Manager, Category Leadership - Walmart Inc. (Sales Facing)

J.M. Smucker; Bentonville (AR); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Walmart Inc. in Bentonville seeks a Manager, Category Leadership to drive category growth with Walmart and Sam's Club. You will lead category growth drivers, develop tailored retailer strategies, and partner with sales to inform JBP, QBRs, and annual planning.

The role requires 6+ years in CPG, strong analytics, storytelling, and cross-functional collaboration. Travel up to 20-25% and a Bachelor's degree; MBA preferred. Hybrid work with at least two days on site.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA preferred.
• 6+ years in Consumer-Packaged Goods industry.
• 3+ years Category Management or Shopper Insights experience.
• Proven ability to build relationships with retailers.
• Strong analytical, storytelling and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of customer specific Category Growth Drivers and content.
• Own shelving, assortment and cross-functional price/promo work.
• Provide insights to inform JBP, line reviews and annual planning.
• Develop customer ready stories and data driven recommendations.
• Collaborate with category strategy and sales to drive activations at retail.
• Participate in retailer meetings and present insights clearly.

Skills

Category Management

Shopper Insights

Data storytelling

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic selling

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA

Tools

Circana

Nielsen data

POS data

Scintilla

Atlas

Job description

Manager, Category Leadership - Walmart Inc. (Sales Facing)

Location: Bentonville, AR

Work Arrangements: Hybrid - onsite a minimum of 2 days per week

SUMMARY

The primary responsibility of this position is to build trust and influence with Walmart and Sam's retailers and support Smucker's sales teams to drive our brand penetration, growth and development across designated categories and JMS Brand activation. Leads customized development of category specific retailer growth opportunities and diagnostics relative to insight driven activations against the retailer, shopper, and category dynamics. Supports sales with insights to inform JBP's, line reviews and customer annual sales planning delivering category and JMS growth opportunity identification and execution. Go-to category expert, responsible for providing in-depth category, retail, consumer and shopper expertise in support of our sales initiatives. Liaison back to HQ category leadership/strategy team.

In this role you will:

Customer Category Management

• Leads development and delivery of Customer specific Category Growth Drivers - strategy, initiatives and customized content of compelling category strategies and stories
• Leads 4P tactical solutions for assigned customers and categories, specifically owning shelving and assortment and partnering with cross functional teams on price/promo
• Provides thought leadership to elevate Smucker's voice and influence with Walmart & SAM'S
• Leads Category first approach in Customer Category Reviews and Assessments as well as Top to Top, JBP, QBR engagement meetings with key customers and internal stakeholders
• Influence retailer category strategies through account-specific insights, business analysis, and clear recommendations related to distribution, promotion, pricing, and shelf placement.
• Build customer ready stories, visuals and tools that enable high quality selling conversations supported by insights and data driven recommendations.
• Anchor planning and execution in facts and performance, tracking results, promo/innovation effectiveness, and surfacing risks and opportunities.
• Identifies opportunities and risks for category and JMS, with bias for action
• Leverages all available data and customized content against consumer, shopper and category insights to create and deliver fact-based strategic selling resulting in implementation & activation at retail
• Supports and drives omni activation and integration into all category deliverables, workstreams
• Appropriately collaborates with category advisor teams, while partnering with sales to drive the business
• Understands the competitive marketplace in which JMS and customers operate
• Communicates insights and learnings both internally and externally to a wide variety of audiences
• Provides category and key customer business analytics
• Actively participates in retailer meetings
• Collaborates and influences across the various SBAs

Internal Business Support Management

• Partner with Sales, Marketing, Insights, Intelligence, Category Strategy, and other functional teams to identify business opportunities and translate insights into execution.
• Expert on all customer business analytics and resources (Circana, panel, scintilla, etc)
• Identifies requirements for tool development and data support systems to increase visibility and application of key category insights
• Acts as a liaison back to the JMS HQ Category Leadership team

Customer Business Plan Development, Review & Activation

• Provides input into customer long-term business strategy

What we are looking for:

• Bachelor's degree
• 6+ years in Consumer-Packaged Goods industry
• 3+ years Category Management or Shopper Insights experience
• Proven success in building relationships within customers / retailers
• Experience in analysis of shopper / consumer-based CPG information
• Strong analytical skills, problem solving, and storytelling experience
• Cross functional collaboration, especially customer and sales centric
• Excellent organization and written / verbal communication skills
• Proficient in leveraging Circana or Nielsen data, POS and panel data, shopper card, Scintilla, Atlas
• Planogramming/Planogram software experience (Ex. JDA ProSpace, EZPOG)
• Ability to develop and translate insights into actions with excellent story telling with data skills
• Strategic mindset to help build and execute effective plans
• Business & Financial Acumen
• Travel requirements: up to 20-25%

Additional skills and experience that we think would make someone successful in this role (not required):

• MBA
• Experience working cross functionally in a Headquarter environment

The Right Place for You

We are bold, kind, strive to do the right thing, we play to win, and we believe in a strong community that thrives together. Our culture is rooted in our Basic Beliefs , and we believe in supporting every employee by meeting their physical, emotional, and financial needs.

We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for emplo