What are the responsibilities and job description for the Category Manager position at Heartland FPG?
Category Manager - Java House, Splenda
Location: [On-site]
Department: Sales Strategy & Category Insights
Reports to: Sr. Director, Sales Strategy & Category Insights
Role Overview
The Category Manager is responsible for driving category growth and consumer value by delivering data-driven insights, assortment, pricing, shelving, and promotional recommendations to retail partners for the full Java House or Splenda brand portfolios. This role serves as a trusted advisor to field sales and retail partners, using consumer, shopper, and market data to develop strategies that grow the total category while strengthening the Java House brand.
The ideal candidate combines analytical rigor with storytelling, translating insights into actionable, customer-ready recommendations.
Key Responsibilities
Category & Shopper Insights
- Analyze category, brand, and SKU performance using syndicated and customer data
- Identify shopper trends, white space opportunities, and growth drivers
- Develop category growth hypotheses grounded in consumer and shopper behavior
- Monitor competitive activity, innovation, and performance trends
Assortment Strategy
- Lead assortment optimization and SKU rationalization recommendations
- Support new item launches with assortment and distribution strategies
- Evaluate assortment productivity and shelf efficiency
- Partner with Sales with line reviews and reset planning
Shelving & Merchandising
- Develop planograms, shelf principles, and merchandising strategies
- Optimize shelf layout to improve shopper navigation and conversion
- Build data-backed shelving recommendations aligned to retailer strategies
- Support execution of resets and in-store merchandising initiatives
Pricing & Promotion (Category Lens)
- Analyze price tiers, pack sizes, and competitive price gaps
- Partner with Revenue Growth Management (RGM) to evaluate promotion effectiveness
- Support pricing and promo recommendations that drive sales and share
- Partner with RGM and Sales on customer-specific strategies
Customer & Sales Support
- Create customer-ready presentations for line reviews, JBP meetings, and business updates
- Act as the category expert for assigned retailers
- Support Sales with fact-based selling and opportunity sizing
Key Deliverables
- Category growth strategies and playbooks
- Assortment and shelving recommendations
- Planograms and shelf optimization analyses
- Retailer-specific category reviews
- Executive-ready insight presentations
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Sales, Consumer Insights, or related field
- 5–8 years of experience in Category Management, Shopper Insights, or Analytics
- Strong experience with syndicated data (NIQ, Circana, SPINS, etc.)
- Advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills
- Strong analytical and storytelling capabilities
- Proven ability to synthesize large quantities of data into simple, actionable insights
- Experience supporting retail line reviews and resets
Preferred
- Experience working directly with major retailers
- Familiarity with space planning tools (JDA, Blue Yonder, Nielsen Spaceman)
- Experience with shopper research and panel data
- Exposure to omnichannel or e-commerce category management
Competencies & Attributes
- Shopper-first mindset
- Strong commercial and retailer acumen
- Ability to translate data into clear recommendations
- Collaborative, cross-functional partner
- Detail-oriented with executive presence