Sr Category Manager JLB

JLB is an award-winning retail consulting firm passionate about helping brands succeed at Target and helping Target win in the marketplace. More than a traditional broker, we offer tailored solutions across Sales, Strategy, Category Management, Insights, Digital, Shopper Marketing, and more.

About the Team

The Category Management Service at Target serves as a pivotal resource for the Target buying team, offering flawless day-to-day support with direct access to Target’s internal systems. This role is exclusively dedicated to Target, representing a collaborative and strategic partnership that integrates seamlessly with the Target buying team. The Category Manager acts as a trusted advisor, providing thought leadership and strategy direction with analytically based, actionable insights addressing business goals and challenges.

Responsibilities

• Independently manage day-to-day relationships with Target and cross-functional teams, including merchant, business analyst, inventory analyst, space & transition planning, pricing, and promo teams, while developing relationships with Director-level merchants.
• Lead preparation and execution of client meetings, including weekly updates and ad hoc sessions, driving collaborative problem-solving discussions.
• Provide strategic recommendations grounded in a deep understanding of category trends and client needs.
• Own the end-to-end reporting process, combining advanced data analytics with a deep understanding of business drivers to deliver detailed weekly reports and strategic insights highlighting performance trends, opportunities, and risks.
• Integrate multiple data sources to analyze sales, promotions, and inventory across brand, vendor, subcategory, and item levels.
• Develop and manage custom attributes for deeper analysis and valuable business insights.
• Support ad hoc reporting needs, proactively identifying relevant data points to address client questions and guide decisions.
• Conduct in-depth analyses of competitive marketplace and retailer trends, including merchandising, pricing, brand, and SKU selection.
• Produce comprehensive reports on market share, competitive retailer performance, and industry trends.
• Identify and capitalize on emerging trends, opportunity items, promotional themes, and merchandising strategies, providing strategic recommendations to the Target merchant team.
• Execute category and seasonal reviews using pre-established templates and custom outputs, analyzing sales, space-to-sales, consumer behavior, basket drivers, segmentation, pricing tiers, assortment gaps, white space, and merchandising.
• Provide actionable insights and strategic recommendations to enhance category performance and productivity, synthesizing data into executive summaries and key recommendations.
• Present insights effectively to clients using advanced presentation techniques to convey complex data and foster understanding and buy-in.
• Own the transition and revision planogram process from start to finish, including managing T&A, confirming item images and attributes, merchandise planning, SVP walk-through support, planogram optimization, and writing all planogram versions.
• Analyze merchandising and assortment to influence strategy and develop planograms that align with business objectives and enhance customer experience.
• Efficiently write up to 1,000 planograms, store ties, fixture placement, signage, and proofing.
• Manage the development of comprehensive digital performance reports and seasonal analyses, analyzing channel sales performance, search behavior, purchasability, and site content and experience.
• Collaborate with internal digital category experts to identify the correct tools for business questions and develop custom outputs.
• Develop and present strategic recommendations based on data analysis to support business objectives and improve digital performance.
• Research macro and micro trends, utilizing internal resources to gain comprehensive insights and identify emerging trends applicable to current and forward-thinking category initiatives.
• Share insights and presentations across categories at JLB to create efficiency and knowledge sharing.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field such as Business, Finance, Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, or a related discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in retail or brand background.
• 5+ years of relatable Category Advisor or Captainship experience is highly preferred but not required.
• Planogram building experience (JDA/Blue Yonder) is required.
• Target-specific Category Management experience.
• Proficient in diverse tasks including reporting & analytics, setting planograms, planogram writing, creating presentations, and delivering presentations.
• Skilled in synthesizing multiple and extensive resources to craft compelling narratives and actionable insights.
• Deep understanding of merchandising strategies and the ability to leverage and apply substantial datasets effectively.

Skills

• Strategic Thinker: Deep understanding of business strategy with the ability to synthesize data, trends, and insights into actionable recommendations aligned with long-term growth.
• Highly Organized: Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and coordinate across teams with precision and efficiency.
• Advanced Analytical Skills: Expert in evaluating complex data sets and using tools to generate clear, actionable insights.
• Detail-Oriented: Strong attention to data accuracy and integrity, especially in tools like JDA and other planning systems.
• Tool Proficiency: Skilled in Excel, PowerPoint, JDA, POS systems, and market insights platforms (e.g., Kantar, Mintel, Numerator), as well as Target-specific tools.
• Customer Service Focused: Prioritizes clear communication and responsiveness to drive customer satisfaction.
• Self-Starter: Proactive, results-driven, and solutions-oriented with a strong commitment to continuous improvement.