Category Analyst

First Quality • Bentonville, AR

1d • Remote

About The Position

The Category and Shopper Insights Analyst plays a key role on the Analytics Team, where you’ll own foundational report production, data preparation, validation, and recurring analytics work. This role helps the team go beyond “what happened” in the data to also explore the “why” from a shopper perspective — uncovering trends in behavior, category performance, and opportunities that support First Quality’s growth. You’ll gain hands-on experience with syndicated data, retailer POS reporting, and advanced analytics tools while contributing to real business impact through ad-hoc analysis, performance reviews, assortment/line review support, and cross-functional collaboration with Sales and Marketing.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required in Business Administration, Marketing, Analytics, Statistics, Economics, Data Science, or a related quantitative field.
• 1-3 years of professional experience (internships or co-ops in analytics, category management, retail, CPG, or market research preferred).
• Strong academic record with demonstrated analytical and quantitative skills through coursework or projects.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, core formulas, charts).
• Comfort working with large data sets from multiple sources, including cleaning, standardizing, and combining data to ensure accuracy and consistency.
• Strong attention to detail, analytical mindset, and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to present data clearly and build compelling stories by linking insights to business context.
• Good written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain findings to non-technical stakeholders.
• Self-starter who takes initiative, works well independently, and proactively seeks solutions with minimal oversight.
• Collaborative team player who is eager to learn and contribute to cross-functional success.
• Genuine interest in consumer-packaged goods (CPG), retail dynamics, shopper behavior, and data-driven decision making.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with syndicated retail data platforms (e.g., Circana/Nielsen).
• Familiarity with data visualization tools such as Power BI or Tableau.
• Experience creating and delivering PowerPoint presentations.
• Exposure to more advanced Excel capabilities (e.g., data modeling, macros).

Responsibilities

• Own the creation, production, and maintenance of recurring reports, including monthly Category Performance Scorecards, weekly retailer reports, and feature/promo trackers.
• Perform data preparation, validation, and reconciliation to ensure high accuracy and consistency in systems and deliverables.
• Support ad-hoc data and analysis requests to deliver timely insights for Sales and Marketing.
• Conduct basic analysis and dig into data to help answer not just “what happened,” but the “why” from a shopper perspective — identifying trends, behaviors, and opportunities that drive category growth.
• Support promotion performance reviews, assortment/line reviews, and innovation initiatives with accurate data and preliminary insights.
• Contribute to standardizing reporting and analytics processes across business units and retailers to enable more consistent, holistic insights and faster delivery.
• Help document processes and best practices to improve efficiency and team knowledge sharing.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing teams to provide reliable data support for customer meetings, category reviews, and strategic initiatives.
• Assist with tool adoption (including advanced analytics platforms) to help the team maximize their capabilities.
• Contribute to scalable analytics as the business expands through innovation, new retail partnerships, and new growth areas.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities
• Paid time off (three-week minimum)
• Medical, dental and vision starting day one
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid parental leave
• Child and family care assistance (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $2500)
• Bundle of joy benefit (years’ worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)
• Tuition assistance
• Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level