Category Advisor

Aquent; Bentonville (AR); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a skilled Category Advisor to support key retail customers with category development. This dynamic role involves leading category projects, providing valuable insights and analytics, and enhancing the shopping experience through effective space optimization. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in category development, excellent analytical skills, and proficiency in tools like JDA and MS Office. Join a forward-thinking team that values innovation and collaboration, and make a significant impact on the retail landscape across North America.

Qualifications

• 3+ years leading category development projects with strong analytical and communication skills.
• Proficient in JDA and MS Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Lead category projects and collaborate with retailers to optimize space-to-sales.
• Analyze data and recommend improvements for shoppers and customers.

Skills

Analytical Skills

Communication Skills

Project Management

Collaboration Skills

Influencing Skills

Database Skills

SQL Skills

Tools

JDA

MS Office

Tableau

Alteryx

Job description

Our top Energy client is looking for a Category Advisor who will have the responsibility to serve select key retail customers with category development support. This role will provide unbiased insights, analytics, and category reporting based on a variety of data sources. Primary focus is on regular customer reporting, ad hoc support, and serving as a major contributor to significant customer planning periods.

This is an onsite role based in Bentonville, AR working with retailers throughout North America.

Primary Job Functions:

1. Lead category projects from planogram refresh to redesigned overhaul.
2. Collaborate with and provide regular reporting for retailers to optimize space-to-sales, efficient assortment for current and adjacent categories. Create meaningful solutions that solve shopper’s needs to improve the buying experience.
3. Analyze, create, and recommend action and improvements for shoppers, customers, and internal stakeholders.
4. Strengthen category competency for the organization and influence processes for efficiency and effectiveness. Advance ways of thinking about the shopper journey, shopping decision trees, need states, barriers, and opportunities both internally and with customers. Participate in customer planning and contribute to customer presentations.
5. Support cross-functional partners with ad hoc needs while upholding the strictest integrity of confidential customer information.
6. Assigned retailer(s) across all North American retail channels.
7. Develop process, plan, and deliver key needs ranging from urgent to a 3-year horizon.
8. Lead shelf-reinvention and category management, contribute to customer presentations.
9. Leverage and integrate new forms of key in-store communication, education, and navigation.
10. Develop new processes that improve our go-to-market approach and Shopper Based Design initiatives.

Job Requirements:

1. 3+ years of recent experience leading category development projects.
2. Be a wizard with JDA or similar space planning software.
3. Analytical skills (trend, data, financial).
4. Strong preference for candidates that are effective and efficient with database and SQL skills.
5. Effective communication skills (in-person, written, presentation).
6. Project management and collaboration skills, direct customer interaction experience.
7. Experience influencing without authority.
8. Proficient in MS Office, preference for those particularly skilled with creating impactful Excel tools and PowerPoint communication.
9. Proficient with supplemental data resources including syndicated data (IRI, Nielsen, NPD) and customer point of sale data.

Preferred Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

1. Experience with a variety of categories and/or retailers.
2. Demonstrated resilience and ability to manage a complex workload.
3. Proficient with data visualization tools such as Tableau and Alteryx.

Compensation Range: $60 - 75/hr DOE

The range provided is our reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The actual amount may be higher or lower, based on factors such as experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, and location.