Director of Category Management

Job Title: Director of Category Management

Employment Type: Full Time

Reports To: President

Travel: 10%

Work Schedule: Mon-Fri 8am-5pm

Pay Range: ,800k per year

Incentive Pay:
Quarterly performance bonus

Benefits

Summary:

Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k) profit sharing, Vacation, Holidays, Floating Holidays, Company-paid LTD and life insurance, and Sick leave

Position Summary

The Director of Category Management is responsible for leading a team of exceptional Category Advisors to help Next Phase Enterprises turn retail, shopper, market, and consumer data into actionable strategies that drive profitable growth both internally and with our external partners.

This role serves as the Team Lead, combining category management expertise, retail analytics, shopper insights, market intelligence, and commercial strategy to identify opportunities and develop solutions that improve internal and external sales, profitability, assortment, pricing, promotion, distribution, and overall category performance.

The Director partners closely with retailers, suppliers, sales teams, brand teams, and executive leadership to understand business objectives, uncover growth opportunities, and translate complex data into clear, compelling recommendations that influence decision-making.

Core Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Capability Development

• Provide strategic direction and mentorship to Category Advisors, analysts, and other team members.
• Establish best practices, processes, and standard operating procedures for category management and insights.
• Improve the organization's analytical capabilities, tools, and methodologies.
• Develop training and educational resources to elevate category management expertise across the organization.
• Lead cross-functional teams on complex client and internal initiatives.
• Promote a culture of fact-based decision-making, curiosity, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Client Consulting & Business Development

• Create an environment and reputation of excellence, hard work, and trust to clients.
• Lead client engagements from discovery and analysis through recommendation and implementation.
• Develop customized solutions based on individual client objectives and business challenges.
• Present findings and recommendations to senior-level internal and external stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to expand existing client relationships through additional analytics, insights, category management, and consulting services.
• Support new business development through presentations, proposals, capabilities discussions, and strategic pitches.

Retailer & Internal Collaboration

• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Understand retailer priorities, category strategies, shopper objectives, and competitive dynamics.
• Partner with sales teams to strengthen customer conversations through data and insights.
• Translate retailer expectations into actionable strategies for internal teams and partners.

Buyer Relationship-Building

• Serve as a key, customer-facing contact for multiple Walmart Merchants by providing category expertise and strategic guidance for the Advisorships we are responsible for
• Create and lead shopper- and category-centric presentations, founded in research and data analysis, that support Walmart's category performance objectives
• Develop and champion a long-term vision for our Retailer partners that enhance convenience, drive incremental purchases, and improve overall trip conversion
• Provide strategic and ongoing holistic category and shopper recommendations to the Walmart Merchant Teams, accounting for consumer and market trends, assortment, space, merchandising, and seasonal timing/reset calendars
• Bring a customer service and start-up mindset, eager to elevate the Retailer by utilizing a shopper-first approach

Category Strategy & Management

• Develop and execute category management strategies designed to drive sales, profitability, market share, and category growth.
• Analyze category performance, shopper behavior, competitive activity, assortment, pricing, promotion, and distribution to identify opportunities and risks.
• Develop category reviews, business reviews, strategic recommendations, and retailer presentations.
• Evaluate product portfolios and identify opportunities for assortment optimization, innovation, SKU rationalization, and whitespace.
• Help internal partners understand the role their brands and products play within the broader category and retailer ecosystem.
• Develop fact-based recommendations that align supplier objectives with…