Senior Manager of Category Strategy

Position: Senior Manager, Category Management  

Department: Commercial Strategy 

Reports To: Michael Martin 

Salary Type: Exempt 

Location: Philadelphia, PA, Hybrid, 4/days week  

Make a greater impact at Bonduelle Americas! 

Bonduelle Americas is a certified B Corp inviting people to embrace a flexitarian lifestyle with an expanding portfolio of plant-rich products available in and beyond the produce aisle. We operate four facilities and employ nearly 3,000 Associates in the US.   

Bonduelle Americas is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Groupe Bonduelle (BON.PA), an established global brand with more than 170 years of family heritage bringing the joy of plants to tables around the world. Globally, our ready-to-eat plant-rich food products are grown on 173,000 acres by our grower partners and marketed in nearly 100 countries. Our mission is to inspire the transition toward a plant-rich diet to contribute to people's well-being and planet health.   

Join us at Bonduelle Americas for an opportunity to advance your career in a culture that places people first. As a valued member of our company, you will work in a mission-driven environment aimed at preserving the planet’s resources while providing healthy plant-based products to millions of consumers around the world. 

Position Summary: 

As the Senior Manager of Category Strategy, you will lead the strategic narrative for Bonduelle’s plant-forward portfolio, new-item selling stories that inform how we show up across our retail classes of trade. You’ll transform complex data into persuasive narratives that guide assortment, shelf, promotions, and brand decisions and, ultimately category share growth. In doing so, you’ll help Bonduelle become a more insight-forward, customer-centric organization.   

Key Responsibilities 

Strategy, Storytelling & Growth Leadership 

• Shape and drive the overall category narrative, prioritizing shopper-based growth levers, white space opportunities, and retailer alignment. 

• Develop compelling category selling stories and new-item selling stories, bridging consumer/shoppers insight with retailer imperatives and internal capabilities. 

• Lead “captaincy” conversations with customers and Sales partners — owning strategic and tactical discussions from insight through execution. 

Insights & Analytics 

• Deliver deep-dive, multi-dimensional analysis to uncover retailer, category, and shopper trends, distill insights and create stories and action plans. 

• Synthesize syndicated (SPINS< Nielsen, IRI), loyalty/panel (Scintilla, 84.51), POS, eCommerce and internal data to uncover opportunities. 

• Be the resident expert on assigned Food accounts and help us position to win with your customer knowledge. 

• Assortment, Shelf & Merchandising Strategy 

• Lead customer line reviews, with insights to support base business and innovation recommendations. 

• Lead shelf / POG strategy — considering adjacencies, pack-out, share-of-shelf allocation and days-of-supply. 

• Guide assortment decisions (Bonduelle brand portfolio priorities, SKU priority lists, SKU rationalization) 

• Cross-Functional Leadership & Execution 

• Work closely with Commercial Strategy & Planning, Omni Channel Activation, Brand Marketing, Sales, Revenue Growth Management to ensure alignment in strategy and execution. 

• Translate narrative into action: partner with Customer and Sales teams to operationalize plans and deliver business commitments. 

• Lead business reviews, joint business plans (JBPs), and ongoing account governance — delivering story-driven presentations that lead to decisions. 

• Be an expert storyteller — distill complex data into persuasive narratives that engage and influence both internal and external stakeholders. 

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Analytics, Economics, or related field.  

• 7–10 years of experience in Category Management, Category Strategy, Shopper Insights, Trade Marketing, or related CPG commercial roles.  

• Strong proficiency with syndicated data sources (e.g., Nielsen, IRI, SPINS) and retailer data platforms (84.51°, Scintillia, Retail Link, etc.).  

• Demonstrated experience translating data into compelling narratives, influencing both internal teams and customer partners.  

• Expertise in shelf strategy and assortment optimization, including POG development, SKU rationalization, and line review leadership.  

• Advanced analytical skills, including ability to synthesize large data sets into insights and action plans.  

• Proven experience leading customer-facing conversations, including category leadership, line reviews, and Joint Business Planning (JBP).  

• Strong cross-functional leadership skills, with experience partnering with Sales, Marketing, RGM, and Strategy teams to drive aligned execution.  

• Advanced PowerPoint and Excel skills, including data visualization, story building, and financial modeling basics. 

Leadership & Mindset Expectations 

• Storytelling mindset with the ability to simplify complexity.  

• Curious, insight-forward thinker who anticipates category shifts and identifies white-space growth opportunities.  

• Strong communicator who can influence without authority and lead through collaboration.  

• Proactive, organized, and able to manage multiple concurrent priorities in a fast-moving environment.