Senior Manager, Category Strategy & Growth

Second Nature Brands; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Second Nature Brands is seeking a Senior Manager, Category Management to own the category strategy across a multi-brand portfolio and lead a growing team of category managers and analysts in Chicago. You will partner with Sales, Revenue Growth Management, Shopper Insights, and Marketing to turn data into actionable growth plans that win distribution and optimize the shelf.

You will guide top-to-top customer discussions, manage syndicated data partnerships, and drive planogram and assortment

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA a plus.
• 8+ years of progressive CPG experience in category management, shopper insights, or commercial strategy, including 2+ years directly leading and developing a team.
• Proven track record leading customer-facing category reviews and joint business planning with national retailers (e.g., Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Target, club, grocery, or mass).
• Deep expertise with syndicated data (Circana/IRI or Nielsen) and shopper/panel data; experience selecting and managing data and analytics partnerships.
• Strong command of assortment and space management tools (e.g., JDA/Blue Yonder, Spaceman, AODR) and the principles of category captaincy.

Responsibilities

• Own the enterprise category management strategy across all brands and channels, translating portfolio priorities into category growth plans for key customers.
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing category management team (managers and analysts); set standards, coach, and create a clear path for talent development.
• Serve as the senior category advisor in top-to-top customer line reviews and joint business planning, presenting fact-based assortment, shelf, pricing, and promotion recommendations.
• Establish the category insights and reporting framework—syndicated data (Circana/IRI, Nielsen), panel, and shopper data—that gives the Commercial organization a single, trusted view of performance.
• Lead assortment, distribution, and shelf strategy, including planogram principles, white-space prioritization, and SKU rationalization across a complex multi-brand mix.
• Partner with Revenue Growth Management on price-pack architecture, trade strategy, and promotion effectiveness to maximize net revenue and category ROI.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing to embed category strategy into selling stories, innovation launches, and customer plans.
• Direct the integration of newly acquired brands into category reporting, customer review processes, and the broader insights toolkit.
• Build relationships with retailer category and merchandising leaders, positioning Second Nature Brands as a trusted category captain or validator where appropriate.
• Drive results through and with our broker organization—equipping and empowering broker partners to execute category leadership in the field, setting clear standards and expectations, and holding the broker network accountable for delivering category and customer objectives.
• Own the category management tools, data partnerships, and budget; evaluate and implement capabilities that improve speed, automation, and analytical depth.
• Define and report on category KPIs (share, distribution, velocity, shelf, promotion ROI) and bring forward the risks, gaps, and opportunities that should shape commercial decisions.

Skills

Category management

Leadership

Executive communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decision making

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA

Tools

JDA/Blue Yonder

Spaceman

AODR

Job description

Second Nature Brands is seeking a Senior Manager, Category Management to own the category strategy across a multi-brand portfolio and lead a growing team of category managers and analysts in Chicago. You will partner with Sales, Revenue Growth Management, Shopper Insights, and Marketing to turn data into actionable growth plans that win distribution and optimize the shelf.

You will guide top-to-top customer discussions, manage syndicated data partnerships, and drive planogram and assortment