Category Associate Job Description
Category associate
provides category insights and analytics through use of Retail Link, IRI syndicated data, Spectra, & MADRID etc.
Category Associate Duties & Responsibilities
To write an effective category associate job description, begin by listing detailed duties, responsibilities and expectations. We have included category associate job description templates that you can modify and use.
Sample responsibilities for this position include:
Develop best practice category management strategies and tactics to influence internal and external planning and decision making
Use syndicated and/or Retail Link specific data to develop prepare and present information and recommendations in support of category management and key initiatives (such as retailer performance, trends & opportunities, promotion effectiveness, category space expansion opportunities)
Prepares materials for and leads regular merchant meetings – reviewing sales results, inventory opportunities, upcoming launches and promotions, corrective actions
Execute the Water Portfolio strategy to deliver actionable, impactful Retail and Away From Home programs by partnering with cross-functional teams, internal and external stakeholders, and agencies
Brief agencies for best-in-class go-to-market programs and tools that incorporate consumer insights, Customer / Retail awareness, and understanding of internal capabilities and goals
Develop mastery of internal sales reporting and Retail analytics to provide on-going and ad hoc updates and key insights to Brand team regarding performance
Manage distribution of weekly performance scorecard to Water Portfolio stakeholders
Act as Commercial liaison with other Brand team verticals - Communications and Innovation/Strategy
Act as Brand lead on some creative approvals to ensure a consistent, on-position brand voice in key areas
Coordinate sampling tours and grassroots events with agency and field teams
Category Associate Qualifications
Qualifications for a job description may include education, certification, and experience.
Licensing or Certifications for Category Associate
List any licenses or certifications required by the position: CPSM, C.P.M, MCIPS, CPM, PMP
Education for Category Associate
Typically a job would require a certain level of education.
Employers hiring for the category associate job most commonly would prefer for their future employee to have a relevant degree such as Bachelor's and High School Degree in Business, Marketing, Education, Finance, Management, Merchandising, MBA, Business/Administration, Economics, Sound
Skills for Category Associate
Desired skills for category associate include:
File set-up
Maintenance and filing procedures
Support of the Sourcing Project Management function on projects within categories of expertise
Nielsen
Syndicated data via IRI
Business Intelligence
Business team
Cable Access Networks
Category management
Competitors and product innovations
Desired experience for category associate includes:
Retail Merchandising and Sales
A Bachelor degree in Business, Marketing or a related field is required, with a Master in Business Administration preferred
Excellent analytical & technical skills - experience with IRI/syndicated data, Consumer Panel data Excel, PowerPoint Knowledge of analytics software such as SPSS ,SAS, or tableau is a plus
Must be comfortable handling large sets of data
Intermediate experience with Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel
Develop strong relationships with Field, Customer, and Bottler counterparts to ensure optimal collaboration and brand in-market execution esp of brand pure plays
Category Associate Examples
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Category Associate Job Description
Job Description Example
Our innovative and growing company is looking for a category associate. Please review the list of responsibilities and qualifications. While this is our ideal list, we will consider candidates that do not necessarily have all of the qualifications, but have sufficient experience and talent.
Responsibilities for category associate
- Drive awareness of the commercial agenda within the brand team and the greater marketing group
- Manage commercial budget and invoicing/accounting
- Determine when to engage Category Manager for other supplier options if Preferred suppliers not finding candidates and we need to expand search
- Engage Contractor Manager for issues unrelated to staffing an open role ex Bait and switch contractor wasn’t paid Client named on job posting, PO payment issues, contractor wants raise
- Conduct monthly Account review with Leads key metrics like, Normal TWOs, PSL usage
- Ensure and deliver compliance with regional/country Legal regulation on financial, service, reliability, quality, innovation, and growth commitments
- Partner with the Portfolio Strategy & Planning and Category Strategy team to create, develop and adapt the company’s Category growth vision to drive frequency
- Partners with local procurement operations leadership to execute strategy at the regional/local level.
- Responsible for feedback and process improvement for all e-sourcing activities
- Supports Commercial Council through appropriate communication channels (informing and requesting feedback)
Qualifications for category associate
- Proven experience solving and communicating complex marketing strategies to cross- functional partners
- Relevant experience in marketing, finance, sales, media, or communications
- Experience working with retail industry or food and beverage a plus
- Integrate & coordinate for CPW Switzerland – in close cooperation with Key Account Management - the tasks of planning, monitoring and management of Revenues and Spend per customer in order to achieve total category targets
- Act as the Breakfast Cereals category expert & champion, Design of POS composition, promotional strategy & evaluation and compose trade selling stories (for annual business plan and New Product launches)
- Previous experience in plant operations, utility field operations, finance or business administration
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Category Associate Job Description
Job Description Example
Our growing company is looking for a category associate. To join our growing team, please review the list of responsibilities and qualifications.
Responsibilities for category associate
- Accountable for meeting aspirational training goals for 7-Step Strategic Sourcing Process and Enhanced Sourcing Tools
- Serves as first point of contact for suppliers related to category of spend.
