Sr Category Manager JLB

your adv; Northern, Minneapolis (KY, MN); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

JLB seeks a Sr. Category Manager to lead Target category strategies, drive insights, and optimize planograms for in-store and online channels. You will own Target relationships, deliver weekly performance reports, and guide cross-functional teams through seasonal reviews and strategic initiatives.

Ideal candidates bring 8+ years in retail/category management, JDA/Blue Yonder planogram experience, and strong analytics, storytelling, and presentation skills. Hybrid role in Minneapolis, MN.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a relevant field.
• 8+ years of experience in retail or brand background.
• 5+ years of relatable Category Advisor or Captainship preferred.
• Planogram building (JDA/Blue Yonder) a must.
• Target-specific Category Management experience.
• Proficient in reporting, analytics, planograms, and presentations.

Responsibilities

• Independently manages day-to-day relationships with Target buyers and cross-functional teams.
• Owns end-to-end reporting, delivering weekly performance insights and trends.
• Manages in-depth marketplace analyses, competitive trends, and opportunities for Target.
• Executes category and seasonal reviews with templates and custom outputs.
• Owns transition and revision planogram process, writing up to 1,000 planograms.
• Develops digital performance reports and supports online strategy.

Skills

Strategic thinker

Highly organized

Advanced analytics

Detail oriented

Presentation skills

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

JDA

Blue Yonder

Excel

PowerPoint

POS systems

Kantar

Mintel

Numerator

Job description

# Sr Category Manager JLB## Minneapolis, MN 55401**## Sr Category Manager JLB**Minimum: USD $100,200.00/Yr.Maximum: USD $130,300.00/Yr.Market Type: Hybrid### Sr. Category Manager JLB### About JLBJLB is an award-winning retail consulting firm that is passionate about helping brands succeed at Target and Target win in the Marketplace. More than a traditional broker, we offer tailored solutions across Sales, Strategy, Category Management, Insights, Digital, Shopper Marketing, and more - helping brands thrive at one of the world's most innovative retailers.### The Team Our Category Management Service at Target serves as a pivotal resource for the Target buying team, offering flawless day-to-day support and are entrusted with direct access to Target's internal systems. This role is exclusively dedicated to Target, representing a collaborative and strategic partnership that seamlessly integrates with the Target buying team. The Category Manager is an experienced trusted advisor providing thought leadership and strategy direction with analytically based actionable insights addressing business goals and challenges.**The Role**The Sr. Category Manager works largely independent on their assigned category/categories of increased in complexity, servicing mid to high-level buyers. Complexities in categories may be driven by the number of times a category transitions/revises, segmentation strategy, the digital strategy, the competitive retailers, and the off-shelf activity. They are responsible for maintaining ownership of the relationship with Target buyers and Directors, delivering insights & recommendations through comprehensive in-store and online analyses. They must develop unbiased storytelling through data analysis of competitive business trends, and a deep understanding of shopping behaviors to drive strategy and optimize the category at Target.They expertly manage the entire category transition process from initiation to completion with meticulous attention to detail and unwavering accuracy in the planogram process to result in flawless execution and enhanced planogram productivity. They assist the Category Management Leadership Team with strategy work. Additionally, they contribute internally through supplemental project support as needed and play a significant role in the training and development of the broader team.**Essential Responsibility*** **Relationships: Independently manages day-to-day relationships with Target and cross-functional teams: including merchant, business analyst, inventory analyst, space & transition planning & pricing promo team, and developing relationships with Director merchant. Leads preparation and execution of client meetings, including weekly updates and ad hoc sessions, while driving collaborative problem-solving discussions. Provides strategic recommendations grounded in a deep understanding of category trends and client needs.*** **Reporting: Owns the end-to-end reporting process, combining advanced data analytics with a deep understanding of business drivers. Integrates multiple data sources to deliver detailed weekly reports and strategic insights that highlight performance trends, opportunities, and risks. Incorporates insights on sales, promotions, inventory in multiple roll ups like brand, vendor, subcategory, and item. Develops and manages custom attributes, enabling deeper analysis and providing valuable insights into business performance. Supports ad hoc reporting needs, proactively identifying relevant data points to address client questions and guide decisions.*** **Marketplace Insights/Competitive Shops: Manages in-depth analyses of competitive marketplace and retailer trends, including merchandising, pricing, brand, and SKU selection. Produces comprehensive reports on market share, competitive retailer performance, and industry trends. Identifies and capitalizes on emerging trends, opportunity items, promotional themes, and merchandising strategies. Provides strategic recommendations to Target merchant team.*** **Category & Seasonal Reviews: Executes category and seasonal review utilizing some pre-established templates and creating custom outputs for their business. Gains a deep understanding of client strategies and analyzes sales, space-to-sales, consumer behavior, and basket drivers, segmentation, pricing tiers, assortment gaps, white space, and merchandising. Provides actionable insights and strategic recommendations to enhance category performance and productivity. Is successful at synthesizing to create executive summaries and key recommendations summaries independently. Effectively presents to the client, utilizing advanced presentation techniques to convey complex data and insights, fostering client understanding and buy-in.*** **Planogram Process: Own the transition & revision planogram process from start to finish. This includes managing T&A, confirming item images & attributes, merchandise planning, SVP walk-through support, planogram optimization and writing all planogram versions. Analyze merchandising and assortment to influence strategy. Develop strategic planograms that align with business objectives and enhance customer experience. Efficiently writes up to 1,000 planograms, store ties, fixture placement, signage, and proofing.*** **Digital Support: Manages the development of comprehensive digital performance reports and seasonal analyses. Conducts in-depth analysis of channel sales performance, search behavior, purchasability, and site content and experience. Collaborates with internal digital category experts to identify correct tools to use for a business question before developing custom outputs. Develops and presents to Target strategic recommendations based on data analysis to support business objectives and improve digital performance.*** **Macro & Micro Trends: Research trends and utilize internal resources to gain comprehensive insights. Identify emerging trends and apply these to current and forward-thinking category initiatives. Share insights and presentations that are applicable to other categories at JLB to create efficiency and knowledge sharing.**### **Minimum Qualifications****Education Level: (Required) bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field such as Business, Finance, Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, or a related discipline.****Field of Study/Area of Experience:****8+ years of experience in retail or brand background is a must.****5+ years of relatable Category Advisor or Captainship is highly preferred but not required.****Planogram building (JDA/Blue Yonder) a must.****Target specific Category Management experience.****Proficient in diverse tasks including reporting & analytics, setting planograms, planogram writing, creating presentations, and adept presentation delivery. Skilled in synthesizing multiple/extensive resources to craft compelling narratives and actionable insights, with a deep understanding of merchandising strategies and the ability to leverage and apply substantial datasets effectively.**### **Skills, Knowledge and Abilities*** ****Strategic Thinker:** Deep understanding of business strategy with the ability to synthesize data, trends, and insights into actionable recommendations aligned with long-term growth.*** ****Highly Organized:** Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and coordinate across teams with precision and efficiency.*** ****Advanced Analytical Skills:** Expert in evaluating complex data sets and using tools to generate clear, actionable insights.*** ****Detail-Oriented:** Strong attention to data accuracy and integrity, especially in tools like JDA and other planning systems.*** ****Tool Proficiency:** Skilled in Excel, PowerPoint, JDA, POS systems, and market insights platforms (e.g., Kantar, Mintel, Numerator), as well as Target-specific tools.*** ****Customer Service Focused:** Prioritizes clear communication and responsiveness