Category Analyst Seasons

The Hershey Company•Bentonville, AR

About The Position

The Category Analyst supports customer strategy and category growth initiatives by transforming data into actionable insights and helping teams make informed business decisions. The role builds expertise in category management, shopper insights, and commercial strategy while partnering with Sales, Category Management, and cross-functional teams to support growth for Hershey and its customers. Working under the guidance of experienced category leaders, the analyst contributes to analyses, reporting, presentations, and strategic recommendations that support customer planning and execution. The position provides an opportunity to build a foundation in category management and learn how consumer, shopper, customer, and marketplace insights inform commercial strategies. The role is a future opportunity, with relocation openness based on future business needs and Bentonville, Arkansas identified as a priority location.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required.
1–3 years of experience in Category Management, Consumer Insights, Analytics, Sales Strategy, Revenue Growth Management, Shopper Insights, or a related commercial function.
Strong analytical skills and understanding of consumer and shopper behavior, market research methodologies, and data-driven decision-making.
Knowledge of category management principles, consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry trends, and retail environments.
Experience with syndicated data, reporting tools, dashboards, and business analytics.
Ability to translate insights into compelling business recommendations and selling stories.
Strong communication, problem-solving, and project management skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Proven ability to identify opportunities and recommend solutions that drive category and business growth.

Nice To Haves

Customer-facing experience and ability to collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
Degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Statistics, Data Analytics, Consumer Insights, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Gather, validate, and prepare syndicated, customer, and internal data for recurring reporting, category reviews, and business analyses.
Perform standard analyses to identify category trends, growth opportunities, competitive dynamics, and marketplace insights.
Apply customer segmentation frameworks and category management principles to support planning, targeting, assortment decisions, and strategic recommendations.
Develop charts, dashboards, presentations, and business summaries that translate data into actionable insights for customers and cross-functional partners.
Support category growth stories and fact-based selling recommendations to drive profitable growth across total store and category.
Collaborate with Sales, Category Management, Shopper Insights, Customer Strategy, and Marketing teams to uncover insights and develop action plans.
Support improvements to customer-facing reports, engagement materials, and category tools by identifying opportunities to improve usability, effectiveness, and business impact.
Review analyses and presentations for alignment with approved commercial positioning, category strategies, and customer priorities.
Use category management tools, syndicated data, reporting platforms, and space management resources to support strategic recommendations and retail solutions.
Monitor key business metrics and communicate findings, opportunities, and risks to cross-functional stakeholders.
Leverage data and insights as a consultative partner to identify category opportunities and support customer growth initiatives.
Contribute to the development and execution of category strategies supporting annual and long-term business planning objectives.