Senior Manager Category Management

Bimbo Bakeries USA•Cincinnati, OH

11h

About The Position

The Senior Manager of Category Management for Kroger Assortment is the subject matter expert on shelf/assortment management and analytics on our Kroger business. This job plays a critical role in BBU’s broader Customer Sales Team and will proactively influence how BBU Wins at the Shelf. The Senior Manager is grounded in and makes recommendations from insights that identify opportunities in the best interest of the category. This role is part of a dynamic and diverse cross functional team working to increase the utility of various category management tools through training, establishing processes, and sharing of best practices. Ultimately, this role exists to create short- and long-term value to Kroger and BBU.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Sales, Marketing or Business related field.
10+ years of customer facing experience in the CPG industry and Category Management.
Strong problem solving and analytical skills.
Proven experience converting data into logical, actionable strategies.
Effective written and verbal communication skills.
Comfortable presenting to Customers and Senior Executives.
Highly motivated self-starter with strong project management skills, capable of multi-tasking in a matrix organization.
Thorough understanding of POS and Panel data, and experience with retailer shopper card data sets.
Experience managing people, including the creation of individualized development plans and defining accountabilities.
Strong working knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite of products, i.e. Excel and PowerPoint, and of space management software, i.e. JDA or Apollo.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.
Grocery and Mass channel experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

Proactively identify and lead category management initiatives that drive category growth while increasing BBU’s sales/share and profits. This should include interpreting shopper and category insights, optimizing product assortment, evaluating product placement, and proposing solutions to improve overall category performance.
Category Management expert and advisor to leadership and the cCustomer Sales team. Influence decisions makers by reviewing and analyzing shelf space opportunities, as well as current business trends and category performance within the market and industry.
Responsible for leading and delivering all space management projects and activities, including Kroger’s Kompass process and any internal space management initiatives.
Proactively communicating and working with Customer Sales Team, Brands, Business Units, and RGM on assortment opportunities, including void closures, at risk items, innovation, and core assortment
Build and maintain long-term relationships with Kroger assortment lead and PLM. Leverage insights and recommend action plans by developing persuasive fact-based sales presentations that leverage customer, industry, market, and competitive information
Maintain frequent and fluid communication with internal and external stake holders regarding projects, insights, and/or opportunities, for self and for the team.
Other duties as assigned.