Category Manager

''•Oakbrook Terrace, IL

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Category Manager is a key member of McCain’s North America Go-To-Market (GTM) team and serves as a trusted category partner for internal and external customers. This role blends strategic thinking with strong execution, transforming data and market insights into compelling category stories and actionable business recommendations. The Category Manager plays a critical role in shaping channel and customer strategies that drive positive category outcomes, strengthen customer partnerships, and deliver disproportionate growth for McCain.

Requirements

University degree required
Minimum of 5 years of progressive commercial experience
Experience working within a global organization
Strong commercial acumen, including data analysis, planning, forecasting, and performance tracking
Proven ability to translate data and insights into clear, compelling business recommendations
Demonstrated ability to influence across all levels of a matrix organization
Entrepreneurial mindset with a hands-on, problem-solving approach
Strong storytelling, communication, and presentation skills
High level of resilience, adaptability, and comfort navigating ambiguity
Performance-driven with a strong sense of urgency and accountability
Alignment with McCain’s values, leadership principles, and culture of humility

Nice To Haves

food industry experience strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Provide category leadership and insight to inform McCain’s annual operating plan, commercial strategy, and channel plans across North America
Develop and adapt standard category reporting to proactively identify opportunities, support QBRs, and inform portfolio, innovation, and gap analysis from a GTM lens
Partner closely with GTM channel leaders and cross-functional customer teams to shape the category components of Joint Business Plans and Customer Growth Plans
Translate channel strategies into customer-specific executional plans that support listings, distribution, assortment, pricing, promotions, space, and layout decisions
Own the development, implementation, and tracking of category execution plans that enhance customer engagement and fuel sustainable commercial growth
Collaborate with channel leads, culinary, and sales analytics teams to deliver differentiated category solutions that grow the business and the category
Monitor and evaluate sales execution performance at the category, channel, and North America levels to support target setting and planning
Deliver value-added commercial insights and analysis to support management decision-making and in-market execution
Ensure adherence to commercial controls, processes, and governance to enable consistent and coordinated sales execution
Share category performance results, insights, and action plans with channel managers, channel leads, and sales partners