaches the sales team, using market trends, category performance, and trade activities to optimize performance and strengthen Sartori’s position as a category leader in Specialty Cheese. The role partners with sales representatives and retail customer category management or merchant teams, analyzes market and consumer information, and turns data into recommendations for assortment, pricing, shelving, and promotional strategies. It also builds dashboards and delivers insights related to brands, categories, shoppers, and trade marketing. The Associate Category Manager collaborates with sales, marketing, supply chain, finance, retailers, and distributors, and advocates for using AI and emerging technologies to improve category management, trade marketing, growth, and efficiency. The role is primarily remote, with onsite presence required at Sartori’s Pleasant View location in Plymouth, Wisconsin, based on business needs. Remote work must be performed within Wisconsin or another approved state under company policy. Periodic travel of up to 35% is required to Sartori facilities and customer or vendor sites. The position is primarily performed in an office or administrative environment, generally with quiet to moderate noise levels. It has no direct reports.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Business Analytics, Economics, Finance, Food Marketing, or a related field.
At least 2 years of experience in Category Management, Trade Marketing, or a similar role within the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry.
Expert-level retail data analytics and visualization skills using Scan, Panel, and other data sources.
Experience presenting to internal teams and retail customer teams.
Valid driver’s license, proof of insurance, and reliable transportation for work-related travel.
Ability to perform the described essential functions, with reasonable accommodation where applicable.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA).

Responsibilities

Partner with sales representatives to establish Sartori’s position as a category leader within Specialty Cheese.
Analyze market trends, consumer insights, and the competitive landscape to identify category growth opportunities.
Build and communicate selling narratives aligned with overall business objectives.
Develop relationships with retail customer category management or merchant teams.
Establish, track, and communicate category performance metrics, adjusting strategies as needed.
Synthesize syndicated and proprietary data, including IRI, Nielsen, Numerator, 84.51, and POS data, to recommend assortment optimization, pricing architecture, and shelving solutions that maximize brand and category performance.
Support the Director of Sales Strategy in evaluating and optimizing trade promotions and recommending improvements.
Guide the annual promotional planning process with the sales team.
Design, track, and optimize omnichannel trade initiatives that improve brand visibility and deliver positive ROI.
Use analysis tools to interpret sales data and develop actionable strategies and tactics.
Build dashboards and own delivery of insights related to brand, category, shopper, and trade marketing.
Provide leadership with actionable insights based on data findings.
Collaborate with sales, marketing, supply chain, and finance to connect work to company objectives.
Coordinate with external partners, including retailers and distributors, to optimize product placement and promotions.
Build understanding of other departments, their roles, and processes to support the broader organization with ideas and fact-based narratives.
Use AI and emerging technologies to transform category management and trade marketing approaches.
Promote a growth mindset and continually seek ways to integrate, measure, and refine new tools and approaches to drive sustainable growth and efficiency.
Travel periodically to Sartori facilities and customer or vendor sites, up to 35%.