North American Sr. Category Manager – Seasonings

TITLE:

North American Sr. Category Manager – Seasonings

LOCATION:

Hybrid in Alsip, IL
on average 3 days/wk COMP RANGE: $125,000 – 175,000/year

Griffith Foods is hiring a North American Sr. Category Manager – Seasonings to provides strategic leadership for the Seasonings category across North America, driving sustainable and profitable growth aligned with Griffith Foods’ Purpose Driven Strategy. This role develops category strategy, manages portfolio performance, leads innovation commercialization, and partners cross-functionally to maximize revenue, profitability, and customer value.

This is your opportunity to own a large & critical portfolio of business for Griffith and drive your vision & strategy for the category throughout the NA region. You will have ownership of the category performance & profitability, portfolio design & innovation, and customer activation. The position serves as the commercial leader for the Seasonings portfolio while influencing teams across Marketing, Sales, R&D, Culinary, Supply Chain, Finance, and Innovation.

• Developing and executing the long-term strategic plan for the North America Seasonings category.

• Owning the annual operating plan (AOP), revenue targets, and financial performance for the Seasonings business.

• Developing & implementing Category pricing strategy to optimize pricing, profitability, and business performance with Sales, Finance, Marketing, R&D, and Supply Chain

• Defining category positioning and value propositions that differentiate Griffith Foods in the marketplace.

• Leading portfolio management, including SKU optimization (from 1,800 SKUs today), product harmonization, renovation, and exit strategies.

• Analyzing business trends and financial results to identify opportunities for profitable growth.

• Developing and commercializing innovation pipelines and new technologies for Seasonings.

• Identifying consumer unmet needs and translate insights into future innovation opportunities.

• Are passionate about designing & implementing product category strategies in a B2B environment.

• Are an expert in category management, strategic marketing, product portfolio management, pricing strategy, and commercialization

• Enjoy innovation management and product lifecycle management, including portfolio design & optimization, in a B2B environment

• Enjoy inspiring others in a cross-functional, global business environment.

• Are a systems thinker who can explore the connection between market events & business results to impact portfolio decisions & business strategy.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Business or a related field

• 10 years progressive experience in Category Management, Marketing, Business Management, Product Development, or Innovation with at least 5 years in B2B commercial environments

• 5 years experience within the B2B food or food ingredients industry

• Strong financial analysis and strategic product portfolio planning experience to support strategic decisions regarding portfolio optimization, pricing, innovation prioritization, and commercialization.

• Willingness to work onsite in Alsip, IL 3 days per week

• Willingness and ability to travel 25% within the region for meetings in Canada & Mexico

• Ability to participate in tastings that may include wheat, soy, dairy or meat protein.
  Candidates must currently possess unrestricted authorization to work in the United States. Work visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

• Food ingredient or food manufacturing industry experience

• Previous category leadership in seasonings, coatings, sauces & dressings, and/or alternate proteins to support complex cross-category sales.

• Previous experience in leading product commercialization and innovation

• Cross-functional leadership in matrixed organizations

• Proficiency with project management software & methodologies

• MBA

There is potential for a discretionary bonus with a target of 18%. This bonus is based on personal & company performance and is not a guaranteed bonus plan.

The…