Director, Category Leadership

Jobtailor; Orrville (OH); On-site; USD 180,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

The J.M. Smucker Company is seeking a high-impact Senior Category Leader to drive growth across the Pet portfolio via data-driven insights and retailer collaboration.

You will translate category strategy into retailer-specific growth plans, influence executive decisions, and lead a team to deliver first-in-class category leadership. This role requires executive presence and a strong track record of strategic execution.

Qualifications

• Requires a bachelor's degree and 10+ years in CPG with strategy and leadership experience.
• Proven ability to drive category growth, insights, and retailer partnerships.
• Executive presence with the ability to influence senior leaders and cross-functional partners.

Responsibilities

• Shape and advance category leadership capabilities to deliver growth and performance.
• Set strategic vision for growth through data, insights, and shopper activation.
• Develop and steward category strategies for assortment, shelf space, and investments.
• Lead development of national narratives and retailer-specific growth plans.
• Convert category strategy into executive-level stories and strategic initiatives.
• Coach and develop a high-performing Category Leadership team.

Skills

Category Leadership

Team Leadership

Strategic Vision

Executive Communication

Executive Presence

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Shape and advance Smuckers Category Leadership capabilities to deliver SBA growth, strengthen customer partnerships, and elevate commercial performance across the Pet portfolio
Set the strategic vision for unlocking category growth through data, insights, and shopper activation
Develop and steward current and long-range category strategies covering assortment, shelf space, aisle vision, and investment choices
Leverage consumer, shopper, retailer, and marketplace intelligence
Influence annual sales planning, revenue growth management, NRO, innovation, long-range planning, brand planning, insight priorities, and budget decisions
Translate and synthesize insights into enterprise-level category growth strategies and priorities
Define customer and channel opportunities that strengthen joint business plans and long-term growth agendas
Establish the Category Leadership vision, plan, and roadmap
Lead development and deployment of national category narratives and customized customer growth plans
Convert category strategy into retailer-specific growth agendas, executive-level stories, and strategic initiatives
Prioritize and activate retailer opportunities to advance joint business plans and sustainable category growth
Shape retailer category strategies through account-specific insights, executive influence, and commercial recommendations
Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing Category Leadership team
Create growth opportunities that build leadership depth, succession readiness, and team capabilities
Provide feedback, strategic direction, and coaching to accelerate performance and team effectiveness
Partner with SBA leaders to drive unified Category Leadership strategy and aligned enterprise ways of working
Strengthen connectivity between field sales, strategy, insights, and portfolio priorities
Influence Insights priorities and budgets for capabilities, data, and analytics supporting category growth
Define, scale, and embed Category Leadership best practices
Monitor category trends, systems, capabilities, retailer needs, and marketplace dynamics
Build future-state organizational capabilities, leadership competencies, and experiences
Model Director-level expectations through enterprise thinking, proactive ownership, decisive leadership, and direction-setting

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• 10+ years of relevant experience in the CPG industry
• 5+ years of shopper insights or category management experience
• Proven experience leading teams of five or more direct reports
• Track record of setting vision, building capability, and inspiring teams to execute with excellence
• Ability to envision future-state teams, processes, capabilities, and customer relationships
• Executive presence and resonant leadership
• Ability to engage, inspire, and lead inclusively while creating clarity, confidence, and accountability
• Strong ability to communicate, present, influence, and align senior leaders, cross-functional partners, executive stakeholders, and C-level audiences
• Highly self-directed leadership, judgment, agility, and ownership
• Ability to lead through change, manage competing enterprise priorities, and deliver results
• Exceptional executive communication skills
• Strong business acumen and rigorous attention to detail
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the work schedule

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in Category Leadership, strategic vision development, and team management within the CPG industry. Proven ability to leverage insights and data to drive category growth and enhance customer partnerships.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Category Management
• Shopper Insights
• Team Leadership
• Strategic Vision Development
• Executive Communication

Hard Skills

• Category Strategy Development
• Data Analysis
• Revenue Growth Management
• Budget Management
• Market Intelligence

Soft Skills

• Influencing
• Coaching
• Agility
• Ownership
• Communication

Certifications & Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree

Industry Keywords

• CPG Industry
• Retailer Strategies
• Joint Business Plans
• Category Leadership Best Practices
• Consumer Insights