Director, Category Space

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 115,000 - 173,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k Match

Medical, Dental and Vision Plans

PTO & Paid Holidays

Pet Insurance

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

Red Bull North America, Inc. is seeking a Director of Category Space to lead space planning, assortment, and space strategy for major accounts.

This role designs planograms, drives insights, and coordinates with merchandising teams to strengthen Red Bull’s leadership in the category. You will lead Category Space Manager(s) and Analyst(s), guiding strategic projects and building strong relationships with internal teams and retail partners to unlock growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Space Planning, Category Management, or related field.
• Proven leadership of high-performing teams across multiple priorities.
• Experience with syndicated data sources (Nielsen/Circana/PDI).
• Strong analytical, presentation, teaching, and influencing skills.
• Proficiency with Excel and PowerPoint; knowledge of Blue Yonder preferred.
• Familiarity with Snowflake, SQL, Python, and Power BI is a plus.
• Bachelor’s Degree strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and influence space planning strategy across accounts.
• Oversee planogram development, reset management, and analysis.
• Develop tools and reporting to improve communication and opportunities.
• Translate insights into actionable category recommendations.
• Lead and develop Category Space Manager(s) and Analyst(s).

Skills

Space Planning

Category Management

Merchandising Strategy

Leadership

Analytical Thinking

Excel

PowerPoint

Power BI

SQL

Python

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Blue Yonder space planning software

Snowflake

SQL

Python

Power BI

Excel

Job description

This role can sit out of the following locations: Chicago, IL, Dallas, TX, Atlanta, GA, Charlotte, NC

The Director of Category Space is responsible for leading Red Bull’s planogram, assortment, and micro/macro space strategy for assigned customer accounts. This role designs and influences space planning methodologies that strengthen Red Bull’s leadership position in the category and provide both Red Bull and its retail partners with actionable insights that drive best-in-class merchandising and assortment decisions. The Director will directly manage Category Space Manager(s) and Category Space Analyst(s) supporting retail partners, planogram development, reporting, and insight generation.

Job Description

SPACE AND CATEGORY EXPERTISE

Lead and influence space planning strategy across assigned customer accounts to ensure fair share representation of category and brand space.

Oversee reset process management, planogram development and analysis, reporting, and clustering capabilities that support internal teams and retail partners.

Advance the development, standardization, and rollout of Category Space and Assortment tools and reporting to improve planogram communication, identify merchandising and assortment opportunities, and drive process efficiency.

Translate shopper, category, and customer insights into actionable strategies that bring Red Bull’s merchandising principles to life.

LEADERSHIP AND TEAM DEVELOPMENT

Lead, coach, and develop a team of Category Space Manager(s) and Category Space Analyst(s), ensuring clear accountability, career growth, and strong execution across priorities.

Provide ongoing guidance, workflow clarity, and resources that enable the team to manage high-volume internal and external demands effectively.

Build team capability in analytical thinking, merchandising strategy, selling, and influencing to deliver thought-leading insights for customer account growth.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND PLANNING

Partner directly with Category Development and Key Accounts teams during business planning to establish a continuous cycle of planning, discovery, analysis, and insight sharing that supports Red Bull growth opportunities.

Build and manage strong relationships with buying and merchandising leaders across assigned customer accounts through consistent, insight-led conversations and mutually beneficial retail recommendations.

Plan and communicate resource commitments with key internal stakeholders, ensuring alignment on customer prioritization, successful delivery against retailer commitments, and flexibility to address emerging opportunities.

Qualifications

Bring 10+ years of experience in Space Planning, Category Management, CPG, beverage, or a related industry, with demonstrated expertise influencing category and merchandising strategy.

Lead, coach, and develop high-performing teams while balancing multiple priorities, stakeholder needs, and high-volume workstreams.

Manage complex projects independently, delegate effectively, and create clear plans that support successful execution across internal teams and retail partners.

Translate complex data and insights into clear, actionable recommendations through strong analytical, communication, presentation, teaching, and influencing skills.

Apply deep knowledge of syndicated data sources, including Nielsen, Circana, and/or PDI, to inform customer strategies and category recommendations.

Leverage Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint, to build compelling analyses, presentations, and business recommendations; experience with Blue Yonder space planning software preferred.

Apply familiarity with Snowflake, SQL, Python, and Power BI to strengthen reporting, automation, and insight-generation capabilities preferred.

Bring an innovative, solution-oriented mindset with strong problem-solving and strategic thinking skills.

Build strong working relationships with internal sales teams and customer account partners to influence decisions and drive initiatives forward.

Bachelor’s Degree strongly preferred.

Additional Information

This position is open to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or individuals who are currently authorized to work in the United States on a valid visa.

The base salary range for this position is$115,200 - 172,800 + cash incentives. Actual salary offers may vary based on work experience. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified.

Our current Benefits include:

Comprehensive Medical, Dental and Vision Plans, 401k Match, Family Leave, PTO & Paid Holiday Schedule, Pet, Legal, and Life Insurance, Tuition Reimbursement (Benefits listed may vary depending on the nature of your employment and/or work location)

Red Bull North America, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, or any other classification protected by Federal, state, or local law. We will consider for employment all qualified Applicants, including those with Criminal Histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.