Lindt & Sprungli (North America) Inc.
Sr. Category Manager
Lindt & Sprungli (North America) Inc., Rogers, Arkansas, United States, 72758
Who We Are
At Lindt, we are a global fast‑growing consumer goods company, enchanting the world with premium chocolate. We are driven by our passion for excellence and go the extra mile ensuring that every Lindt experience is nothing short of exceptional. Our collective efforts are geared towards making a positive impact, not only in the world of premium chocolate but also in the lives of our employees, customers, and communities. Our company embraces a culture defined by the core values of Excellence, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Responsibility, and Collaboration, fostering a dynamic and collaborative environment where these principles drive our success.
Position Purpose The Sr. Category Manager is responsible for organizing and analyzing market trends, shopper behavior intelligence, and competitive trends within the Lindt Premium Candy categories at Walmart. This position plays an integral part in the identification of insights‑based category opportunities and execution of strategic sales growth. As a top‑focus customer team at Lindt, this role will also advance our Lindt Category reputation through a focus on excellence with data, actionable insights, and thought leadership – expanding our external reputation for best‑in‑class insights at Walmart and elevating our internal processes and teams as we continually advance our category department.
This is a hybrid role in our Rogers, AR office.
Essential Job Functions & Responsibilities
Lead the development of a strong foundational understanding of our WMT Everyday, Seasons, and Checklane shoppers, leveraging multiple sources of data such as Scintilla, Circana, Numerator, and Kantar
Bring best‑in‑class insights‑based opportunities to Walmart, to support customer strategy and Lindt initiatives, drive growth, and deliver increased market share
Identify and monitor sales trends, competitive threats, and marketplace activity through regular reporting, analysis, and sharing of syndicated and panel data
Act as a consultant and strategic partner to Walmart providing unbiased recommendations to drive overall category growth
Develop strategic planogram recommendations, combining proven merchandising theory, space‑to‑sales data, and Lindt strategy to improve category performance and shed light on store‑level and regional opportunities
Lead the creation of compelling category insights for Everyday line reviews, Seasons reviews, and Checklane reviews
Play a leadership role in providing category insights, analyzing business issues, and providing business insights and recommendations in the areas of assortment, pricing, and promotion to improve business results
Present skillful analysis, trend information, and category recommendations directly to Walmart, building a strong relationship directly with the buyers to support customer strategy and Lindt business opportunities. Meeting examples are: Line Reviews, Quarterly Reviews
Leadership
Provide thought leadership to internal business teams and positively influence the Wholesale decision‑making process
Closely partner with Digital teams to provide shopper‑based understanding of customer trips and basket shifts
Proactively engage with sales leads to understand business goals, item issues & opportunities, and gain important business context for your analytical work
Research and Analysis
Lead the development of a Scintilla research agenda and manage the budget balance through the calendar year
Define the insights strategies for customer meetings and integrate learnings and compelling insights to elevate engagement
Be the information expert and power user for Scintilla, syndicated data, and household panel data
Qualifications & Requirements Mentality
You like challenges. You're a creative problem‑solver and you're not deterred easily when you face a barrier or setback
You're comfortable with change and are an agile, continuous learner
You're proactive and have strong time management, comfortable with having multiple plates in the air and different deadlines
You're highly curious and skilled at connecting the dots
You know the "why" is important and you're comfortable drilling down to identify a root cause
You're collaborative and can thrive in a team‑based culture
Skills & Expertise
Proficiency in Scintilla is mandatory
Advanced Microsoft Office skills; advanced knowledge of Excel charting and formulas, and PowerPoint
Proficiency in syndicated data via Circana and/or Nielsen required; will leverage multiple data sources in‑role
Demonstrated analytical and critical thinking ability; must be able to link strategies and objectives to develop compelling stories
Strong time management and personal organization skills; must have demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously and stay on track with deadlines
Strong oral communication and presentation skills at the executive level; must be able to communicate confidently and effectively with team members and customer, and tailor information to the audience
Strong written communication skills; must be able to organize complex data and details into topline information that is clear and concise
Category management and analytical experience
Ability to connect the dots and turn insights into an actionable recommendation
5+ years category/shopper insights experience
CPG experience
Previous experience on a Walmart or Sam's Club account
Education
Bachelor's degree required; Masters preferred
Other Requirements
Ability to travel up to 20% (seasonal)
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Position Purpose The Sr. Category Manager is responsible for organizing and analyzing market trends, shopper behavior intelligence, and competitive trends within the Lindt Premium Candy categories at Walmart. This position plays an integral part in the identification of insights‑based category opportunities and execution of strategic sales growth. As a top‑focus customer team at Lindt, this role will also advance our Lindt Category reputation through a focus on excellence with data, actionable insights, and thought leadership – expanding our external reputation for best‑in‑class insights at Walmart and elevating our internal processes and teams as we continually advance our category department.
