Job Description
Your Opportunity as the Associate Lead, Category Leadership - Field
The primary responsibility of this position is to build trust and influence with Walmart, Target and Sam's retailer and JMS sales teams to drive penetration, growth and development across the Coffee categories and JMS Brand activation. Leads customized development of category specific retailer growth opportunities and diagnostics relative to insight activation against the retailer, shopper, and category dynamics. Contributes to annual sales planning and partners with sales to deliver category and JMS growth opportunity identification and execution. Go-to category expert, responsible for providing in-depth category, retail, consumer and shopper expertise. Liaison back to HQ Category Leadership/Strategy Team.
Location: Working Remote USA
In this role you will:
Customer Category Management
Leads development and delivery of Customer specific Category Growth Drivers - strategy, initiatives and customized content of compelling category strategies and stories
Leads 4P tactical solutions for assigned customers and categories, specifically owning shelving and assortment and partnering with cross functional teams on price/promo
Provides thought leadership to elevate JMS voice and influence with retailers
Leads Category first approach in Customer Category Reviews and Assessments as well as Top to Top, JBP, QBR engagement meetings with key customers and internal stakeholders
Identifies opportunities and risks for category and JMS, with bias for action
Leverages all available data and customized content against consumer, shopper and category insights to create and deliver fact-based strategic selling resulting in implementation & activation at retail
Supports and drives omni activation and integration into all category deliverables, workstreams
Appropriately collaborates with advisor teams, while partnering with sales to drive the business
Understands the competitive marketplace in which JMS and customers operate
Communicates insights and learnings both internally and externally to a wide variety of audiences
Provides category and key customer business analytics
Actively participates in retailer calls
Collaborates and influences across the various SBAs
Internal Business Support Management
Expert on all customer business analytics and resources (Circana, panel, shopper, etc)
Identifies requirements for tool development and data support systems to increase visibility and application of key category insights
Acts as a liaison back to the JMS HQ Category Leadership team
Customer Business Plan Development, Review & Activation
Provides input into customer long-term business strategy
The Right Place for You
We are bold, kind, strive to do the right thing, we play to win, and we believe in a strong community that thrives together. Our culture is rooted in our, and we believe in supporting every employee by meeting their physical, emotional, and financial needs.
What we are looking for:
Minimum Requirements:
5+ years in Consumer-Packaged Goods industry
3+ years of Shopper Insights or Category Management experience
Proven success building relationships with customers / retailers
Experience in analysis of shopper / consumer-based CPG information
Strong analytical skills, problem solving, and storytelling experience
Excellent organization and written / verbal communication skills
Proficient in leveraging IRI, Nielsen, Luminate, Retail Link, panel data, and shopper card data
Planogramming/Planogram software experience required (Ex. JDA Prospace)
Ability to develop and translate insights into actions
Strategic mindset to help build and execute effective plans
Travel requirements: up to 25%
Additional skills and experience that we think would make someone successful in this role (not required):
Experience working cross functionally in a Headquarter environment
Learn more about working at Smucker:
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The J. M. Smucker Company (the “Company”) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. No person will be discriminated against in hiring or in any other aspect of their employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, transgender status, marital status, familial status, disability, genetic information, protected veteran/military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.
