Category Manager

The Category Manager is perfect for an individual interested in working in a fast-paced, high-growth, and entrepreneurial environment. This means flexibility and agility are paramount as you grow and build a team within our company. The main goal of the role is to lead and deliver a quantitative understanding of our overall business performance through sales analysis to help define the right strategic direction.

This position will provide sales support through the development of retail focused tools and reporting along with owning all aspects of inventory and allocation for the wholesale team. This role will work closely with a variety of people within the business inclusive of Sales, Marketing, Finance, IT and Supply Chain to provide timely and quality analytics and narrative for business performance.

Creating and managing sales presentations for use in retailer visits will be key while directing team efforts to provide monthly scorecard updates, sales performance reviews and analysis to all internal stakeholders. This role will help develop and foster a culture of data-driven decision making and accountability for metrics and results.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES – RETAIL ANALYTICS

Syndicated and Retailer Data Analysis:

· Utilize market research firm data (Nielsen, IRi, NPD) to partner with business intelligence team to ensure broader market landscape trends & insights are incorporated into developing retail selling strategies.

· Monitor category trends to help advise sales team on shifts in consumer buying behavior or larger micro / macro influences.

· Integrate syndicated data demographics information into all reviews and/or presentations where applicable.

· Utilize retailer reporting systems to assist sales and ensure proposed assortments align with key metrics and help determine estimated profitability of programs.

· Create reporting for sales teams to use in business planning meetings with retailers to articulate market trends.

· Review assortments, costing, estimated velocities, targeted weeks of supply (WOS), program length, end of life (EOL) disposition method(s).

· Integrate item setup data from various retailer’s templates into company’s item management system.

Feature and Display Profitability Analysis:

· Manage reporting and analysis for price reductions as well as fixture or corrugated display costs.

· Responsible for updating modeling with accurate unit costing, capturing and recording 3rd party manufacturer costs

· Estimate costs for planning potential projects, add additional cost fields for transportation costs, expediting, over time, etc.

Markdown Funding Analysis:

· Track & manage calculations for end of life (EOL) funding or product returns / spoils.

Forecasting Analysis:

· Utilize system (or process) for consistent forecast based on modeling for all customers.

· Partner with sales team and retailers to gather as much trend reporting as possible to assist forecast decisions.

· Assist in translating sales forecast to demand forecast to aid in tracking and prioritizing inventory.

· Manage collaborate planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPFR) process with sales team.

DEVELOPING RESPONSIBILITIES – INVENTORY ANALYTICS

Forecast Tracking and Purchase Order Review:

· Review customer purchase orders for immediate review vs. Forecast and capture drop in forecasts allowing necessary flexibility to adjust separate rolling forecasts.

· Daily review of previous day purchase orders compared to locked forecast to ensure guardrails are in place to quickly identify and prevent gross over-ordering vs. Forecast.

· Weekly reporting of orders vs. forecast (locked and rolling).

Forward Looking Allocation Review:

· Identify upcoming inventory constraints due to inventory flow, over ordering, etc. And align allocation plan for affected customers based on needs.

Available to Ship (ATS) Reporting:

· Accurately provide available (excess) inventory reporting based on customer forecasts and inbound stock.

· Ability to claim available inventory and include claimed inventory on rolling forecasts.

Set Order Reservations and Tracking:

· Monthly review of factory orders placed for sets with Supply Chain.

· Monitor set orders and provide early warning of risks.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS:

Technical and Professional:

· BA/BS degree required

· 5 years of experience preferably supporting CPG retail working with self-service analytics tools, web analytics tools and sales analysis.

· Nielsen or IRI experience required.

· General understanding of retailer tools and portals with knowledge of Target, Corporation preferred.

· Experience working with ERPs, Consolidation Systems, and management reporting / BI tools.

· Microsoft Office is a must and NetSuite experience is preferred.

· Ability to work independently and take the initiative.

· Ability to solve problems and implement solutions.

· Good collaboration skills and working cross-functionally.

BENEFTIS:

Tea Forté offers a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits and an opportunity to be an integral part of a fast-growing, dynamic team. It is a unique opportunity to join an entrepreneurial business unit that has support from a well-funded multi-national corporation. If you love high end brands, and truly want to make immediate impact on a company’s trajectory, this is the place for you. And of course, we are an Equal Opportunity Employer.