This is a hybrid role in our Rogers, AR office.
Essential Job Functions & Responsibilities
Lead the development of a strong foundational understanding of our WMT Everyday, Seasons, and Checklane shoppers, leveraging multiple sources of data such as Scintilla, Circana, Numerator, and Kantar
Bring best‑in‑class insights‑based opportunities to Walmart, to support customer strategy and Lindt initiatives, drive growth, and deliver increased market share
Identify and monitor sales trends, competitive threats, and marketplace activity through regular reporting, analysis, and sharing of syndicated and panel data
Act as a consultant and strategic partner to Walmart providing unbiased recommendations to drive overall category growth
Develop strategic planogram recommendations, combining proven merchandising theory, space‑to‑sales data, and Lindt strategy to improve category performance and shed light on store‑level and regional opportunities
Lead the creation of compelling category insights for Everyday line reviews, Seasons reviews, and Checklane reviews
Play a leadership role in providing category insights, analyzing business issues, and providing business insights and recommendations in the areas of assortment, pricing, and promotion to improve business results
Present skillful analysis, trend information, and category recommendations directly to Walmart, building a strong relationship directly with the buyers to support customer strategy and Lindt business opportunities. Meeting examples are: Line Reviews, Quarterly Reviews
Leadership
Provide thought leadership to internal business teams and positively influence the Wholesale decision‑making process
Closely partner with Digital teams to provide shopper‑based understanding of customer trips and basket shifts
Proactively engage with sales leads to understand business goals, item issues & opportunities, and gain important business context for your analytical work
Research and Analysis
Lead the development of a Scintilla research agenda and manage the budget balance through the calendar year
Define the insights strategies for customer meetings and integrate learnings and compelling insights to elevate engagement
Be the information expert and power user for Scintilla, syndicated data, and household panel data
Qualifications & Requirements Mentality
You like challenges. You're a creative problem‑solver and you're not deterred easily when you face a barrier or setback
You're comfortable with change and are an agile, continuous learner
You're proactive and have strong time management, comfortable with having multiple plates in the air and different deadlines
You're highly curious and skilled at connecting the dots
You know the "why" is important and you're comfortable drilling down to identify a root cause
You're collaborative and can thrive in a team‑based culture
Skills & Expertise
Proficiency in Scintilla is mandatory
Advanced Microsoft Office skills; advanced knowledge of Excel charting and formulas, and PowerPoint
Proficiency in syndicated data via Circana and/or Nielsen required; will leverage multiple data sources in‑role
Demonstrated analytical and critical thinking ability; must be able to link strategies and objectives to develop compelling stories
Strong time management and personal organization skills; must have demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously and stay on track with deadlines
Strong oral communication and presentation skills at the executive level; must be able to communicate confidently and effectively with team members and customer, and tailor information to the audience
Strong written communication skills; must be able to organize complex data and details into topline information that is clear and concise
Category management and analytical experience
Ability to connect the dots and turn insights into an actionable recommendation
5+ years category/shopper insights experience
CPG experience
Previous experience on a Walmart or Sam's Club account
Education
Bachelor's degree required; Masters preferred
Other Requirements
Ability to travel up to 20% (seasonal)
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