PLZ is committed to product stewardship and innovation, strong ethical standards, sustainable operations and most importantly, the development of our people. Whether at our manufacturing facilities or corporate headquarters, PLZ prioritizes health and safety, and offers you the support you need to create the career you want, through engagement, equity and inclusion, and opportunity.

From household cleaning solutions to personal care products, and food to automotive lubricants, PLZ produces more than 2,500 different aerosol and liquid products in our facilities across the continent. We know that being the partner of choice for our clients starts with being the partner of choice for our employees. Learn more at www.plzcorp.com/careers or visit https://youtu.be/XYNIFpLQIJY

The Director, Category Management for PLZ’s Specialty Solutions (SPS) business unit will lead strategic market planning within our core product categories with the objective of driving market share growth while fostering more meaningful relationships with our valued customers. This role will function as a critical link between the SPS sales team and its customers by turning insights and strategies into actions that create sustainable, profitable growth for the business. This is a highly cross-functional role interfacing with a broad array of internal teams, as well as senior executives within both PLZ and its customers.

Key Responsibilities:

Industry Research

• Conduct industry research through data analysis, intelligence gathering, and store walks to inform SPS leadership team on the state of core categories in the marketplace.
• Identify key industry trends across customers, suppliers, competitors, and regulators.
• Develop data-driven insights to drive growth and pricing strategies within each core category.
• Serve as the category expert and thought partner to the SPS leadership team within core product categories.

Business Development

• Craft PLZ’s sales narrative within each focus category. Develop messaging that serves as the keystone for internal and external sales collateral and presentations.
• Create category and customer specific presentations to endorse PLZ capabilities, product offerings, and communicate its value proposition to the customer.
• Participate in customer meetings to drive new product development in core categories and logical adjacencies. Translate customer needs into an actionable product pipeline.
• Work closely with PLZ’s Research & Development organization teams to build a differentiated and compelling product set which solves critical pain points and responds to the “voice of the customer.”
• Manage product development lifecycle in core categories to drive new business growth.

Category Management

• Develop monthly reports to analyze category performance and guide monthly business planning.
• Maintain competitive intelligence database for core Specialty Solutions categories. Translate this information into actionable insights for senior leadership.
• Drive ongoing simplification of PLZ’s portfolio within core categories.

Qualifications required:

• 10 years of experience in category, brand and product management focused on retail brands and/or contract manufacturing preferred.
• Results-oriented, data-driven mind-set, with a strong business acumen possessing impeccable attention to detail.
• Experience working with IRI, Circana and NPD with a proven ability to turn data into actionable insights.
• Critical thinker with problem-solving skills.
• Ability to display strong technical, interpersonal, and analytical skills and influence cross-functional team members and leadership to drive change.
• Strong understanding of financial principles and ability to analyze profitability and sales data to drive decision making and strategies.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills to effectively communicate category strategies and plans to stakeholders.
• Proficiency in using data analysis tools and software, such as Microsoft Excel, Tableau, Power BI to analyze and interpret sales data.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and adapt to changing market conditions.
• Ability to travel as required for customer meetings or industry events.

PLZ Corp offers a robust suite of benefits including:

• Medical, Dental & Vision benefits.
• Company paid Life and Short-Term disability.
• Voluntary benefits including additional life, disability, and hospital/accident insurance.
• 401k & company provided match.
• Paid Time Off
• Bonus incentive programs (Note, bonuses are subject to the rules governing the program, whereby an award, if any, depends on various factors, including, without limitation, individual and organizational performance.)

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or other protected status. EEOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.