Category Advisor - Toys

ZURU is a reimagination company. We look for categories that have stood still, then we build next-generation products and brands that set the new standard. ZURU Toys is reimagining play. ZURU Edge is reinventing everyday consumer brands. Rhodes Pet Science is reimagining pet science. ZURU Tech is leading the next building revolution.

ZURU started in 2003 with two brothers from New Zealand, and we're still founder-owned and operated today. Since then we've become the world's second-biggest privately held toy company, and nearly half of all Gen Y and Gen Z households with kids in the US own a ZURU product. Today we're 5,000 people in 34 offices, selling into more than 150 markets, backed by over 100 acres of fully automated manufacturing.

And we're only getting started.

ZURU Toys has been appointed Category Advisor to Walmart US for three toy categories:
Exploratory, Plush and Blasters. As our dedicated Category Advisor, you will work side by side with Walmart’s toy buying, merchandising and planning teams in Bentonville as their trusted, category-first partner, shaping assortment, space and shopper strategy for the whole category rather than just ZURU’s brands. You will turn Walmart, POS and syndicated data into clear recommendations for line reviews, modular resets and seasonal plans, and help grow all three categories in stores and on

A category advisorship is won on objectivity and insight, and you will be the person who keeps it. Walmart’s buyers will lean on your point of view to decide what goes on shelf, how much space each category earns and how the aisle works across the year, from the summer outdoor peak in Blasters to the holiday and gifting peak across Plush and Exploratory.

By bringing balanced, fact-based recommendations that grow the total category, you will build lasting trust with Walmart’s merchants and planners, protect and extend the advisorship for ZURU, and give our brand teams a sharper read on where these categories are heading.

• Category Strategy:
  Build and own the annual category plan for Exploratory, Plush and Blasters with Walmart’s buyers, defining each category’s role, growth priorities and seasonal calendar.
• Line Reviews & Assortment:
  Lead the analysis behind Walmart’s line reviews across every supplier in the three categories, recommending adds, deletes and item productivity improvements from a vendor-neutral, total-category view.
• Space & Modular Planning:
  Build and recommend modulars and planograms for in-line, seasonal and feature space, including the summer outdoor and Blaster sets and the Q4 toy reset, using space-to-sales and store-cluster analysis.
• Shopper Insights:
  Understand how kids, parents and gift-givers shop each category, from licensed, collectible and trend-driven plush, to age and price-point ladders in Blasters, to discovery and creative play in Exploratory, and translate that into navigation, adjacencies and price architecture.
• Data & Market Analysis:
  Combine Walmart Scintilla (formerly Luminate) POS, syndicated toy tracking data and competitive insights to size opportunities, monitor category share and flag risks early.
• Seasonal & Trend Planning:
  Read fast-moving trend cycles, particularly social-driven plush crazes and blaster innovation, and help Walmart plan buy depth, in-stocks and feature timing for Summer, Back to School and Holiday.
• Omnichannel:
  Partner with the  and Walmart Connect teams to align online assortment, item content and search and browse navigation with the store strategy and lift online conversion.
• Reporting & Dashboards:
  Run a regular cadence of category scorecards, dashboards and post-season reviews that give buyers, planners and ZURU…