- Execute business and marketing objectives, strategy and tactics for the Baked Goods portfolio
- Utilize strong strategic and communication skills and ability to assemble and motivate cross-functional teams including channel marketing, R&D, sales, and finance to accomplish new product plans, influence mix and profitable grow of the overall portfolio
- Grow sales and profits of existing product portfolio by utilizing insights of channel marketing and sales teams
- Assist in development and recommendation of customer and shopper promotions strategic and tactical plans
- Maintain a solid understanding of marketing objectives, strategies and key consumer/shopper insights for assigned businesses
- Build true business partnerships with General Manager and relevant business teams to deliver plans and ensure consistent high value for the Division
- Work with external consumer research firms to develop actionable, insight-driven marketing strategies
- Lead in the development and delivery of category and product presentations
Qualifications for category associate
- Proficiency in Microsoft® Office suite and experience with purchasing and sourcing systems strongly preferred
- Requires 5 years of sourcing, purchasing or logistics experience, or previous experience in plant operations or utility field operations
- Two years plus of contract formation knowledge and experience, negotiation and project management skills preferred
- This position requires travel of approximately 25%
- Executing category strategies in alignment with Harris Teeter’s priorities
- Executing category strategies in alignment with Delhaize’s priorities
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Category Associate Job Description
Job Description Example
Our innovative and growing company is hiring for a category associate. Please review the list of responsibilities and qualifications. While this is our ideal list, we will consider candidates that do not necessarily have all of the qualifications, but have sufficient experience and talent.
Responsibilities for category associate
- Responsible to develop effective cross-functional relationships within the organization in order to effectively accomplish the responsibilities of the function
- Responsible to maintain cost pricing on current, new and promotional items
- Develop and implement global category sourcing strategies with business leads for products and services, several which are complex, high value and critical to the success of the business
- Drive innovation and the development of new potential suppliers and alternative sources
- Work with engineering and manufacturing as required to optimize equipment design, manufacturing processes, and the overall supply chain
- Implement SRM with key suppliers, and utilize analytics to enable effective procurement strategies to measure and improve supplier performance against key business objectives while reducing costs
- Stay current and informed on the market (category based), changing technologies, and global market trends to ensure CRL category strategies are delivering maximum value while maintaining quality and service
- Identify, manage, and mitigate risks in the supply chain, follow market conditions and collect vendor intelligence
- Utilize partnering and competitive processes to assure continuous improvements in quality, supply chain and service performance, and maximize the value to CRL
- Liaise with procurement peers to ensure a consistent approach to category strategies and management
Qualifications for category associate
- Capacity to work independently in a fast-paced environment with a high degree of personal motivation analytical, critical thinking, and problem solving skills great attention to detail
- Related experience in licensing, retail or gaming industry strongly preferred
- 4 year degree in Business or a related field (MBA preferred)
- Expert in Microsoft Office Suite programs (Excel & PPT) (Prezi a plus)
- Demonstrated ability in developing winning strategic plans by employing analytics, critical thinking and solid arguments to influence Retailers on Category initiatives
- Demonstrated ability in taking insights and turning them into solid arguments to drive business success and Retail execution in Assortment, Merchandising, Pricing and Shelving
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Category Associate Job Description
Job Description Example
Our company is looking to fill the role of category associate. If you are looking for an exciting place to work, please take a look at the list of qualifications below.
Responsibilities for category associate
- Deliver the Category Management workplan for assigned client(s), developing and managing key stakeholder relationships and working closely with the Category Management Consulting manager as appropriate
- Become a subject matter expert and leader in all aspects of category management and supplier management process & methodology
- Work closely with Client Leads to understand the needs of assigned client(s), identify solutions, present recommendations and develop the Category Management workplan*
- Use Category Management tools to drive insightful recommendations for assigned client(s) and present those recommendations to the client
- Conduct quality reviews of Category Management delivery and measure the value we add for assigned client(s)*
- Build compelling Category Management case studies based on the value we’ve added for assigned client(s)
- Support up-sell and on-sell for Category Management work within assigned client(s)
- Support new business development for Category Management, particularly when in-between client projects or when workload at existing clients is lower
- Manage Category Management innovation projects with assigned clients, gaining their sponsorship and funding wherever possible
- Develop, negotiate and manage global contractual relationships including all appropriate supply agreements, statements of work and quality specifications, and quality service agreements
Qualifications for category associate
- 1 to 3 years of experience in a corporate setting required
- Organization skills, skills in database programs, team-player, strong communication skills, self-motivating
- Strong financial/statistical/data analysis, manufacturing processes, mathematical modeling, purchasing and technical experience
- Prior experience in Procurement, Supply Chain or a related Operational function preferred
- University Degree or College Diploma in Business Administration and/or relevant field
- Negotiation skills, management of strategic supplier relationships
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Category Associate Job Description
Job Description Example
Our growing company is hiring for a category associate. Thank you in advance for taking a look at the list of responsibilities and qualifications. We look forward to reviewing your resume.
Responsibilities for category associate
- Ensure the enforcement of related process and policy, working with Finance, Legal, Procurement and Audit as appropriate
- Develop senior level relationships to better understand and align with business strategy and direction to prioritize initiatives and harmonize business and category strategies
- Utilize SRM process and develop formal supplier business review program and requirements as part of the overall supplier management process
- Develop criteria for new supplier evaluation and qualification
- Ensure business partners or aware of procurement standards and processes
- Utilize and manage procurement processes (category strategy, RFP, SRM, compliance)
- Assure the success of sourcing projects with attention to detail and communication with involved parties
- Skillfully negotiate agreements in a timely manner, manage tough vendor situations and sensitive relationships ensuring value
- Resolve disputes and commercial issues with suppliers in conjunction with internal customers
- Lead cross-functional teams identifying executable actions and drive implementation plans and schedules
Qualifications for category associate
- Must be able to work with minimum supervision once objectives are clear and keep the team posted regularly on relevant detail
- Experience executing Consumer & Shopper Promotions programs
- Food CPG experience preferred
- High level of computer proficiency in Microsoft Office
- CPG or related industry experience
- Experience managing in a global environment, or global projects, and understanding of international cultures highly desirable