Category Manager Job Description
Category manager
provides shopper/consumer insights, category insights, trends and category management expertise to regional and national account category managers for category reviews, account presentations, new item presentations and planogram reviews.
Category Manager Duties & Responsibilities
To write an effective category manager job description, begin by listing detailed duties, responsibilities and expectations. We have included category manager job description templates that you can modify and use.
Sample responsibilities for this position include:
Define the category role, strategies, tactics and opportunities required to micro market space and price, plan assortment and promotions, increase market share, contribute to category growth and meet and anticipate the current and future consumer demands
Work with Sales Planning Manager, Associate Category Manager & Strategic Vendor Partners to conduct consumer research needed to meet category objectives
Drive customer penetration through influencing functions outside of category management
Collect, segment, prioritize and evaluate key category/supplier data
Define, communicate and synchronize strategies for the Operations category, including a negotiation a transformation roadmap in line with global strategic objectives
Planning, monitoring and reporting on category-specific objectives and respective KPIs
Accountable for results of a major category, supply chain, product line or program in terms of strategy, cost / cost savings, direction and people management
Manages a team of exempt individual contributors that typically support or manage a moderately complex category or business unit
Acts as the Category Expert to ensure the execution of Strategic Business Plan using Trade Management or Business Development Planning Process to make topline sales plan, net sales goals and achieve sales share targets
Researches data to support Account Penetration, , Senior Management, Category Management, Space Management, Internal Data Providers
Category Manager Qualifications
Qualifications for a job description may include education, certification, and experience.
Licensing or Certifications for Category Manager
List any licenses or certifications required by the position: CPM, APICS, C.P.M, ISM, CPSM, PMP, NAPM, A.P.I, C.P.I.M, ITIL
Education for Category Manager
Typically a job would require a certain level of education.
Employers hiring for the category manager job most commonly would prefer for their future employee to have a relevant degree such as Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Marketing, Business, Education, Statistics, Math, Engineering, MBA, Management, Business/Administration, Finance
Skills for Category Manager
Desired skills for category manager include:
Planogram software and creating planograms
Category Management
Syndicated data and applications
Promotional marketing processes and practices
SAP
Excel
Customer centric retailing principles and the analytics of customer purchase behavior
Category
Recommend solutions and strategies
Desired experience for category manager includes:
Requires from 25 to 35% travel to customer locations
Travel will be focused around getting acceptance of recommendations for major selling seasons
5 years relevant business experience and comfort level working in a small office environment
Top negotiator
Ability to liase effectively with multiple players and offices internally and externally
The ability to understand and analyze financial data (e.g., validity of balance sheet account balance, P&L variance, volume trends, returns on investments)
Category Manager Examples
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Category Manager Job Description
Job Description Example
Our company is growing rapidly and is looking to fill the role of category manager. 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 manager
- Develop marketing and sales strategies to improve category share
- Develop marketing/promotional plans to support overall category development strategy
- Responsible for managing the Lighting Product Category with specific focus on driving share gains and improving profitability
- Analyzes industry trends and procurement performance to support a supply category
- Provide overall direction and support for team/associate category manager and monitor and assess individual work in accordance with high standards of excellence
- Drive Category Management across customer teams to increase sales and achieve customer business targets
- Minimum three plus years of experience in category management, strategic sourcing, or procurement with an emphasis on technology and/or IT service agreements
- Serve as Subject Matter Expert for one segment and one Category Management tool
- Compiling, preparing, presenting and endorsing information relating to sourcing issues, and making this information available to Management Committees and relevant teams, so that facts and figures are made transparent and network partners are kept fully informed
- Plans, directs and monitors operational/tactical activities of Staff, which may involve strategic issues
Qualifications for category manager
- Relevant third level qualification Bachelor's Degree in Operations or Procurement, Business Management or related area is an advantage
- Experience of developing and maintaining effective strategic partnerships with key stakeholders both internally to an organisation and external suppliers
- The ideal candidate will possess a mix of strategic, financial and creative abilities
- Strong retail math and business acumen, including elements of merchandising
- Ideal candidate will have 5+ years of relevant and progressive merchandising, creative and/or business management experience
- Work cross-functionally with appropriate teams (brand team, buyers, marketing, finance, A/P, merchandising)
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Category Manager Job Description
Job Description Example
Our company is growing rapidly and is looking to fill the role of category manager. We appreciate you taking the time to review the list of qualifications and to apply for the position. If you don’t fill all of the qualifications, you may still be considered depending on your level of experience.
