Category Manager

McCain Foods; Oakbrook Terrace (IL); Hybrid; USD 81,600 - 108,900; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Retirement savings

Paid time off

Job summary

McCain Foods USA, Inc. in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois is seeking a Category Manager to drive category insights and strategy for the U.S. Retail business.

You will lead reviews, influence assortment decisions, and manage planogram execution, partnering with Tier 1 and Tier 2 retailers while collaborating with Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Supply Chain departments. Hybrid role with domestic travel around 25%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or related field.
• 3-5 years of progressive experience within Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), including category management, sales, marketing, or business management.
• 1-2 years of customer-facing experience supporting U.S. retail customers, ideally within Tier 1 or Tier 2 accounts.
• Strong analytical capabilities with experience supporting assortment, portfolio, consumer, and innovation decisions.
• Proven ability to work independently while influencing cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience using syndicated data sources such as Circana (IRI) or NielsenIQ.
• Familiarity with retailer databases and tools such as Walmart Scintilla and/or Kroger 84.51°.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Willingness to travel approximately 25% domestically.
• Ability to participate in product tastings that may include wheat, soy, dairy, and meat proteins.
• Current, unrestricted authorization to work in the United States.
• Experience with planogram and space management tools such as JDA or Nexgen.
• Experience within the food manufacturing or food retail industry.
• Category management experience supporting multiple product categories in a CPG environment.

Responsibilities

• Build trusted partnerships with key retail customers and establish yourself as a category thought leader.
• Lead quarterly category reviews, translating syndicated, shopper, and retailer data into actionable recommendations.
• Develop and present assortment, shelving, merchandising, and promotional strategies tailored to customer needs.
• Own planogram development, optimization, and execution for assigned retail accounts.
• Identify category growth opportunities and unmet consumer needs, providing input into innovation and product development.
• Support portfolio management initiatives, including SKU optimization, product renovations, and discontinuation strategies.
• Create persuasive category and retailer-focused selling stories that support new product launches and business growth.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, R&D, Culinary, and Innovation teams.
• Contribute to annual operating plans, joint business planning processes, and pricing strategy development.

Skills

Category management

Data analysis

Presentation skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic thinking

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Marketing

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

JDA

Nexgen

Circana (IRI)

NielsenIQ

Job description

Position Title: Category Manager

Position Type: Regular - Full-Time

Requisition ID: 43513

About The Role

As a Category Manager, you'll serve as the analytical engine and trusted category expert behind McCain's U.S. Retail business. Reporting to the Senior Category Manager, you'll partner directly with key Tier 1 and Tier 2 retail customers, delivering category insights and recommendations that drive growth for both our customers and McCain.

About The Role

As a Category Manager, you'll serve as the analytical engine and trusted category expert behind McCain's U.S. Retail business. Reporting to the Senior Category Manager, you'll partner directly with key Tier 1 and Tier 2 retail customers, delivering category insights and recommendations that drive growth for both our customers and McCain. In this highly visible role, you'll lead category reviews, influence assortment and shelving decisions, manage planogram execution, and help shape broader category strategies that inform innovation, commercialization, and portfolio management. You'll connect data, consumer insights, and market trends to create compelling selling stories and business solutions that strengthen McCain’s position in the marketplace. This is a hybrid role based in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.

What you’ll be doing

• Build trusted partnerships with key retail customers and establish yourself as a category thought leader.
• Lead quarterly category reviews, translating syndicated, shopper, and retailer data into actionable recommendations.
• Develop and present assortment, shelving, merchandising, and promotional strategies tailored to customer needs.
• Own planogram development, optimization, and execution for assigned retail accounts.
• Identify category growth opportunities and unmet consumer needs, providing input into innovation and product development.
• Support portfolio management initiatives, including SKU optimization, product renovations, and discontinuation strategies.
• Create persuasive category and retailer-focused selling stories that support new product launches and business growth.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, R&D, Culinary, and Innovation teams.
• Contribute to annual operating plans, joint business planning processes, and pricing strategy development.

What you’ll need to be successful

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field.
• 3-5 years of progressive experience within Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), including category management, sales, marketing, or business management.
• 1-2 years of customer-facing experience supporting U.S. retail customers, ideally within Tier 1 or Tier 2 accounts.
• Strong analytical capabilities with experience supporting assortment, portfolio, consumer, and innovation decisions.
• Proven ability to work independently while influencing cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience using syndicated data sources such as Circana (IRI) or NielsenIQ.
• Familiarity with retailer databases and tools such as Walmart Scintilla and/or Kroger 84.51°.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Willingness to travel approximately 25% domestically.
• Ability to participate in product tastings that may include wheat, soy, dairy, and meat proteins.
• Current, unrestricted authorization to work in the United States.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within the food manufacturing or food retail industry.
• Category management experience supporting multiple product categories in a CPG environment.
• Experience with planogram and space management tools such as JDA or Nexgen.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives in a matrixed organization.

Leadership principles

At McCain, our leadership principles guide how we engage with customers, collaborate as a team, and achieve success. We focus on understanding customer needs, driving innovation, empowering people, and taking ownership to clear obstacles and deliver results.

The McCain experience

We are McCain. This statement is a testament to our collective strength and our individual value. Your contributions play a vital role in our success. Our winning culture is rooted in authenticity and trust, empowering us to bring out the best in one another. Here, you’ll find opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Join us and experience why we’re better together.

Our purpose is grounded in building meaningful relationships. We’re big believers in the power of working together in person—it helps us stay connected, collaborate more effectively, and grow as a team. At the same time, we recognize the importance of flexibility. Most office-based roles follow a hybrid model, with the option to work remotely two days a week. There may be exceptions depending on the role and location, so we encourage you to speak with your recruiter for more details.

Compensation Package

$81,600.00 - $108,900.00 . USD annually + Bonus eligibility

The above reflects the target compensation range for the position at the time of posting. Hiring compensation will be determined based on experience, skill set, education and training, and other organizational needs. This posting is for an existing vacancy.

Benefits

At McCain, we’re on a mission to create a winning culture that puts employee safety and well-being at the heart of what we do, every day. We understand and appreciate that each person’s needs are unique and ensure our benefits & well-being programs reflect that. Employees are eligible for the following benefits: health coverage (medical, dental, vision, prescription drug), retirement savings benefits, and leave support including medical, family and bereavement. Well-being programs include vacation and holidays, company-supported volunteering time, and mental health resources. Coverages are aligned with applicable law and can vary by work level, location, and nature of the role. Additional benefit detail available during the application process.

Your well-being matters to us, and we’re here to provide you with the necessary resources to support you in being your best self at work — and at home.

McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. As a global family-owned company, we strive to be the employer of choice in the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that inclusion drives our creativity, resilience, and success and makes our business stronger. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

McCain is an accessible employer. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials or accessible meeting rooms), please let us know and we will work with you to find appropriate solutions.

Your privacy is important to us. By submitting personal data or information to us, you agree this will be handled in accordance with McCain’s Global Privacy Policy and Global Employee Privacy Policy, as applicable. McCain leverages AI in the hiring process, though all final decisions are made by humans. You can understand our approach to AI and how your personal information is being handled here.

Job Family: Sales

Location(s): US - United States of America : Illinois : Oakbrook Terrace

Company: McCain Foods USA, Inc.