The Category Management team is responsible for developing and optimizing product categories across the retail, foodservice, business to business, and national account channels. The company has capabilities across all major pork categories, and looks to profitably balance branded and private label offerings. This role offers a great opportunity to focus on insight-based decision making, and leading cross-functional teams in building long-term growth for the organization.

Strategic Planning and Innovation

• Provide category and shopper insights to develop actionable recommendations
• Develop & lead ideas from where to play identification, through concept development, business case and go-to-market strategy.
• Deliver quality ideas into funnel, building out a strategic and profitable pipeline of ideas and understanding of the split between renovation vs new platform products development.
• Lead in the development of category objectives by channel and brand strategy. Make recommendations and gain alignment
• Work closely with sales team to determine optimal pricing through analysis of sales trends, competitors, buying habits and planograms of products to promote sales opportunities.
• Provide input to strategic decisions that affect the functional area of responsibility.
• Represent the customer perspective throughout new product development (Stage/Gate Process) on both core renovation and platform development.
• Lead cross functional team on making capacity and investment recommendations
• Lead cross functional team to optimize product portfolio, and deliver new products to market and rationalize current assortments
• Find new ways of doing things better every day and be an entrepreneurial innovation ambassador to the organization capable of integrating activities across key functional partners

Sales Execution

• Conduct customer-specific analysis across items to identify key issues and opportunities to the plan and make recommendations for improvement, based on findings. This includes quality and product development improvements, innovation and renovation.
• Lead in the development and delivery of category training for Sales team.
• Interact with customers and consumers to engage in category reviews and ideation, both branded and PL.
• Develops market and competitive analysis leveraging syndicated and propriety data managing CFG understanding of Competitive Landscape.
• Lead in communication of portfolio changes to stakeholders to ensure integration into all supporting materials i.e. sell sheets, decks, store front.
• Lead project development into Proof of Concept through Commercialization and collaborate with the Marketing team to hand off for Launch.
• Partner with cross-functional team including brand marketing, finance, and sales to develop go to market trade strategies and supporting customer trade investments.
• Support customer teams on key meetings & presentations as pertains to innovation and sampling; communicate with cross-functional leadership teams on innovation details & initiatives.

Performance Management

• Optimize report communication process and S&OP development
• Analyze comparison product cuttings to approve new or updated products
• Evaluate and communicate to stakeholders the progress against plan and recommend corrective action as needed
• Manage results by category- both top line sales and bottom line contribution margin

Team CFG

• Effectively engage and build relationships across the matrix organization and senior leaders as well as with external partners
• Participate in corporate Initiatives outside of normal daily responsibilities as required
• Participate in organizational development activities, including training, engagement, and DE&I sessions