Associate Manager, Category Management & Insights

Description:

General Summary: The Associate Manager, Category Management will support the development and execution of category leadership strategies that drive mutual growth for Storck and its retail partners. This role delivers data-driven insights, supports customer-facing selling stories, and provides analytical leadership for assigned categories and customers. The ideal candidate combines strong analytical capabilities, an understanding of shopper and category dynamics, and the ability to translate data into compelling recommendations that influence internal and external stakeholders.

This role acts as a bridge between Sales, Marketing, Business Activation, Insights, and retail customers, helping advance Storck’s category presence across channels while supporting long-term brand and customer strategies.

Managerial Responsibilities: This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Category Analytics & Insights Development

• Conduct detailed business analyses—including distribution, pricing, promotion, assortment, class-of-trade trends, and competitive/category assessments—to identify issues, risks, and growth opportunities.
• Translate consumer, shopper, and category insights into actionable recommendations for customers and internal teams.
• Support development of the Storck “Picture of Success” across categories, channels, and customers.
• Build and maintain reporting dashboards and tools that enable data-driven decision-making.
• Lead development of fact-based selling stories that communicate category growth opportunities using syndicated (IRI/Nielsen) and panel data.
• Analyze merchandising effectiveness and shelf placement to recommend improvements in assortment and space optimization. Manage and update internal category tools, templates, and dashboards.
• Leverage IRI/Nielsen data, retailer-specific data, and customer panel data to support analysis.
• Monitor class-of-trade and customer performance trends, identifying shifts and emerging opportunities.

Customer & Commercial Support

• Serve as a category partner to Sales Managers, helping prepare for line reviews, business reviews, and joint business planning sessions.
• Present category insights and recommendations to customers in collaboration with Sales.
• Support development of customer-specific programs, assortment recommendations, and promotional insights.
• Act as the internal subject-matter expert on category and shopper dynamics for assigned accounts.
• Provide field support during key customer engagements by delivering category insights and strengthening customer relationships.
• Evaluate customer-specific opportunities such as custom packs, innovation launches, and merchandising programs.

Strategic Planning & Execution

• Contribute to annual planning cycles by providing category insights and partnering with Sales to identify key customer initiatives.
• Support Sales leadership in the development of annual volume, distribution, and promotional plans using category insights.
• Assist in the creation and tracking of key category strategies, ensuring consistent execution across teams and accounts.
• Stay current with industry trends—including competitive landscape, shopper behavior, and channel shifts—to inform category recommendations.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Sales, Brand Marketing, Shopper Marketing, Business Activation, Finance, and Supply Chain to ensure alignment on category strategies.
• Partner with Insights to leverage syndicated data, shopper research, and in-market testing to inform category strategies.
• Collaborate with Business Activation on the development of selling materials that support customer presentations.
• Participate in cross-functional meetings to communicate customer performance, emerging insights, and category opportunities.

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

• Fulfill Storck Company Values; Passion, Belonging, and Growth
• Other duties as assigned

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to summarize data and develop concise reports that support storytelling and translate to sales results
• Strong analytical skills with proven ability to manage large, complex data sets
• Proficiency in either IRI, or Nielsen data and software
• Highly Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Power Point) and other presentation mediums
• Excellent time management and organizational skills
• Strong teamwork, problem solving, and communication skills (written, verbal, interpersonal)
• Energetic and action-oriented individual

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field, MBA preferred.
• 5+ years of category management or customer/shopper marketing or Sales Strategy / Commercial Strategy experience required, preferably with a CPG/FMCG company.

Travel: 5-10%, including Domestic, and potentially International Travel

Working Conditions: Hybrid Work Model, including Monday and Friday Work from Home, and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday in normal working conditions for an office environment in downtown Chicago, IL.

Other Qualification, Safety Procedures: Must be willing to follow and comply with communicated Company, Travel, and Retailer safety procedures in order to attend meetings, travel domestically or internationally, comply with Retail Partner safety procedures, and/or follow other workplace health and safety requirements to fulfil job duties.

Additional Information: Storck USA is not currently hiring individuals for this position who now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status.

What We Offer: The salary range for this position is USD $95,000-$115,000 annually at the time of this posting. Pay is based on several factors, including but not limited to position offered, education, skills, work experience, and other factors permitted by law. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This position is also eligible for bonus pay.

In addition to your salary, Storck offers a comprehensive total rewards package, including a 6% employer 401(k) plan contribution, Health benefits on day 1 including a 100% employer paid option for medical and dental, Hybrid flexible work schedule including reduced Friday hours all year round, Paid maternity/paternity leave, Monthly wellness stipend, and more. This position is also eligible for PTO ranging from 35-45 days based on our Company PTO Policies and paid Sabbaticals ranging from 5-20 days based on tenure. Plus, we can’t forget to mention the supply of delicious candy!!

Additional information regarding the benefits for this position can be found in the Benefits Summary that is available from our Human Resources Department.

Requirements: