Category Manager - Retail Market Insights

Who We Are:

Kontoor Brands, Inc. (KTB) is the parent company of Wrangler, Lee and Rock & Republic, with owned manufacturing facilities in Mexico and Nicaragua. Kontoor also owns and operates over 140 retail stores across the globe. Our global company employs more than 15,000 people in 65 countries, with world headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina, and regional headquarters in Geneva and Hong Kong.

Job Posting:

Category Manager

The primary responsibilities of the Category Manager areto coordinate the category management process for major accounts, such as Kohls and Walmart. Develops strategic alliances focused on developing and implementing processes that will produce enhanced business results for the retailer and Kontoor Brands by delivering consumer value. The role is expected to provide data analytics using fact-based insights to support key business decisions internally at headquarters, and externally with retail customers/sales teams to drive growth.

The ideal candidate is highly skilled at storytelling with data and presents results and recommendations with incredible clarity and analytical rigor. This individual continuously seeks out, learns, and actively uses new data sources, tools, technology, and methods to provide analytics solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leads the Category Management process formajor accounts such as Kohls and Walmart.
• Responsible for delivering the most current consumer insights, competitive insights, category data analysis, shelving, assortment, and merchandising recommendations to drive the category.
• Build an influential selling story via power point & dashboards by gathering and analyzing category, consumer behavior (purchase behavior, demographics, trends, competition), market, and customer information from multiple internal and external data sources (e.g., NPD, Retail Link, sales data).
• Design and develop best- in-class monthly, quarterly, and annual Category, Channel and Customer Business Reviews & scorecards
• Performs monthly monitoring of Space and Product performance. Reviews periodically with management, the account performance.
• Develop holistic omni-channel category strategies by leveraging the tools, insights, and analytics from internal, industry, and retailer-specific sources.
• Develops the Category Management presentations and ensure that the retailer buyer understands the presentations and the analysis that it is based on. Supports the Account Executive in making the presentation

Skills for Success:

Strong candidates will work as a team, be detail oriented, demonstrate strong analytical skills, story-telling abilities, the ability to be proactive in digging into the data to develop a story or pull-out key insights, and the ability to influence to drive results.

• Strong computer skills are required (Excel, Word, Data Management Software, etc.).
• Category Management and Business Math
• Strong quantitative analysis capabilities and ability to summarize findings
• Must be able to take initiative in driving results and be able to influence others
• Must be results oriented and have a passion for achieving results
• Must be able to manage change and assist with process improvements
• Excellent presentation skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong communications skills (written and verbal)
• Expertise in analytics required

Experience/Education:

Years of Related Professional Experience: 8 - 10 years

• Consumer, Shopper Insights, and/or Category Management experience
• Power user with syndicated market data such as NPD, IRI, Nielsen, SPINs
• Prior retail experience
• Bachelor's Degree required, advanced degree highly desirable. Preferred degrees are in Business, Data Analytics or Computer Science.
• Understanding of Kontoor and competitive brands and their positioning in the market

Special Physical and/or Mental Requirements:

• Requires 10% travel to customer locations
• Travel will be focused around getting acceptance of recommendations for major selling seasons

Why Kontoor Brands?

At Kontoor, we offer a comprehensive benefit package to fit your lifestyle. Our benefits are crafted with the same care as our products.

When our employees are healthy, secure, and well, they bring their best selves to work. Kontoor Brands supports you with a competitive benefits program that provides choice and flexibility to meet your and your family's needs - now and in the future. We offer resources to support your physical, emotional, social, and financial wellbeing, plus benefits like discounts on our apparel. Kontoor Brands also provides four weeks of Paid Parental Leave to eligible employees who are new parents, Flexible Fridays, and Tuition Reimbursement.

We are proud to offer a workplace culture centered on equitable opportunities and a sense of belonging for all team members. Here we have a global workforce of high-performing teams that both unlocks our individual uniqueness and harnesses our collaborative talents.