Senior Manager, Data & Technology Business Partner – Category Management

Mars • Chicago, IL

5d • $119,040 - $163,680 • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Data & Technology Business Partner serves as the strategic bridge between regional commercial business teams and Data & Technology teams, partnering with Category Leadership, Sales Strategy, and Analytics to develop a technology and data roadmap. The role supports sustainable retail growth, shopper activation, and data-driven decision-making.

As a trusted advisor and champion of commercial digital transformation, this position identifies opportunities to apply advanced analytics, AI, digital capabilities, and modern technology platforms. Areas of focus include planogram and assortment optimization, shopper marketing campaign effectiveness, and automation of legacy reporting.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Information Technology, Data Analytics, or a related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in Technology Business Partnership, Business Relationship Management, Product Management, or Category Management.
• Strong practical understanding of Category Management, Shopper Marketing, and Retail Analytics processes, including assortment planning and space/shelf analytics.
• Ability to translate complex business priorities and raw retail challenges into structured technology and data roadmaps.
• Outstanding communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Track record of influencing cross-functional leaders without direct authority.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) sector or partnering directly with major retail category leads.
• Familiarity with syndicated data platforms such as Circana (IRI), Nielsen, Numerator, or retailer-specific data portals.
• Exposure to Customer Data Platforms (CDP), CRM, Marketing Technology, or advanced AI/ML commercial use cases.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary Data & Technology liaison for Category Management, cultivate trusted relationships, and align data priorities with long-term commercial goals.
• Improve category management capabilities by implementing modern tools for assortment analysis, space and shelf optimization, and market intelligence.
• Manage demand intake, build business cases, secure strategic funding, and coordinate with Product Owners and Agile Engineering teams to keep delivery on track.
• Champion self-service reporting and shape regional AI and predictive analytics use cases.
• Partner with data teams to safeguard data quality and accessibility.
• Lead cross-functional alignment and drive business readiness, training, and change management to support return on investment and adoption of technology investments.

Benefits

• Industry-competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
• Variable pay.
• Medical and dental benefits.
• Participation in a 401k plan.
• Paid time off benefits.
• Learning and development support from day one, including access to Mars University.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior