Manager, Category Development 

Job Number:

2400444 United States-Georgia-Atlanta 

Job Summary: 

The Manager, Category Development position leads the business segment in delivering Category Leadership in the marketplace, driving sustainable retailer category growth and advantage brand presence in aisle and online for Newell Brands portfolio. This person will work with the Newell Category Development Leader, Category Management, Consumer Insights, and the Sales Leadership team on implementing the Category Growth Selling Model that fuels breakthrough annual customer joint business plan (JBP) and the successful selling of critical Newell category growth and business segment initiatives. 

Responsibilities: 

CATEGORY EXPERT & STORYTELLER 

• Develop and update Category 101s and build Category foundational insights library for external use
• Partners with Brand and Sales Planning to launch and update category playbooks 
• Develop national category selling stories regarding assortment, new items, and display/merchandising tactics that are aligned with the retailer/company objectives
• Disseminate national selling stories to Category Management team to customize for individual retailers
• Partners with the sales teams, CMI, brand teams, and leadership to facilitate retailer aisle and department transformation work
• Answer key business questions and provides proactive insights to influence product roadmaps, customer outcomes, pricing, marketing, and other strategic and operational dynamics
• Produces actionable insights, suggests recommendations, and influences the direction of the business by effectively communicating findings to cross-functional groups 

CATEGORY PERFORMANCE REPORTING 

• Leads weekly discussions with sales leadership and/or business segment teams focused on category performance, volume drivers (decomps), and Driving, Shelving, Merchandising, Pricing (DSMP) tracking
• Creates regular weekly and monthly reports to track DSMP performance
• Provides regular updates on category purchase dynamics including household penetration trends, buy rate, loyalty and basket measures
• Delivers advanced consumer panel behavior tracking including shifting analysis (quarterly), basket co-purchase and cross-purchasing analysis
• Gathers competitive intelligence through a variety of tools and resources. Delivers competitive tracking to understand sources of volume (new buyers, switching and expansion) and trial and repeat. 
• Prepares analysis for key meetings including customer line reviews, JBP and Innovation Summits

SYNDICATED DATA KNOWLEDGE EXPERT 

• Serves as the expert on the use of syndicated POS, household panel data, eCommerce data, and other key primary and secondary databases to assist brand teams and customer planning in developing key business priorities
• Deploys tools and scorecards for managing business drivers & trends 
• Participates in the new item review process across all syndicated databases to consult on custom attributes and decision making hierarchy 
• Provides expertise, coaching and training to sales teams on how to effectively gather and interpret POS data and identify relevant customer insights 
• Serves as key point of contact for Newell central analytics groups to advocate for current and future business segment data needs and ensure we are building the right vendor relationships 

Key Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's degree with a focus in Business, Marketing, Finance or related field, MBA preferred 
• 5+ years of experience in a Category Development or Category Manager role 
• Experience working in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry is strongly preferred 
• Advanced analytical skills and computer software proficiency (e.g. Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, etc.) 
• Strong familiarity with syndicated data, measures and software (e.g. NPD, IRI, , etc.) 
• Ability to operate independently given direction, and bring ideas and solutions to issues raised 
• An ability to effectively work with, influence and connect with all levels of employees across multiple functions and geographies 
• Ability to improve processes and gain efficiencies within those processes 
• Excellent communication skills – both written and verbal 
• Multi-channel experience and shopper understanding

Newell Brands (NASDAQ: NWL) is a leading global consumer goods company with a strong portfolio of well-known brands, including Rubbermaid, Sharpie, Graco, Coleman, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Yankee Candle, Paper Mate, FoodSaver, Dymo, EXPO, Elmer’s, Oster, NUK, Spontex and Campingaz. We are focused on delighting consumers by lighting up everyday moments. Newell Brands and its subsidiaries are Equal Opportunity Employers and comply with applicable employment laws. EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled are encouraged to apply.