Based in Mount Prospect, IL, Mizkan America is a subsidiary of the Mizkan Group, a global, family-owned company that has been Bringing Flavor to Life™ for over 220 years. As one of the leading makers of vinegars, condiments, and sauces in the United States, Mizkan America maintains 12 manufacturing facilities that serve the retail, foodservice, specialty-Asian, and food-ingredient trade channels. We are committed to following our two core principles: continuously challenging the status quo and delivering only the finest products for our customers. Our leadership seeks out, embraces, and implements ideas for improvement from all of its employees. Transparency and accountability are two key factors that drive our company’s overall management approach.



We are looking for people who are seeking to deliver their best so that we can deliver ours. Above all, we’re dedicated to maximizing the potential of our greatest assets—our team members. That’s reflected in our ongoing commitment to recruit, develop, reward, and retain our talented, multicultural workforce. We hope to see you as part of our team’s future success!





COMMENTS: This job description reflects the assignment of essential functions. It does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.



**If you are located within 50 miles of any of our locations, this will be a hybrid position.**



SUMMARY: The Category Manager will function as the Category expert by providing best in class category, shopper insights & actionable go-to-market recommendations for a diverse set of retail customers. This person will oversee analyzing various data sources, identifying insights & recommending solutions that drive profitable category growth. The Category Manager will work cross-functionally to influence Mizkan’s comprehensive Category Growth Strategies focused on shopper centricity, enabling sales growth & market share gains. This position works as a strategic thought leader, imparting knowledge of the category & shopper to drive profitable business results.



PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & REQUIREMENTS:


* Function as the subject matter expert across Pasta Sauce, Vinegar & Asian Categories by providing thought leadership guidance to internal stakeholders & external customer decision makers.
* Serve as the expert on the use of syndicated & customer loyalty data to aid sales team members, brokers & business segment leads into making well informed decisions from actionable insights.
* Generate weekly, monthly & ad hoc reporting to supply insights, identify opportunities, channel shifting & associated trends & deliver solutions that drive profitable category growth.
* Work in alignment with Sales Team partners to influence the line review process with shopper insights & fact-based data to make proposals on optimal assortments & POG strategies to drive category & share growth.
* Provide insights, suggestions & perspective on multi-channel purchasing behaviors (in-store, omni, OGP, etc.)


* Develop consistent formats/presentation & analysis of syndicated data, KPI scorecards, customer category & shopper research & competitive activity to formulate strategies & plans for sales growth.
* Take ownership of monthly executive summaries & take part in company calls sharing in-market performance, key insights, opportunities, & recommendations for all growth channels customers.


* Lead development of critical transition to data visualization from static reporting formats.
* Continue to elevate Mizkan as a top CPG partner & an objective Category first thought leader.
* Takes ownership of self-development, proactively seeking continuous improvement, coaching, & development.
* Live out Mizkan America’s Two Principles of Continuously Challenging the Status Quo & Offering Consumers Only the Finest Products.
* Travel: ~25% of the time

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, & QUALIFICATIONS:


* Bachelor's degree or equivalent degree in a field of study related to the job.
* 8-10+ years category management, sales, data analytics & shopper insights experience.
* Advanced knowledge working with Panel/Numerator, shopper insights, customer data, Nielsen & Circana, & proficiency in JDA/Apollo preferred.
* Proven advanced abilities to use Microsoft Suite of tools (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.) effectively.
* Clear understanding of key stakeholders, internally & externally, & what information motivates them to effectively work across teams & customers.
* Strong storytelling skills & proven experience building cohesive, actionable, & fact-based selling stories.
* Demonstrated history showing a strong passion for winning, being a leader & dependable member of a team.
* Exhibit unwavering integrity, ethics & ability to keep an objective point of view.
* Must be an initiative-taker, have personal responsibility & accountability for execution & results.
* Strong written, verbal, interpersonal & listening skills.

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $98,800 to $138,300. Compensation is based on a number of factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills and experience. Short-Term Incentive and other forms of compensation may also be provided as part of a total compensation package.



A full range of medical, dental, vision, 401K plus up-to-four-percent (4%) match, profit sharing, wellness program, paid parental leave, long-term-care insurance, critical accident insurance, short- and long-term disability and education assistance are also available.



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Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Protected Veterans/DisabledPDN-9d155257-de11-46a3-a375-5cd4ff4206e6