Director - Category Strategy & Sales Operations

We are the world's #1 gummi candy manufacturer. It's a great time to join HARIBO and help spread "Childlike Happiness" (one of our core values) to consumers across the United States. Are you HARIBO? The Director - Category Management & Category Strategy leads the development of category growth strategies and commercial insights that help HARIBO of America deliver sustainable, profitable growth within the confectionery category. **Please note- this is not a procurement or buyer position** . The role leads and develops a team, builds a high-accountability performance culture, and equips internal sales teams and broker partners with the insights, tools and ways of working needed to win with retail customers and grow the confectionery category. Are you HARIBO? Located on-site at the HARIBO of America corporate office in Rosemont, Illinois, the Director - Category Management & Category Strategy translates consumer, shopper, customer (retailers), channel (grocery, drug store, dollar/value, mass, club, convenience, etc), and competitive intelligence into clear commercial recommendations across assortment, shelf strategy, pricing, promotion, innovation, and retail customer execution across the United States. This roles also strengthens sales effectiveness through analytics, channel planning, standardized processes, broker performance management, and actional business reporting. The Director - Category Management & Category Strategy will have 10+ years of experience in the CPG / Consumer Packaged Goods industry—specifically with 5+ years in Category Management roles. Additionally, this person will have a Bachelor’s Degree, 5+ years of formal people management experience, and demonstrate deep expertise in using syndicated sales and category data (IRI, Circana, Nielsen IQ, etc) and turning data and insights into actionable strategies. **Please note- this is not a procurement or buyer position**. Responsibilities: Develop category management strategies for channel (grocery, drug store, dollar/value, mass, club, convenience, etc) and customer (retailer) strategies which includes assortment, space, pricing, promotional recommendations that support overall category growth (gummie, sugar, confectionery, etc) while supporting HARIBO’s commercial sales objectives Partner with Sales, Marketing, and Demand Planning to improve sales forecast accuracy Coordinate Sales Planning routines, leadership meeting agendas and materials, and monitor execution again channel strategies and objectives Ensure Sales organization has appropriate tools and technology, including data analytics platforms, to support effective planning and decision making Align broker partners on category priorities, customer (retailer) specific recommendations, and the work required to deliver agreed upon business objectives, track broker results against agreed objectives Lead and develop the Category Management, Sales Analytics, and Broker Management teams Use available retail and syndicated data, sales results, and customer information to translate trends into practical recommendations for Sales leadership Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree Minimum 10+ years of experience in the CPG / Consumer Packaged Goods industry Must have prior experience specifically in Category Management roles - **Please note - this is not a procurement or buyer position** Must have prior people management experience, coaching & developing direct reports Must have prior experience specifically in impulse CPG categories such as candy, confectionary, beverage, or salty snacks, or similar impulse purchase categories Deep expertise in syndicated sales data tools such as IRI, Circana, NielsenIQ / NIQ, SPINS, Numerator, or other related syndicated sales data tools Ability to travel up to 20% of the time, nation-wide, with overnight stays Skills Proven track record of developing and executing successful Category strategies and optimizing Sales Operations Proficiency in utilizing, pulling dat…

View the full posting and apply