Category Strategy and Insights Manager

As the Category Strategy & Insights Manager at tru fru, you will co-lead confection category vision in partnership with the Strategic Demand Director. You will be the category management thought leader and primary owner of all data, insights, and storytelling across Merchandising, Assortment, Pricing, and Shelving (MAPS) in Grocery, Natural, Drug, and Convenience. You will leverage broker partners, manage insights platforms, and deliver fact-based recommendations that drive sales objectives internally and with customers.

What you'll do

• Pull and synthesize data from multiple platforms including Circana, Nielsen, Numerator, and Stratum, and manage tru fru databases and custom hierarchies across these tools.
• Create and maintain weekly and quad-week reports, tools, and dashboards, and proactively identify knowledge gaps to strengthen the selling and decision-making process.
• Leverage syndicated, panel, and shipment data to maintain distribution, shelving, promo, new item, and pricing trackers.
• Lead tru fru Freeze-Dried and Emerging Category insights strategy, delivering analysis across the full MAPS framework.
• Analyze customer-specific display and promotional activities to evaluate efficiency, effectiveness of spend, and impact to baseline sales; support the sales org in promo planning based on historical data and seasonality.
• Create national and customer-specific line review decks to grow distribution and drive acceptance on key initiatives; perform SKU rationalization analyses to identify market voids and competitive delete recommendations.
• Track tru fru and competitive market pricing, flagging price comping and hot pricing that may impact the market.
• Own the Perfect Store initiative, aisle flow, and planogram recommendations; develop national and customer-specific shelving recommendations using broker partners and POG software such as JDA; use space-to-sales and fair-share analysis to sell in additional space.
• Translate data into insights and recommendations that support cross-functional decision-making, and serve as a key insights partner for Annual Planning, QBRs, National Sales Meetings, new item launches, and leadership presentations.
• Develop customized line review decks and retailer-specific POG recommendations for Grocery, Natural, Drug, and Convenience customers, and collaborate with sales to consistently deliver insights that support retailer objectives.

What you'll bring to tru fru

You are...

• A category management thought leader who blends analytics and storytelling to craft compelling, fact-based presentations.
• Highly analytical and comfortable working with large, complex datasets across multiple platforms.
• Proactive and intellectually curious, always identifying gaps and building tools before they're asked for.
• Adaptable and energized by fast-paced environments with shifting priorities and ambiguity.
• A strong cross-functional collaborator who communicates insights clearly to both internal teams and external customers.

You have...

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, or a related field.
• 5+ years of CPG experience with 2+ years in a Category Management or analytical function.
• Hands-on experience pulling scan and panel data from platforms such as Circana and Numerator.
• Knowledge of planogram building software such as JDA.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strong CPG business acumen with a solid command of business math and trade dynamics.
• Ability to travel 20% of the time.

Certain states and localities require employers to post a reasonable estimate of salary range. Actual salary will be based on a variety of factors, including location, experience, skill set, performance, licensure and certification, and business needs. The range for this position in other geographic locations may differ.

#LI-Hybrid