Category Strategy Manager

Shankman & Associates • Kentwood, MI

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Category Strategy Manager is responsible for delivering customer, market, and consumer analytics and insights in support of Meijer and other assigned accounts. This role develops actionable recommendations that drive strategic goals and business results for Shankman and its clients. The Category Strategy Manager will lead analysis that builds a strong understanding of key categories and sub-categories, customer trends, shopper behavior, promotional effectiveness, and market dynamics. This individual will partner closely with Business Managers, clients, and retailers to support business reviews, presentations, assortment and distribution opportunities, promotional planning, and overall category strategy. This role may also provide day-to-day guidance, coaching, and oversight for one or more analysts or junior team members.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Finance, Business, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3+ years of experience in Category Management, insights, analytics, or related business analysis.
• Experience supporting grocery or mass retail accounts, with Meijer experience strongly preferred.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience working with retailer POS, shopper, and syndicated data platforms.
• Prior experience leading projects independently and managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to turn data into clear recommendations and business actions.
• Ability to work independently while maintaining strong attention to detail and effective time management.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, including the ability to explain complex information clearly to internal teams, clients, and customer contacts.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills with a strategic mindset.
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment and maintain professionalism in all interactions.
• Willingness to embrace change and identify opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Nice To Haves

• Power BI Experience is a plus.
• Experience with space planning and merchandising analytics is a plus.
• Previous people-management or informal team leadership experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Partner directly with Business Managers on assigned Meijer and grocery clients, maintaining regular communication with internal sales teams, clients, and retailer contacts.
• Help drive customer and category strategy using insights from POS, syndicated, shopper, and market data.
• Support efforts to strengthen Shankman’s category leadership position with assigned customers, including pursuit of Category Influencer opportunities where applicable.
• Conduct routine and seasonal category and client analyses and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Prepare for and participate in customer meetings, line reviews, business reviews, and client presentations.
• Analyze trends at the assigned customer, across the broader market, and within comparable Shankman client business to identify risks and opportunities.
• Deliver timely post-period and post-season analysis summarizing results, key learnings, and recommendations.
• Complete pre-review analysis to help shape client selling strategies and retailer recommendations.
• Lead seasonal reporting and event summaries, including key selling periods such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, Summer, Back-to-School, Halloween, and Holiday.
• Provide weekly or periodic performance tracking for participating clients during seasonal events and promotional windows.
• Monitor everyday business performance and communicate meaningful shifts in sales, distribution, pricing, or shopper behavior.
• Support the promotional planning process by evaluating retailer programs and recommending effective strategies for clients.
• Analyze promotional performance, including sales lift, margin impact, cost, and return on investment for both the retailer and the client.
• Assist in scenario planning and business forecasting by providing category, customer, and industry insights.
• Monitor inventory, distribution, and in-stock performance through gap analysis and related reporting.
• Partner with sales teams to address voids, distribution gaps, and other execution opportunities.
• Maintain data files and category resources for assigned business, including custom segmentations, distribution tracking, merchandising information, and planogram records where applicable.
• Develop compelling, data-driven selling stories using syndicated and retailer-specific data.
• Provide direction, coaching, and support to one or more analysts or junior team members, as assigned.
• Help prioritize workload, review analyses and presentations, and support development of team capabilities.
• Promote strong collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement across the team.
• Attend meetings with key clients and retailer contacts as needed.
• Occasional travel for customer meetings, client visits, and industry or national conferences may be required.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees