Category & Shopper Insights Integration Manager

For the past 162 years, Swisher has been an industry leader known for its iconic products and commitment to high quality standards. With a rich history, Swisher serves adult consumers through a diverse range of businesses, including Swisher Sweets Cigar Company, Helme Tobacco Co., Hempire, Rogue Holdings, and Drew Estate: The Rebirth of Cigars. We have a passion for people and helping them build rewarding careers. If you’re ready to create excitement and drive what’s next in the industry, we’d love to hear from you.

The Category & Shopper Insights Integration Manager serves as the bridge between insights, category strategy, and retail execution for retailers. This role tailors category and shopper insights into localized strategies, ensuring that Swisher’s commercial initiatives resonate with regional markets and retail formats.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the integration of category and shopper insights to develop actionable strategies that strengthen Swisher’s presence across independent retail channels
• Serve as the insights partner for Sales and Field teams by translating data into customer-specific narratives, recommendations, and activation plans
• Localize enterprise category strategies for regional and independent retailers by adapting assortment, pricing, and merchandising guidance to market dynamics and shopper missions
• Design and deploy flexible planogram and shelf management solutions that align with shopper behavior and optimize retail space productivity
• Collaborate with Category Management, Shopper Insights, and Sales to co-develop channel toolkits, customer decks, and activation materials that drive retailer engagement and executional excellence
• Analyze the performance of retailer programs by tracking KPIs such as distribution, velocity, and share of shelf; recommend enhancements to improve ROI and channel effectiveness
• Identify white space and growth opportunities using localized data, market trends, and retailer feedback to inform future innovation or category expansion
• Support annual planning and retail activation cycles by integrating shopper and category insights into trade plans, field sales guidance, and retail communication assets
• Maintain strong cross-functional alignment by participating in joint business planning sessions, performance reviews, and retail audits with key stakeholders

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Market Research, or related field
• 5+ years of progressive experience in category management, shopper insights, trade marketing, or retail strategy within CPG, tobacco, or convenience/independent retail channels
• Proven ability to translate data-driven insights into channel strategies that deliver measurable sales, distribution, and share growth
• Demonstrated expertise in cross-functional collaboration with Sales, Marketing, and Field Operations, including experience supporting customer-specific activation plans
• Strong proficiency with syndicated and shopper data platforms (Circana/IRI, Nielsen, Numerator, MSI) and ability to merge multiple data sets into clear commercial narratives
• Hands-on experience with planogram software and space management tools (e.g., JDA/Blue Yonder, Nielsen Spaceman) and understanding of assortment optimization principles
• Excellent analytical and storytelling skills, capable of converting complex insights into visually compelling and action-oriented presentations
• Deep understanding of independent and regional retail dynamics, including pricing elasticity, assortment flexibility, and operational nuances
• Highly organized and adaptable, with a track record of managing multiple priorities and projects in a fast-paced, customer-facing environment
• Exceptional communication and relationship management skills, with the ability to influence across organizational levels and represent the company effectively to external partners.
• Travel: 20-30%

What We Offer

• Base salary and bonus program
• Medical, dental, vision, life insurance effective on date of hire
• Generous 401(k) Plan
• Defined Contribution Plan
• Paid vacation and paid holidays
• Tuition reimbursement

Official Contact Information

• Email: All official emails will come from an @Swisher.com address
• Website: Verify job listings and contact details on

Important: We will never contact you via Teams, Zoom, or Google Meets. If you qualify for an interview the proper meeting method will be shared with you beforehand. Confidential information should only be shared through secure methods outside of email.