Category Manager (Food)

Cesna Recruitment; Buena Park (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Cesna Recruitment is seeking a seasoned Category/Brand Manager to steer category strategies for PBFRM across US, Canada, and Europe, spanning Club, Retail, and Food Service channels. The role drives multi-year roadmaps, category messaging, pricing, and strategic planning with a strong emphasis on profitability.

The candidate will lead NPD efforts from conception to execution, manage P&L by channel, and collaborate with Sales, SCM, R&D, and Operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in Marketing/Advertising/Business Administration; MBA is a plus.
• 10+ years in brand or product innovation marketing (CPG) preferably in food industry; 5+ years in Marketing CM/similar level.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for short term and long-term category strategies for PBFRM in US and global markets in Canada and Europe across all channels Club, Retail, and Food Services.
• Maintain a strategic multi-year plan and roadmap to support category growth and profitability targets and deliver compelling product/category messaging and positioning.
• Manage products by closely monitoring and analyzing sales volumes, market share trends and competitive activities and based on consumer and product knowledge and insight.
• Collaborate with cross functional stakeholders in Sales, SCM, R&D, Operations for product innovation roadmap, planning, commercial and distribution strategies, and any potential product issues.
• Lead the development of annual marketing plan for the categories, through deep consumer insights including consumer needs, buying preferences, and macro trends. Partner closely with stakeholders to drive results.
• Set and manage P&L targets by channels.
• Lead the development process of new products (NPD) and imports from HQ from conception through execution, including pricing, positioning, regulatory labeling, and packaging.
• Work collaboratively with cross-functional depts, including SCM, Operations, R&D, to ensure the infrastructure is enabled to support the development process and overall product/category strategy.
• Continually monitor and report on the market landscape using competitive analysis and consumer insights to inform product decisions.
• Manage product lifecycle including product improvements and SKU rationalization.
• Develop new product marketing plan and develop strategies to communicate with consumers.
• Develop and maintain a dashboard of metrics to understand category performance (e.g., volume, profit); build data-driven narratives for Sales team for successful sales achievement.
• Determine the consumer research and data needed and conduct marketing research; track market and competitive trends to remain abreast of category developments.
• Support in developing annual marketing budget for the category and deliver marketing activities within the budget.
• Support in leading the quarterly business reviews to present to the leadership team.
• Oversee one direct report.

Skills

Category strategy

P&L management

Cross-functional leadership

Market research

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing/Advertising/Business Administration

MBA (plus)

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

MS Office

Job description

[Job Description]

Responsible for short term and long-term category strategies for PBFRM in US and global markets in Canada and Europe across all channels Club, Retail, and Food Services.

Maintain a strategic multi-year plan and roadmap to support category growth and profitability targets and deliver compelling product/category messaging and positioning.

Manage products by closely monitoring and analyzing sales volumes, market share trends and competitive activities and based on consumer and product knowledge and insight.

Collaborate with cross functional stakeholders in Sales, SCM, R&D, Operations for product innovation roadmap, planning, commercial and distribution strategies, and any potential product issues.

Lead the development of annual marketing plan for the categories, through deep consumer insights including consumer needs, buying preferences, and macro trends. Partner closely with stakeholders to drive results.

Set and manage P&L targets by channels.

Lead the development process of new products (NPD) and imports from HQ from conception through execution, including pricing, positioning, regulatory labeling, and packaging.

Work collaboratively with cross-functional depts, including SCM, Operations, R&D, to ensure the infrastructure is enabled to support the development process and overall product/category strategy.

Continually monitor and report on the market landscape using competitive analysis and consumer insights to inform product decisions.

Manage product lifecycle including product improvements and SKU rationalization.

Develop new product marketing plan and develop strategies to communicate with consumers.

Develop and maintain a dashboard of metrics to understand category performance (e.g., volume, profit); build data-driven narratives for Sales team for successful sales achievement.

Determine the consumer research and data needed and conduct marketing research; track market and competitive trends to remain abreast of category developments.

Support in developing annual marketing budget for the category and deliver marketing activities within the budget.

Support in leading the quarterly business reviews to present to the leadership team.

Oversee one direct report.

Bachelor’s Degree required, preferably in Marketing, Advertising or Business Administration. MBA is a plus.

Passion for food is a must!

10+ years of relevant work experience in brand or product innovation marketing (CPG experience required) preferably in food industry. 5+ years in Marketing CM/similar level.

Strong P&L knowledge

Strong proficiency in MS Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint, including experience with IRI, Nielsen, and Spins.

Excellent verbal, written communication skills and presentation skills.

Ability to accomplish tasks in a timely manner and meet deadlines.

Ability to travel.

Bilingual in Korean required