Category Manager, Walmart

Readerlink Distribution Services•Oak Brook, IL

1d•$110,000 - $127,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Category Manager, Walmart drives category growth and strengthens our competitive position with our largest retail customer. You'll build strategic partnerships with Walmart merchant teams, translating complex data into compelling insights that influence merchandising, assortment, pricing, space allocation, and promotional strategies. This role offers significant visibility and impact, positioning category management as a competitive advantage while elevating our reputation for best-in-class analytics.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Analytics, Marketing, Finance, or related discipline is required.
Minimum five (5) years of category management, shopper insights, or business analytics experience in CPG or retail; previous Walmart or top-tier mass merchant experience is required.
Advanced proficiency with the Circana syndicated data platform; advanced Excel (formulas, pivot tables, data modeling) and PowerPoint (executive-level presentations) is required.
Ability to translate complex data into compelling stories that influence customer buying decisions; excellent communication skills with VP/C-level presentation experience is required.
Strong to advanced experience in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook is required.
Passion for books and the book category.
Strategic thinker with tactical execution skills; strong project management and ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities.
Creative problem-solver who thrives on challenges; proactive, highly organized, curious, and collaborative with strong time management.
Passion for books and the book category.
Team oriented with a "can do" attitude; comfortable with change, ambiguity, and continuous learning.
Ability to connect dots across data sources, drill down to root causes, and manage multiple priorities with different deadlines.
Must have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
Ability to speak with all levels of the organization and outside partners.
Ability to communicate complicated information to others.
Must be proficient in basic mathematics: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Ability to do algebra, calculate figures and amounts and apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
A methodical and organized approach to problem-solving.
Must be able to work in a fast-paced, team environment.
Willingness to travel up to 20%.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Business Analytics, Marketing, Finance, or related discipline is preferred.
Minimum seven (7) years of experience as a category manager is preferred.
Proficiency in Scintilla as a power user capable of designing research agendas and extracting actionable insights is preferred.
Working knowledge of category management technology: SQL proficiency; Power BI, Tableau, etc. experience; Blue Yonder Space Planning software is preferred.
CMA/SIMA certification is preferred.
Minimum one (1) year of experience in web analytics, consumer research methodology, and Numerator/Kantar household panel data is preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead comprehensive category analysis leveraging Scintilla, Circana, and Walmart's proprietary data platforms to uncover growth opportunities and competitive threats across book categories.
Drive retailer sales growth by delivering actionable insights that directly influence Walmart's merchandising, assortment, pricing, and promotional strategies.
Build strategic partnerships with Walmart merchant teams, serving as their trusted category advisor for Line Reviews, QBRs, and strategic planning sessions. Act as the analytic liaison to the customer.
Deliver best-in-class dashboards tracking sales, market share, and business initiative impact; conduct deep-dive analyses on shopper behavior and basket patterns using household panel data. Perform ad hoc analysis with large data sets to call out and present key actionable insights.
Develop strategic planogram recommendations and lead assortment analyses combining merchandising theory, space-to-sales data, and category best practices.
Partner with .Com, Sales, Marketing, and Advanced Analytics teams to align category strategies with business objectives and support omnichannel growth.
Collaborate with the advanced analytics team to provide Retailer with Industry sales forecasts.
Conduct market research surveys and provide thought leadership to internal stakeholders on long-term category development strategies.
Other duties may be assigned, directed, or requested.