Manager, Category Management

Utz Quality Foods is seeking a Manager, Category Management in Northwest Arkansas. The Manager, Category Management is critical in driving revenue growth and profitability across multiple product categories within the Salty Snacks division.

The Category Manager will play a pivotal role in shaping category strategies through data-driven insights, cross-functional collaboration, and strong customer engagement. This individual will work closely with marketing, sales, finance, and operations teams to optimize category performance, support key account initiatives, and strengthen relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

While this role does not include direct reports, it requires strong influence, analytical acumen, and a deep understanding of category dynamics, shopper behavior, and market trends. This is a remote position.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to develop and implement strategic plans that drive category growth and align with company objectives.
• Leverage consumer, shopper, and syndicated data to identify opportunities and risks within the category and provide actionable recommendations.
• Partner with sales teams to build fact-based, insight-driven customer presentations and influence retail decisions around assortment, shelving, pricing, and promotions.
• Support customer planning and joint business planning processes by providing data-driven category insights and strategies.
• Engage with key customers and stakeholders to understand business needs and align category strategies to mutual growth objectives.
• Collaborate with marketing on innovation launches, promotional plans, and shopper marketing initiatives to maximize impact at retail.
• Deliver executive-level reporting and presentations on category performance, highlighting key metrics such as share growth, profitability, and distribution opportunities.
• Act as a liaison between category management, sales, marketing, and operations to ensure alignment and flawless execution of category initiatives.
• Support corporate initiatives through ad hoc analyses, insights generation, and thought leadership across category management best practices.
• Deliver planograms that leverage insights from category trends by account and/or region that follow brand priorities to ensure a highly productive assortment for both on-shelf and display executions.

Requirements

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in category management, trade marketing, or related fields, ideally within FMCG/CPG environments.
• Experience leveraging syndicated data sources (e.g., Nielsen, IRI, Circana) and shopper insights to inform decisions.
• Comprehensive understanding of category management principles, consumer insights, and retail execution.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field; MBA preferred.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively across functions and drive alignment toward common business goals.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to translate data into compelling insights and action plans.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence at multiple levels of the organization and with external partners.
• Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and visualization tools; experience with planogram/MOD tools preferred.

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