Associate Manager, Category & Shopper Dev. at J.D. Irving, Toronto

AI Summary

This Associate Manager, Category and Shopper Development role at J.D. Irving in Toronto, ON, focuses on driving business growth and enhancing customer strategies. Key duties involve supporting strategic category management initiatives and developing insight-led shopper presentations. Top requirements include a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration or Marketing and at least two years of relevant category management experience.

About the Role

As an Associate Manager, Category and Shopper Development at J.D. Irving, you will play a pivotal role in understanding retailer objectives and the most valuable shopper segments. This position involves significant customer interaction, supporting the development and delivery of insight-led customer presentations that drive tangible business wins. You will be instrumental in developing and implementing strategic category management initiatives, presenting tactical recommendations on the 5Ps to improve both category and brand performance. Your expertise will support the customer team with crucial revenue growth management (RGM) analysis and provide valuable pricing and promotion recommendations. A core part of this role involves generating value-add analytics and insights by meticulously utilizing customer data, syndicated data, and other research. This deep dive into data helps identify significant business growth opportunities and refine RGM strategies. You will also support the strategic account planning process, collaborating with Category & Shopper Development (CSD) and Sales Leads to identify customer growth objectives and craft effective business solutions. The development of assortment, merchandising, pricing, and promotion tactics, along with plan recommendations, will be a key area of your contribution to the overall business development.

Qualifications and Expertise

To excel in this development-focused role, candidates should possess a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or Marketing, or a related field. A minimum of two years of experience in Category Management, Sales, or Trade Marketing is essential, with Consumer Packaged Goods experience being highly preferred. Strong technical skills are a must, including proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Tableau, PowerBI, and JDA. Expertise in syndicated services such as NIQ and Numerator is required, and knowledge of retailer data platforms like LDIA or Circana is a significant asset. The ability to apply critical thinking is paramount for supporting, developing, and implementing comprehensive strategic business plans that deliver measurable results. You will need to effectively understand, interpret, and synthesize complex syndicated data and custom research to inform your recommendations. Furthermore, strong storyboarding and presentation development skills are crucial for effectively communicating insights and strategies to both internal teams and external customer stakeholders. This role demands a keen eye for detail and a strategic mindset to drive successful category and shopper initiatives for the Irving Consumer Products business.