Sales Operations & Category Insights Manager

Flagstone Foods; Minneapolis (MN); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Flagstone Foods is seeking a Sales Operations & Category Insights Manager in Minneapolis, MN. You will optimize analytics, tools, and processes to drive profitable growth across private label and national brands.

Lead dashboards, forecasting, and cross‑functional collaboration with Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Supply Chain to improve commercial performance. You will translate data into actionable insights, support RFPs, and guide category strategy within a fast‑paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, or related field; MBA preferred.
• 4+ years in category management, sales operations, merchandising, business analytics, or related commercial function.
• Experience managing private label and national brand portfolios.
• Strong analytical and financial skills including P&L, margin, forecasting, budgeting.
• Expertise with syndicated data (Nielsen/Circana/IRI).
• Advanced Excel and BI tools (Power BI or Tableau).
• Experience with Salesforce and improving data quality and adoption.
• Proven success with RFPs, cross-functional projects, vendor relationships, and customer-facing initiatives.
• Excellent communication and executive-level relationship skills.
• Ability to translate data and market insights into commercial strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead scalable sales processes, workflows, tools, and best practices.
• Identify inefficiencies and implement improvements to increase productivity.
• Support end-to-end RFP process with cross-functional input.
• Establish and maintain dashboards and reporting with key metrics.
• Monitor pipeline health, conversion, and forecast accuracy.
• Collaborate with Sales leadership to improve CRM usage and data integrity.
• Develop forecasts for category sales, margins, and volumes.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives for new product launches and pricing.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Financial acumen

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Presentation skills

Negotiation

Strategic thinking

Project leadership

Team leadership

CRM (Salesforce) usage

Education

Bachelor’s degree; MBA preferred

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

Excel

Salesforce

Nielsen data / Circana / IRI

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Sales Operations & Category Insights Manager

Full Time First/Mid Level Mgrs Minneapolis, MN, US

6 days ago Requisition ID: 1780

Flagstone Foods:

At Flagstone Foods, we believe appreciation grows goodness. It lives at the heart of our work, and is our main ingredient, woven into everything we do for our customers, our teammates, and the communities we call home.

We’re one of North America’s largest manufacturers of snack nuts, trail mixes, and dried fruits, with plants in Robersonville, NC and El Paso, TX. Our teams keep our lines running, our food safe, and our quality high.

And we’re growing.

We’re looking for creative, thoughtful, and entrepreneurial people who want to make a meaningful impact and grow with us. If you share our passion for goodness, collaboration, and doing things the right way, you just might find your home at Flagstone Foods.

POSITION: Sales Operations & Category Insights Manager

REPORTS TO: VP of Sales

Position Summary

The Sales Operations and Category Insights Manager is responsible for optimizing the processes, analytics, and tools that enable the sales organization to drive profitable growth. This role owns the end-to-end category analytics across private label and national brand portfolios, while providing the sales organization with the insights, systems, forecasting, and processes required to improve commercial performance.

Essential Functions

• Lead the development and implementation of scalable sales processes, workflows, tools, and best practices.
• Identify inefficiencies across the sales process and implement improvements that increase sales productivity and effectiveness.
• Support the end-to-end Request for Proposal (RFP) process, including coordinating cross-functional input, developing proposal content, ensuring compliance with submission requirements, and delivering high-quality responses within established deadlines.
• Establish and maintain sales performance dashboards and reporting systems that provide visibility into key commercial metrics.
• Monitor pipeline health, conversion rates, sales productivity, customer performance, and other leading indicators to identify opportunities and risks.
• Partner with Sales leadership to improve CRM utilization, data integrity, reporting, and adoption of standardized processes.
• Evaluate and implement technology and tools that improve sales effectiveness and decision‑making.
• Support the development of category sales, margin, and volume forecasts incorporating market trends, seasonality, promotional calendars, customer activity, and new item launches.
• Facilitate sales pipeline management processes and ensure forecast accuracy.
• Partner with Finance on annual budgeting and monthly/quarterly forecast reviews, providing category‑level assumptions and risk and opportunity assessments.
• Analyze sales and financial performance to identify variances, trends, and corrective actions.
• Develop and maintain dashboards and reporting tools that measure category, customer, and sales performance.
• Analyze POS, syndicated market data, sales performance, pipeline activity, and other business intelligence to drive decision‑making.
• Translate complex data into actionable insights and recommendations for Sales leadership and senior management.
• Deliver regular performance updates, category reviews, business plans, and strategic recommendations to leadership.
• Establish consistent KPIs and performance metrics across the sales organization.
• Partner closely with Marketing, Sales, Procurement, Supply Chain, Demand Planning, Finance, and Customer Success to align commercial strategies with broader business objectives.
• Manage and collaborate with external research and data providers to maximize the value of syndicated data and research investments.
• Lead cross‑functional initiatives that support new product launches, customer growth, pricing initiatives, assortment changes, and strategic business opportunities.
• Serve as a central point of coordination between commercial strategy and operational execution.
• Support onboarding and training of sales team members on systems, processes, reporting, and commercial tools.
• Develop documentation, playbooks, and resources that improve sales effectiveness and consistency.
• Establish clear performance expectations and foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and data‑driven decision‑making.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications (Education/Experience)

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, or related field; MBA preferred.
• 4+ years of progressive experience in category management, sales operations, merchandising, business analytics, brand management, or related commercial functions.
• Experience managing private label and national brand portfolios strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical and financial skills, including experience with P&L, margin management, pricing, forecasting, and budgeting.
• Expertise using syndicated data such as Nielsen/Circana/IRI POS, Scintilla and panel data.
• Advanced Excel skills and experience with reporting and data visualization platforms such as Power BI or Tableau.
• Experience with business intelligence tools and CRM systems such as Salesforce and demonstrated ability to improve data quality and system adoption.
• Proven experience managing RFPs, cross‑functional projects, vendor relationships, and customer‑facing initiatives.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and executive‑level relationship‑building skills.
• Demonstrated ability to translate data and market insights into actionable commercial strategies.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and lead complex initiatives in a fast‑paced, growth‑oriented environment.
• Strategic and analytical decision‑making
• Commercial and financial acumen
• Category strategy and portfolio management
• Sales operations and process optimization
• Forecasting and business planning
• Negotiation and vendor management
• Cross‑functional leadership and influence
• Customer and relationship management
• Team leadership and development
• Technology and systems orientation
• Adaptability across private label and national brand environments

Success Metrics

• Category revenue and profitable growth
• Gross margin and contribution improvement
• Private label penetration and profitability
• National brand portfolio performance
• Customer growth and retention
• Forecast accuracy
• Sales pipeline health and conversion
• RFP win rate and effectiveness
• Sales cycle efficiency and productivity
• CRM data quality and adoption
• Sales process adoption and efficiency
• Revenue growth and quota attainment
• Successful execution of strategic category initiatives

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described within the Essential Functions section of this job description are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform this job. Other duties or tasks may be assigned as required. Management may modify, change, or add to the duties of this description at any time without notice.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required:

• Communicate with others both verbally and in writing.
• Be independently mobile.
• Use a computer and keyboard.

FLSA Designation

This position is a Salaried Exempt and not eligible for overtime.

Work Location

Remote – travel expected less than 10%

Benefits You’ll Enjoy

• You’ll have access to medical, dental, and HSA options, a 401(k) plan with company match, and company‑paid life and disability coverage.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.