Category Planning Manager, US Condiments

Location: Hoboken, NJ (Hybrid)

JOB PURPOSE

At Unilever, we believe passionately in a purpose-driven business. And our purpose is to make sustainable living commonplace. Working at Unilever as a Category Planning Manager means you are joining a world-class Category Strategy & Planning organization that oversees category strategy, category and shopper insights, commercial planning, and shopper marketing expertise in our US Nutrition business unit. US Nutrition manifesto is to make affordable Nutrition accessible to the many with purpose led brands such as Hellmann’s, Knorr, Sir Kensington, and Maille. This will focus on our Condiments portfolio across Mayonnaise, Mustards, and Sauces.

Category Planning function works closely with Field Sales, Marketing (local and global), Shopper Marketing, Finance, Net Revenue Management, Supply Chain, and internal Trade Marketing functions bringing commercial strategies to the retail (including eComm) with flawless execution achieving US Condiments top and bottom-line growth plans.

Category Planning Manager, US Condiments, will be the voice of the customer and the shopper within the US Condiments cross-functional business team ensuring channel and customer insights are incorporated in developing short and long term brand and customer commercial plans that coincides with retailers’ strategies.

The role reports into the Category Planning Team Lead, US Condiments.

For our part at Unilever, we commit to providing you with experiences that allow you to become a world-class marketer, to bring your purpose to life at work, and provide you the growth opportunities you need for long-term career success. With amazing benefits and a state-of-the-art newly remodeled headquarters, you will have the support you need to bring your whole self to work each and every day, to thrive, to drive your business to thrive, and to work on projects that excite you.

WHAT YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES WILL BE

The Category Planning Manager role will need to bring dynamic attitude and passion to:

• Strong background in data and analytics and enjoys diving deep into large data sets
• Translating data into insights and insights into action by crafting commercial plans that execute against the Category Growth Strategy across Category Value Drivers
• Partnering in S&OP to gather key demand-driving inputs from customer and brand teams, ensuring US Condiments has the appropriate demand forecast to support in-market activity
• Crafting channel and customer trade budgets and annual growth targets that ladder up to US Condiments P&L delivery and meet top- and bottom-line financial KPIs
• Diving deep into channel pricing, distribution gaps, competitive analysis, trade optimization, promotional analysis, and shopper insights to build commercial plans
• Building key Category and Brand Commercial planning inputs, including digital and omnichannel, across Integrated Business Planning and Joint Business Planning with customers such as Walmart, Target, Kroger, Albertsons, Amazon, and Ahold
• Developing customer-facing category strategy with key business partners to translate and localize category strategy into channel and category marketing plans across multiple channels and customers
• Setting and deploying channel strategy for the category and holistic customer investment across customers to deliver profitable growth

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUCCEED

Experiences & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred
• 5+ years (7+ preferred) of experience in Customer Development, Account Management, Trade Marketing, Category Strategy, and/or Brand Marketing Operations within the consumer goods industry
• Results-driven, with an ownership mindset to achieve established goals and KPIs
• Proven analytical thinking, data-driven decision-making, and ability to influence through strategic storytelling using data and insights
• Retail, eCommerce, and omnichannel experience preferred
• Ability to think strategically and produce results in a highly entrepreneurial environment
• Excellent oral, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to tailor communication across disciplines and leadership levels
• Energized by collaborating with cross-functional partners on new and creative ways to solve business problems
• Encourages ownership to resolve issues where they occur and holds others and the organization accountable for delivery
• High comfort level using IRI/Nielsen POS data and Numerator panel data

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