Category Analyst (CPG/Grocery)

Acosta Sales & Marketing; Mississauga; On-site; CAD 70,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading Canadian marketing firm is seeking a Category Analyst to uncover insights and drive growth for clients and retailers. This role requires strong analytical skills and experience in category management within the consumer goods sector. You will collaborate with internal and external teams to support strategic business objectives and develop effective presentations. The position is full-time and offers a salary range of $70,000 - $75,000.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in category management in Canadian consumer goods, preferably in food.
• Experience with Nielsen and retailer POS databases.
• Good analytical and critical thinking skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop relationships with assigned account contacts.
• Support sales teams with actionable market insights.
• Lead analyses to identify business opportunities.
• Present market updates and merchandising recommendations.

Skills

Strong presentation skills

High-level analytical capability

Ability to communicate clearly

Drive to meet stakeholder expectations

Problem-solving with a positive attitude

Education

Business Diploma or Bachelor's degree

Tools

Nielsen (Discover, Homescan)

Retail Link

Microsoft Office suite

Planogram management software

Job description

DESCRIPTION

Canadian CPG and/or Grocery experience is required

As a Category Analyst, you will deliver insightful and fact-based solutions to shape category strategies and identify opportunities, working collaboratively with cross-functional teams across the organization internally and externally.

Your role involves uncovering insights, market opportunities, and industry trends to support internal sales and client teams, accelerating both client and overall business growth.

Additionally, you will handle analytical ad-hoc deep-dive requests, providing recommendations to grow categories and Acosta’s business.

Part of your responsibilities will also include developing and analyzing planograms (POGs), offering recommendations, and providing space-related insights at both the account and market levels.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and cultivate effective relationships with assigned account contacts that establish Acosta as the indispensable partner for category management needs
• Support internal sales and external client teams with fact-based insights to achieve overall goals, strategies, and initiatives in identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the respective market and turn them into meaningful observations and solutions to drive category growth.
• Analyze data and act as a category expert to create insights-driven analyses by working collaboratively with key internal stakeholders from Sales ensuring internal strategic alignment on category recommendations and objectives.
• Lead analysis and leverage various data sources (ex. Nielsen Discover; Retailer data: Retail Link, LDIA, Dunnhumby, Circana, etc) to identify business opportunities, risks and performance gaps (Ex. Distribution, assortment mix, incrementality, shelving and placement)
• Accountable in presenting internally and externally providing market updates, trends to uncover insights and sales opportunities that will accelerate growth for clients, retailers, and Acosta using the 4 P’s.
• Analyze, prepare and present merchandising recommendations to key internal and external partners such as planograms;
• Support shelf presentation, assortment decisions, and promotional planning/pricing analysis.
• Assist with planogram delivery projects, including various reporting requirements in Excel.
• Employ critical thinking and problem-solving skills to recognize and anticipate issues and opportunities by elevating analyses beyond reporting and translating insight into retail action.
• Keep abreast of developments and best practices in Category Management, pursue the knowledge needed to improve departmental capabilities and professional agility.
• Communicate confidently (both orally and in writing) and adaptably at all levels (internal and external) to convey clear and concise messages.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with team members, internal partners, customers, and others through strong interpersonal skills.
• Utilize rigorous logic and methods to analyze and understand the root causes of problems.
• Coordinate with respective areas to resolve issues and develop processes to achieve shared goals.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Post-secondary education or equivalent work experience (Business Diploma or Bachelor's degree preferred).
• 3-5 years of experience in category management in Canadian consumer goods (CPG), preferably in the food industry.

TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY

• High proficiency with Nielsen (Discover, Homescan) and retailer POS/Loyalty databases (e.g., Retail Link, Circana, LDIA, Dunnhumby, Toolbox etc).
• Experience with planogram management software (JDA/Blue Yonder Space Planning) is an asset.
• Advanced knowledge and use of Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Strong presentation skills, capable of effectively presenting findings to both small and large audiences.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, adapting to the audience.
• High-level analytical capability, with the ability to assimilate and interpret data from various sources into actionable recommendations.
• Ability to shift priorities, demands, and timelines in a fast-paced environment with a cooperative attitude.
• Drive to meet the expectations and requirements of internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience working independently and in a team environment.
• Commitment to solving problems with a positive attitude.
• Solid knowledge of current Internet, Intranet, Extranet, and client-server architectures, including SharePoint.

COMPETENCIES

• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written;
• Excellent presentation skills in English (French is a nice to have)
• Good analytical and critical thinking;
• Attention to details;
• Independent, dynamic person with excellent teamwork skills;
• Excellent time management and priority-setting skills;
• Ability to work in a constantly changing, fast paced environment; while maintaining a positive and cooperative attitude.
• Aptitude to work in a collaborative, cross-departmental work environment;
• Build easily strong internal and external relationships;
• Ability to juggle with many sources of data and synthetize information into a selling story.

DISCLAIMER: Acosta/ Mosaic North America is an Equal Opportunity Employer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Mosaic reserves the right to modify all or part of any job descriptions at its discretion in order to meet and or exceed the needs of the business.

We are committed to providing accommodations for persons with disabilities. If you require accommodation, we will work with you to meet your needs, to the extent required by law

By submitting your application you agree with and accept the Acosta Privacy Statement and Terms of Conditions.

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ABOUT US

Acosta is a part of Acosta Group – a collective of the industry’s most trusted retail, marketing and foodservice agencies reimagining the way people connect with brands at every point in their shopping journey.

Specializing in retail sales services, digital strategy, and business intelligence, Acosta empowers brands to thrive in the world of omnichannel shopping. Our sales and digital teams build lasting relationships, ensuring our client brands get the space they deserve in stores and outperform the competition online, while our merch reps make brands shine in retail locations across the world.

But it’s not just about what we do – it’s about who we are. With a team of over 20,000 associates, we’re a community of forward-thinking, value-driven professionals committed to an unmatched level of trust and transparency in the industry. And, we understand the importance of work-life balance, which is why many of our field roles provide our associates with flexible scheduling options. Join us and be a part of a team that values growth and making a real impact for our clients, retail partners and their customers.

Acosta Group is an equal opportunity employer and will ensure that applicants with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact [e-mail]. Be sure to include "Applicant Accommodation" in the subject of your email to expedite the request.

Acosta Group believes in good faith that the minimum and maximum annual salary or hourly compensation range for this opportunity is accurate and reasonable at the time of posting.

By applying, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions of Use.
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Acosta, and its subsidiaries, is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Job Category: Administration

Position Type: Full time

Business Unit: Sales

Salary Range: $70,000.00 - $75,000.00

Company: Acosta Canada Corporation

Req ID: 6345

Employer Description: ACOSTA_EMP_DESC