Responsibilities for category manager
- Must be the category expert to identify market leaders, trends, customer retention, for particular product while conducting ongoing research on new and upcoming items that exceed customers’ wants and expectations
- Analyze and understand market levels and implement programs to ensure system costs and related sell prices are in line and capable of improving sales and margin
- Work with the Advertising Manager and Director of Marketing to maximize the impact of advertising funds and resources in promoting the categories
- Lead and execute our merchandising strategy within relevant customers, focusing on segmentation, flow, brand blocking and multi-location product siting
- Manage the contract life cycle of complex IT software, hardware, professional services, telecom agreements and other spend categories as assigned
- Write and redline a wide variety of agreements, such as Software License Agreements and Master Services Agreement
- Develop relationships with IT managers and business units to support enterprise objectives, influence key stakeholders and jointly develop strategic sourcing strategies
- Ability to structure bids, evaluate bids against a broad set of evaluation criteria and provide recommendations for vendor selection
- Strong MS Office Skills or equivalent software
- Conduct line reviews for assigned account(s) including assortment recommendations, segment trend performance and providing strategies and tactics to drive sales
Qualifications for category manager
- Drive success of Group-wide & multi-divisional contracts by overseeing implementation across all appropriate business areas in conjunction with divisional teams
- Manage the performance of Group-wide and multi-Divisional suppliers against contracted KPI's, SLA's & business expectations
- Familiarity with space management software
- Proficiency with RetailLink and other Walmart tools and processes
- Analysis skills in the frame of tenders
- Experience with Supply quality Programs
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Category Manager Job Description
Job Description Example
Our innovative and growing company is searching for experienced candidates for the position of category manager. If you are looking for an exciting place to work, please take a look at the list of qualifications below.
Responsibilities for category manager
- Must operate cross-functionally with Product Sourcing, Sales, Finance, IT, and Marketing departments to help transform the sales and market share growth
- Must have thorough knowledge and skillset of small hand tools while understanding market needs for customers within this demand
- Set and meet KPI objectives and targets for sales, profit and turnover
- Must be the face of the product – continuous store visits, work with Regional Sales Managers/Sourcing Managers on special pricing requests
- Analytical interpretation of data and translation into visually impactful presentations
- Applies and implements SCM (Supply Chain Management) standards, tools, and processes in a multi-business organization
- Meet regularly with critical suppliers for discussion on performance, planning, pricing, and future development activities
- Lead internal cross-functional efforts to identify and quickly implement cost-reduction activities
- Coordinate efforts of inter-company global sourcing teams focused on reducing cost through utilizing purchasing leverage, standardization, technology changes, and overall market knowledge
- Strong focus on developing low cost country (LCC) sources
Qualifications for category manager
- Proven experience in direct/indirect procurement with demonstrated successful career path
- Strong acumen of indirect categories, supply markets, strategic sourcing principles, contract and supplier management
- Professional Expertise
- Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible procurement, supply chain, commercial, contract development, or contract management experience required
- Minimum 5+ years CPG industry experience, including 2+ years in analytics required
- Strategic Insights desired
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Category Manager Job Description
Job Description Example
Our company is searching for experienced candidates for the position of category manager. 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 manager
- Review category pricing reports consistently to identify potential issues and opportunities to recommend category level price point strategies
- Provide the strategic vision and direction for category management and shopper insights for the Boulder Team
- Utilize insights to deliver retailer-centric strategies for growth in the Beverage Category with tactical recommendations to bring the strategy to life at Walmart
- Drive strategic recommendation focused on category growth
- Be the category expert and drive insight into action by influencing internal and external stakeholders through fact-based recommendations
- Set category objectives and identify growth opportunities
- Conduct category reviews based on KPI’s
- Assess category productivity & profitability consistently through segmentation analysis by geography, brand/style level, item level
- Develop annual category approach presentation materials
- Conduct twice/year business unit reviews with key suppliers
Qualifications for category manager
- IRI/Nielsen, Panel Data, Loyalty Card Data, JDA/ProSpace skills desired
- High exposure to giving presentation to top management
- MS Office Literate specifically excel & PowerPoint
- Deals well with numbers
- Takes initiative, ambitious, has the courage to speak up to give ideas challenge them
- A strong ability to communicate verbally and in writing in order to realize your visions within a complex environment of Sales and Marketing external Customers
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Category Manager Job Description
Job Description Example
Our company is growing rapidly and is hiring for a category manager. 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 manager
- Employ DPS Category Management tools and business processes in the appropriate situations to optimize category distribution, space and assortment with technology tools
- Responsible for managing category AOP cycle including supporting countries/clusters with their local budgets
- Work as part of the category team to manage products life cycle and new product introductions
- To provide recommendations on changes to the category including product introductions, discontinuations and continuous improvement
- To manage a team as necessary to deliver required business objectives and develop personal objectives for the team to reach their potential identifying opportunities for the team to the Senior Category Manager
- Be the Category Expert and drive insight into action by influencing internal and external stakeholders through fact-based information
- Build and maintain long-term relationships with the Target internal Category Management teams through frequent contact, delivering actionable objective insights and sharing of best practices
- Improve payment terms with key suppliers
- Target N60+
- Exceed annual cost savings targets
Qualifications for category manager
- A strong analytical mind, being able to interpret and make recommendations based on quantitative and qualitative data sources
- Demonstratable experience with IT and/or Internet of Things (IoT) is strongly preferred
- Degree in business or management, or equivalent combination of proven experience will be considered
- CPSM certification is beneficial/preferable
- Experience and knowledge on the FM NEC3 and JCT contract forms
- 5+ years’ experience in category management positions in Consumer Packaged Goods