Category Analyst- Instore bakery + f'real

Purpose Statement

The primary role of this position is developing and delivering insights-based recommendations to drive profitable growth for Rich Products’ In Store Bakery division and accounts.

Highly cross-functional, the Category Analyst regularly collaborates with Rich’s In Store Bakery Sales, Category Business Unit Marketing, Customer Marketing and Shopper and Strategic Insights team members.  Responsibilities focus on mining and analyzing marketplace point-of-sale, panel, and retailer shopper loyalty data, along with other primary and secondary data sources, to synthesize insights and build compelling selling stories that drive long-term sales and profit growth for Rich’s and our customers.

The goal is to establish Rich’s with customers as the supplier of choice for value creation and thought leadership across all categories in which we compete.

Key Accountabilities and Outcomes

Customer / Consumer Insight Development (50%)

• • Develop and bring insights to the organization (Sales, Customer Marketing, Category Business Unit Marketing) and customers in the areas of retail marketplace learnings and shopper behavior.  Interpret sales and category analyses including distribution, merchandising, assortment, shelving, pricing, promotion, trends, rankings to support the achievement of sales and marketing objectives.
  • Develop in-depth knowledge of the retail, convenience, and foodservice channels, consumers, competitors, and key customers.
  • Help bring Food Service insights and trends to key retail partners.

Syndicated Data Management/Stewardship (25%)

• Serve as Rich’s subject matter expert for syndicated data and reporting on Rich’s In Store Bakery categories and the f’real brand
• Lead, and partner with Rich’s In Store Bakery Brand and/or Customer Marketing, on the monthly new item placement process for Rich’s Unify+ custom Bakery database
• Partner with Director of Shopper Insights to own and maximize the relationship with Rich’s dedicated Circana Client Service team. Provide direction to Circana on needed Unify+ reporting and report enhancements

Customer Relationship Management (25%)

1. • Collaborate with Sales teams in the development and delivery of Business/Category Reviews and other key insights as a way of elevating Rich’s value to and relationship with the customer. Attend and present at customer meetings as requested by Sales.

Develop category management insights and selling stories that meet retailer objectives, while supporting selling initiatives and growth objectives of the organization.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business or Marketing desired or equivalent combination of education and experience.  
• 3+ years of consumer package goods (CPG) industry experience.  Previous CPG Sales and Marketing experience a plus. Bakery retail experience desired. 

• Previous Insights and/or Category Management experience and understanding of Category Management principles.
• System knowledge and experience with Circana (IRI) Unify/Unify+ POS and consumer panel data.
• System knowledge and experience with retailer shopper loyalty data platforms (Luminate/Scintilla, 84.51 Stratum, dunnhumby, or SymphonyAI).
• System knowledge and experience utilizing data visualization platforms a plus (PowerBI preferred)
• Strong interpersonal skills, a team-first attitude, and proven ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams (Sales, Marketing) to understand customer needs.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with proven track record of translating data and facts from various research resources and methodologies into highly visual, compelling stories.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and comfortable presenting in both small and large group formats.
• Excellent project and time management skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.
• Travel 5-10%

#CORP123  #LI-RT1