Senior Manager, Category
KeHE Distributors
- Naperville, IL
- $80,500-128,800 per year
- Permanent
- Full-time
- Full-time
- Pay Range: $80,500.00/Yr. - $128,800.00/Yr.
- Shift Days: , Shift Time:
- Benefits on Day 1
- Health/Rx
- Dental
- Vision
- Flexible and health spending accounts (FSA/HSA)
- Supplemental life insurance
- 401(k)
- Paid time off
- Paid sick time
- Short term & long term disability coverage (STD/LTD)
- Employee stock ownership (ESOP)
- Holiday pay for company designated holidays
- Identify and monitor consumer and product trends and insights to support category strategies and supplier negotiations through multiple sources, including but not limited to:
- KeHE internal metrics, including supplier performance
- Product attribute, category, and retail channel trends
- Consumer behavior shifts
- Shopper purchase patterns
- Market visits, trade shows, industry events
- Manage existing suppliers and brokers to ensure a continuous flow of relevant line-extensions, promotional support, and performance reviews.
- Seek industry speaking engagements to provide thought leadership from an assortment and merchandising perspective to brands, retailers, brokers, and other industry professionals.
- Forage for innovative products that will shape the future through strategic involvement with industry partners, shows, publications, etc., while creating a highly curated brand portfolio. Proactively seize non-traditional, horizontal assortment opportunities that drive growth.
- Nurture small and emerging brands to increase industry knowledge and maximize marketplace potential, while maintaining supplier partnerships with predictable performers.
- Define purpose and role of category within KeHE portfolio and set, measure, and track specific category metrics to ensure performance success.
- Translate data into actionable and innovative insights to create turn-key, influential solutions for KeHE’s sales team and retailer partners. Generate industry leading category reviews and brand selling tools and effectively communicate and present information to relevant audience.
- Develop impactful promotional programs and marketing events with existing and new suppliers that align with determined go-to-market strategy.
- Maintain highly competitive marketing fund agreements and methods to optimize sales and assortment productivity throughout KeHE’s nationwide distribution network.
- Participate in planning, developing, enhancing and implementing KeHE shows and events to meet attendance and performance objectives.
- Organize and lead meetings with both internal stakeholders and external vendor partners.
- Work collaboratively with various departments within KeHE to achieve traction for new products, programs, and sales growth associated with category strategies.
- Apply and lead others to apply analytical and strategic thinking skills to develop category assortment strategies that are aligned to the business objectives and responsive to the internal and external environment.
- Support training and development of Category Management and Growth Solutions team members.
- 4-year bachelor’s degree in business or related field of study.
- Experience within the food industry with 3+ years of Category and/or Sales Management.
- Demonstrate facility using syndicated purchase data, consumption data, panel/demographic data, and consumer insights (e.g. IRI, SPINS, Nielsen, Mintel, CSIA, ShopperSights).
- Apply and lead others to apply analytical and strategic thinking skills to develop category assortment strategies that are aligned to the business objectives and responsive to the internal and external environment.
- Natural, specialty, and/or fresh product knowledge with ability to provide examples of facilitation of selling category and product solutions (e.g. presentation, webinar, tools).
- Proficiency in MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
- Possess a sense of urgency and attention to accuracy and detail.
- Ability to effectively manage a wide variety of tasks simultaneously and often with minimal direction or time conflicting pressures.
- Willingness to travel domestically, occasionally over weekends (about 20-35%).