Summary
The Foodservice Category Manager will serve as the ambassador for the client’s food category, and is responsible for driving category management principles through the application of strong, proactive data analytics and consumer/shopper insights. The Category Manager will provide compelling presentations and other information in support of sales and category growth and guidance to management team members. This person will own the food category management strategy and is accountable for developing relationships at the vendor and customer level.
Key Functions
- The Foodservice Category Manager organizes, directs, plans and controls activity that ensures customer value, excellence in presentation, quality and consistency of product, innovation, and productivity.
- Developing business plans and strategies to grow category sales, client market share, and category space.
- Performing category and channel analysis
- Ensuring continued sales and gross profit contribution through quality marketing strategy and effective execution of the strategy
- Analyzing and evaluating demographic profiles and consumer purchasing behavior in individual account/categories and groups of accounts/ categories.
- Performing competitive analysis by category, brand and package to identify trends, opportunities and challenges to core business areas
- Identifying new business opportunities for new products, re-launches, packaging changes, range extensions and proposes initial plans to exploit these opportunities
- Developing, communicating, implementing and coordinating all foods promotions
- Staying abreast of national/global consumer food trends across channels / categories.
Requirements
- BS/BA in relevant field; Marketing/Business Administration preferred
- 5+ years’ experience in food service category management, including product development
- Excellent and demonstrated expertise in foodservice operations
- Demonstrated track record of effective vendor / supplier negotiation skills
- Strong knowledge of MS Office suite of tools
- Ability to access desired information from database, including the analytical skills to utilize it
- Exceptional team approach
- Demonstrated project management and success effectively directing multiple initiatives / programs
- Strong presentation and consultative skills
