Category Manager

About the role

Drive the long-term growth and profitability of the business by leading portfolio strategy, innovation planning, and product lifecycle decisions. This role owns the development and optimization of the product portfolio, identifying growth opportunities, leading cross-functional business decisions, and balancing commercial opportunity with operational capability. Success in this role requires strategic thinking, business acumen, and the ability to influence across Sales, Marketing, R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Own the ongoing evaluation and optimization of the product portfolio, using consumer, marketplace, operational, and financial insights to identify growth opportunities and guide strategic decisions.
• Develop and maintain the multi-year innovation roadmap aligned with strategic growth priorities.
• Lead portfolio planning and innovation prioritization across branded and private label businesses.
• Identify whitespace opportunities through consumer trends, competitive intelligence, and business performance.
• Develop actionable insights and recommendations that support category growth, assortment optimization, pricing, and promotional strategies.
• Monitor category, customer, and competitive performance, communicating trends and opportunities to internal stakeholders.
• Build business cases and recommendations using POS, syndicated, financial, and operational data.
• Lead portfolio optimization efforts, recommending product additions, rationalizations, and lifecycle decisions that maximize profitable growth.
• Partner with Sales to develop customer-specific category recommendations and presentations.
• Collaborate with Marketing, R&D, Finance, and Operations to evaluate innovation opportunities using consumer and marketplace insights.
• Develop reports, dashboards, and tools that improve business visibility and decision making.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to lead innovation from concept through commercialization, ensuring strategic alignment with business objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement through ongoing measurement, reporting, and strategic analysis.

Qualifications & Competencies

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 5+ years of experience in Category Management, Business Analytics, Sales Strategy, or CPG.
• Advanced analytical skills with experience using POS data (Circana, Nielsen), syndicated data, and internal business reporting.
• Experience leading portfolio strategy and product lifecycle management.
• Strong proficiency in Excel and business intelligence/reporting tools.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and project management skills.
• Experience supporting cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment.