Senior Category Analyst – Kroger

Socket.dev; Walnut Creek (CA); Hybrid; USD 115,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

401k

Bonus eligibility

Equity grants

Health benefits

Parental leave

Job summary

Kinder’s is seeking a Senior Category Analyst to drive analytics across Kroger partnerships, shaping assortment, marketing and growth initiatives. You’ll turn data into compelling stories, partnering with Sales to craft presentations and strategies.

The role supports Walnut Creek, CA or Cincinnati, OH, with a hybrid work structure. Strong Excel/PowerPoint skills and syndicated data experience are valued.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, market research, or related field.
• 3-5 years of experience in category management, sales analytics, insights, or related field within the CPG industry.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to analyze complex data sets and derive actionable insights.

Responsibilities

• Support analytics for key customer partner, Kroger, and uncover opportunities across categories.
• Lead analytics for Kroger business lines and track sales performance of initiatives.
• Build data-driven presentations and storytelling for internal and external stakeholders.

Skills

Analytical skills

Data storytelling

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, market research, or related field

Tools

PowerPoint

Excel

84.51 Stratum

Circana

NIQ

SPINS

Job description

BUILT ON FLAVOR. FUELED BY PEOPLE.

What’s it like to work at Kinder’s? Well, there’s a lot of snacking and geeking out over what we all cooked over the weekend. Beyond that, there’s also plenty of hard work. Because we don’t just like flavor, we’re obsessed with it.

With over 100 products sold nationwide, we’re now a top-five brand in multiple flavor categories at Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and more. We’re not your typical CPG company. Privately held and founder-led, we like to think of ourselves as a pirate ship in a sea of cruise ships. Our crew is adventurous and fearless. We chart our own course and chase big ideas to make food unforgettable.

As we expand globally and approach $1 billion in revenue, we need more smart-and-scrappy, flavor-obsessed people to come aboard. If you’re looking for a place where you can see the real impact of your work... this is it! Every day, you’ll be part of a journey to add flavor to millions of meals and lives.

About the Role:

The Senior Category Analyst will support sales and category analytics across key customer accounts, delivering actionable insights that drive brand and category growth. This role will partner closely with the Sales team to shape strategies for assortment, marketing, customer presentations, and other growth initiatives. The ideal candidate brings strong analytical skills and the ability to turn data into compelling stories. If you are passionate about driving growth through actionable insights, we want to hear from you!

The role can be done in either our Walnut Creek, CA office or a location in or near Cincinnati, OH.

Key Responsibilities Include:

Customer Analytics

• Support analytics for Kinder’s key customer partner, Kroger. Drive growth across categories by uncovering opportunities for customer and Kinder’s.
• Lead analytics for Kinder’s rapidly growing Kroger businesses.
• Track and report sales performance of Kinder’s key initiatives, such as innovation launches or in-store marketing programs.
• Lead a advanced customer analytics leveraging Kroger data resources (84.51 Stratum, OnDemand).
• Utilize variety of data sources to answer key business questions including innovation success, promotional strategy, assortment opportunities, etc. (Circana, Nielsen, Numerator, etc.)
• Work cross‑functionally with Sales & Strategy teams to optimize assortment across banner’s.
• Post‑event analysis of customer strategies and tactics, including pallet and display activity during key seasonal windows.

Data Storytelling

• Build comprehensive presentations with strong data visualization. Share insights, findings, and recommendations across Kinder’s organization, and externally in buyer meetings.
• Advance internal reporting and communication across internal stakeholders.
• Lead recurring Kroger performance review highlighting performance differences across items and regions.

What Success Will Look Like:

• Senior Category Analyst becomes a trusted partner for Kinder’s dedicated Kroger team.
• Lead internal sales, assortment, and innovation reporting for the customer.
• Improve Kinder’s customer presentations with strong visualization and synthesized analysis.
• Own cross functional communication of analytic findings and opportunities.
• Uncover regional and banner specific opportunities to drive growth for Kinder’s & Kroger.
• Partner with sales, marketing, supply chain, etc. to deliver internal and external sales targets.

Qualifications:

Education / Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, market research, or related field.
• 3-5 years of experience in category management, sales analytics, insights, or related field within the CPG industry.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to analyze complex data sets and derive actionable insights.
• Experience with Kroger specific data tools and resources (84.51 Stratum, etc.).
• Syndicated data experience (e.g., Circana, NIQ, SPINS) and household panel data (e.g., Circana, Numerator).
• Planogram software experience preferred.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to distill complex information into clear and concise insights and tell stories with data.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines.
• Proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel.

Personal Characteristics:

• Strategic thinker with the ability to connect insights to business strategy and decision-making.
• Collaborative team player with strong leadership skills and the ability to influence cross-functional teams.
• Business builder who owns and drives results.
• Growth mindset with an excitement to learn (and teach).
• Thrive in a dynamic, lean, and agile environment with proven record of completing projects on time in full through excellent cross functional team management, leadership, communication and influence.
• Self-starter who takes initiative and speaks their mind.
• Excited to be part of a fast‑moving team with the ability to be a leader and a follower.
• Enjoy making decisions and finding ways to say ‘yes’ as often as possible to impactful and important priorities.

Location and Travel:

The position will be based onsite in Walnut Creek, CA or Cincinnati, OH. We strongly believe in the power of culture and community and have a hybrid work structure with 4 days in the office on a weekly basis to encourage collaboration and personal connections that will allow us to better serve our customers and consumer and to have more fun. Fridays are flex days with employees having the opportunity to choose to be either in the office or to work from home based on what makes most sense for them.

Pay Transparency:

The expected starting salary range for this role is $115,000- $125,000 per year. The salary range posted for this role reflects the good‑faith base pay range Kinder’s reasonably expects to offer at the time of posting and may vary based on the location of the role. Individual compensation within the posted range will be determined based on factors such as relevant education, experience, qualifications, skills, and business needs.

SEASONED FOR SUCCESS:

• No two days here are the same.
• We try to be good team members and good communicators, but we don’t live by hierarchy and structure – everyone is a difference maker here.
• We make a lot of decisions in the face of incomplete information – our team embraces ambiguity and tries to make good decisions fast rather than great decisions slow.
• We believe our job is to take smart risk, not to eliminate risk.
• We believe in growing our skills and becoming a better company with more managerial expertise, but we are an entrepreneurial company at heart.
• We aren’t trying to be average – we want to do exceptional things, and we are willing to work hard to achieve them.

BENEFITS THAT BRING MORE TO THE TABLE:

• Paid time off
• 401k
• Bonus / incentive eligibility
• Equity grants
• Competitive health benefits
• Other family-friendly benefits, including parental leave

OUR RECIPE FOR BALANCE:

We believe great culture starts with people. We’re a people‑first company built on connection, collaboration, and balance. Most of our work happens in the office to spark creativity and community, but we also offer flexibility so team members have the autonomy to work outside the office when needed to support their work‑life balance and personal commitments.

WHERE EVERY INGREDIENT MATTERS:

Kinder’s is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, citizenship, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, veteran status, as well as any other legally‑protected characteristic. If you have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law, and you need any accommodation during the application process or to perform these job requirements, please reach out to us at [e-mail]