Sr. Category Intelligence Manager - Seasonal & Front End

Mars•Minneapolis, MN

7d•$134,400 - $184,800•Hybrid

About The Position

As the Senior Category Manager, Category Intelligence (Seasonal & Front End), you will be the driving force behind the Seasonal and Front End Category Strategy and thought leadership for Mars Snacking. In this highly visible role, you will blend strategic vision, analytical rigor, and compelling storytelling to influence key cross-functional partners and retail customers across the Mars Snacking ecosystem. Working with some of the world's most iconic brands, you will lead and optimize category management strategies by directing collaborative projects with key retail partners. By translating deep shopper insights and market trends into cost-effective, demand-driving solutions, you will directly influence how millions of shoppers experience Mars products at the most critical decision points of their retail journey.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required (preferably in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics, or a quantitative field); MBA or advanced degree is a plus
5–8 years of FMCG/consumer products experience with a strong background in category management and shopper insight expertise.
Proficiency with key data sources (such as Nielsen, IRI/Circana, Shopper Panel, and Numerator) to drive analytical rigor.
Proven ability to translate complex insights into impactful, actionable category, shopper, and customer solutions.
Strong strategic storytelling and influencing skills to develop compelling, insight‑led category selling stories and operationalize seasonal insights with retail partners and internal teams.
High learning agility and a collaborative mindset to partner closely with One Demand teams (Seasonal Marketing and Customer Marketing) to drive shared insights.
Ability to navigate ambiguity, challenge the status quo, and execute solutions in a fast‑moving environment.
Inspirational leadership style with a proven track record of driving business transformation and thought leadership.

Nice To Haves

Experience in Sales, Customer Marketing, or specialized Shopper Insights.

Responsibilities

Serve as the key business partner for Seasonal and IC Brand teams, providing deep expertise on shelving, innovation, and category insights.
Co-lead the shopper research learning agenda with Customer & Shopper Insights (CSI), transforming insights into actionable selling stories and activation platforms (VR studies, Purchase Decision Trees, etc.).
Develop insights-driven Seasonal and Front End growth principles (aisle flow, layout, blocking) to maximize shopper experience and category potential through retailer execution.
Shape the "now-next-future" vision for Seasonal and Front End strategy, delivering industry-leading ideas and establishing test & learn partnerships with key retailers.
Partner closely with Marketing, Customer Marketing, Human Intelligence, Shopper Insights, and Sales to provide category expertise to address both internal and external business opportunities.
Analyze category, shopper, and channel trends to identify new growth opportunities and translate them into customer activation platforms.
Craft compelling narratives and visualizations (e.g., Most Common Planograms) to empower field teams and influence customer decisions.