Category Leadership Manager

Job Description

Company Summary

If you have taken a moment to unwind with a bottle of beer, toast with glass of wine, or celebrate with a cocktail, chances are that you have shared that moment with Constellation Brands.  We are passionate producers of iconic beer, wine and spirits brands that consumers love.  From Corona Extra, to Robert Mondavi Wines, we produce over 100 premium brands with sales in nearly 100 countries, making us the number one multi-category beverage alcohol company in the U.S.

Position Summary

The Category Leadership Manager (CLM) plays an instrumental role as a research oriented, tactical member of the Category Leadership (CL) team that expands Constellation’s reputation as a high-quality, valued provider of CL recommendations. Exhibiting accountability and dependability, the CLM is proactive, collaborative, logical, highly flexible in analytical approach, and able to focus on desired outcomes, not just reactive, quick solutions.

Responsibilities

Influences and manages all space management projects for assigned customer(s).

• Influences assigned retailers schematic process to implement key shopper insights. Shopper First Shelf.
• Leads space management analysis and designs category shelf schematics following Constellation’s standardized planning processes, tools, and space strategies.
• Collaborates with Sales partners to determine account priorities, and pursue most impactful initiatives pertaining to space, assortment, and other sales analytics.
• Conducts space and distribution opportunity analysis to optimize revenue and profit by improving shopping convenience.
• Makes product addition and deletion recommendations by brand and package.
• Changes sub-category or segment flow, or brand-blocking techniques as directed.
• Quantifies expected results of proposed planogram changes.
• Initiates and/or attends customer meetings as appropriate.
• Participates in the reset decision making process with other vendors and merchandisers.
• Establishes, controls, and implements retail execution plan methods and procedures to improve overall project effectiveness.
• Defines all incremental human resources requested to be applied and makes requests as necessary to CL Director. If applicable, counsels, guides, and provides expertise to Category Analysts (CA) who support the project in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness driving a continual improvement process.
• Maintains schematic archives with accurate data for all required store combinations.
• Reports changes implemented including physical space gains/losses by brewer/brand.
• Measures schematics, post-implementation.

Participates in a wide variety of ad-hoc analytical projects.

• As directed by Director or Sales Lead, prepares category reviews or conducts analysis as a project lead. Extracts the requested and required raw data from retailer or Constellation systems as necessary including retailer proprietary POS, loyalty, or primary research systems and studies and Constellation syndicated data systems.
• Proactively identifies business growth opportunities and develops important category insights, solutions, and presentations for assigned customer(s).
• Attend and participate in business planning meetings.
• Provides input into assigned customers Annual Business Plan as well as the Joint Business Planning process.
• Seeks clarification or understanding as necessary.
• Updates scorecards for assigned customer(s) utilizing Constellation’s standardized format.

• Manages and tracks progress across all initiatives, summarizes and regularly reports on outcomes to the appropriate personnel.

Knowledge in:

• Moves beyond analyzing factual data independently by grasping a conceptual understanding of a wide range of information. Screens out irrelevant or vague information, questions the limits or quality of data, and integrates diverse themes or lines of reasoning to generate new insights or levels of understanding for the issue at hand.
• Expertly able to manipulate space management software (Blue Yonder JDA or Apollo) to produce, organize, and present detailed or complex information in the most effective manner that expresses concepts and recommendations in a clear, direct, and concise message. Notices when raw data appears wrong or incomplete and is able to question its accuracy. Digs for details, distinguishes between, and disposes of information that is suspect or not pertinent to a solution.
• Extracts and uses data from secondary syndicated or primary retail systems. Comprehends what the measures imply and how they should be applied to a given situation. Clearly documents sources of data and organizes the information according the needs of the project.
• Completes high volumes of work with little oversight, focusing time and effort on key tasks to bring projects to a successful resolution. Resilient, keeps a rapid pace by grouping related tasks for efficiency without sacrificing accuracy. Transitions quickly between tasks.
• Responds positively to change. Embraces and commits, as a willing user, to new practices to complete responsibilities, solve problems, and accomplish goals.
• Promotes cooperation and shared commitment to achieve goals and deliverables collectively as a team. Helps to remove barriers to team productivity and ultimately, team success.
• Effectively defines projects’ scope, their purpose and criteria for success. Clarifies all team member related roles and responsibilities, deliverables, milestone dates, the sequence of tasks, and limits for independent decision making.
• Uses plain talk and the correct vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and punctuation to present information clearly, whether simple, complex, or technical in nature.
• Anticipates potential challenges and makes recommendations based on input.

Minimum Qualifications

• 1+ years of space management experience.
• Intermediate knowledge of Blue Yonder JDA or Apollo system usage and output, including the application of measures contained within.
• Ability to build strong relationships, initiate action and adjust to change are key attributes of this role. 
• Proficient in the use of all category management and space planning software, concepts, analytical techniques; have a thorough understanding of syndicated data. 
• Strong communication skills and ability to influence at all levels of the organization. 
• Average understanding of a variety of system output and application of measures contained within. These include the following:
  • Circana, Nielsen, or Numerator syndicated and panel data 
  • Retailer loyalty data
• Above average user of Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Power BI a plus.
• Ability to travel a minimum of 25% of his/her working time.   

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred .
• Beer, Wine, or Spirits industry experience preferred.
• 2+ years of space management experience.
• 1+ years of direct sales, merchandising, or retail store management experience.
• 1+ years of category management, consumer or shopper insights, or research experience which included the management of sub-categories or segments of a category.
• Above average understanding of a variety of system output and application of measures contained within Circana, Nielsen, or Numerator syndicated and panel data and retailer loyalty data.
• Proficient in Power BI.

Physical Requirements/Work Environment

• Must be 21 years of age

• Must be able to stand, walk, sit; use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk and hear.
• Must have close vision, distant vision, ability to adjust focus, peripheral and color vision.
• Must be able to work in an office environment primarily but periodically required to work in a warehouse environment with variable temperatures and lighting.
• Should be able to move up to 40 lbs. on occasion.

• Must have a valid driver's license and be able to drive a car and travel via plan/train as needed 

Location

Field Office - IL - Cook/Lake/McHenry/Dupage/Kane/Kendall/Will/Grundy/Dekalb

Additional Locations

Chicago Office

Job Type

Full time

Job Area

Sales Support

The salary range for this role is:

$94,400.00 - $144,600.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting.  Our compensation is based on cost of labor. For remote locations or positions open to multiple locations, the pay range may reflect several US geographic markets, including the lowest geographic market minimum to the highest geographic market maximum. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee’s pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, the prevailing minimum wage for the location, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, any collective bargaining agreements, and business or organizational needs.  At Constellation Brands, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the high end of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate. We offer comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, 401(k), and any other benefits to eligible employees.

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, or any other form of compensation that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.

Equal Opportunity

Constellation Brands is committed to a continuing program of equal employment opportunity. All persons have equal employment opportunities with Constellation Brands, regardless of their sex, race, color, age, religion, creed, sexual orientation, national origin or citizenship, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer or genetic characteristics), marital status, gender (including gender identity or gender expression), familial status, military or veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related conditions (or any other group or category within the framework of the applicable discrimination laws and regulations).