The Ideal Candidate
We are looking for a strategic, resourceful, innovative, forward-thinking, collaborative and committed VP Business Insights and Category Leadership. You are a passionate brand ambassador who believes in Company’s mission and products. You are a leader and an expert in the beverage category and a master of syndicated data (i.e. IRI, Nielsen, Shopper Panel data, and Shipment data.) You have an in-depth understanding and strategic perspective on Category Management analytics, tools & processes. You are able to translate the broader company vision and brand mission into a Category Management story to retail, taking a key leadership role in commercial strategy. You deeply understand the consumer and the customer. You stay close to changes in both beverage and adjacent relevant spaces. You are collaborative and capable of driving alignment among a variety of stakeholders, including: retailers, senior management, commercial leadership, marketing leadership and other internal teams.
The Job
VP Business Insights and Category Leadership reports in the interim to the President, and is responsible for the overall plan and direction of all aspects of Company’s category management function. They provide critical input to achieve the company strategic and financial goals. This position will create functional strategies and specific objectives for category management to support the Sales and Marketing team infrastructure.
Essential Functions
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Drives the strategic vision for the Insights/Category Leadership team by leveraging both internal and external market data.
- Establishes strategic category management objectives leveraging multiple research disciplines to secure new distribution, drive in-store/E-Commerce presence, increase unit velocities, grow sales and better align data with company mission to tell the Company story.
- Stays on top of and makes recommendations for innovative techniques to advance the craft of user research, market research and consumer insights.
- Leads their team and oversees the function of interpreting data, drawing conclusions, and developing insights and presentations including the generation of reports utilizing various data sources like IRI, Nielsen, Shopper Panel data, and Shipment data to help support overall business goals across the Sales and Marketing teams.
- Provides strategic guidance on the development and maintenance of Customer Category Reviews.
- Evaluates, maintains an awareness of and influences customer’s current activities such as: promotions, new item launches, discontinued products, new product development, and price changes, etc., and from this derives strategic plans and projects.
- Works closely with all internal parties to understand latest insights and provide recommendations on category management strategic opportunities.
- Leads team to finalize crafted presentations for Sales Team depicting trends, and exploiting all possible opportunities.
- Operates as a trusted consultant to customers/strategic partners as a Category expert, influencing retailer decision-making for mutual benefit.
- Contributes from a leadership position to annual planning within Company and with/for customers.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Required Competencies and Skills/Abilities:
- Ability to work both cross functionally through internal departments and with external clients.
- Proven leadership skills and the ability to coach and mentor a team.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills. Able to communicate complex ideas to internal and external clients.
- Proven analytical skills and an aptitude for translating data into actionable, understandable analysis, reports and presentations.
- Proven teaching/coaching skills, driving analytical thinking, selling and influencing skills, business acumen.
- Deep knowledge of the beverage industry, and of relevant retail channels.
- Ability to solve problems analytically and create actionable recommendations through the analysis of customer level data and IRI data.
- Expert Microsoft Office Skills (including, but not limited to, Excel, Access, Word and Power Point).
- Exceptional ability to manage multiple priorities and navigate through competing demands.
- Ability to drive initiatives and develop strong working relationships with both the internal sales team and marketing.
- Ability to coordinate and prioritize a high volume of work and meet pressing time requirements.
- Ability to work independently.
- Ability to quickly become acclimated to shelf merchandising tools, and to coach on their effective use.
Required Education and Experience
- BA Degree desired
- Minimum 8-10 years’ experience in similar position (preferably in CPG + Beverage
- 4+ years of leadership / people management experience
- Expert understanding of Category Management analytics, tools & process a must
- Expert knowledge of Syndicated Data (Nielsen/IRI, Spectra, Panel Data) a must
- Demonstrated ability to effectively manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
Supervisory Responsibility
This position is a direct supervisor and department leader