Sr Category Manager

About JLB

JLB is an award-winning retail consulting firm that is passionate about helping brands succeed at Target and Target win in the Marketplace. More than a traditional broker, we offer tailored solutions across Sales, Strategy, Category Management, Insights, Digital, Shopper Marketing, and more — helping brands thrive at one of the world’s most innovative retailers.

Our Category Management Service at Target serves as a pivotal resource for the Target buying team, offering flawless day-to-day support and are entrusted with direct access to Target's internal systems. This role is exclusively dedicated to Target, representing a collaborative and strategic partnership that seamlessly integrates with the Target buying team. The Category Manager is an experienced trusted advisor providing thought leadership and strategy direction with analytically based actionable insights addressing business goals and challenges.

The Sr. Category Manager works largely independent on their assigned category/categories of increased in complexity, servicing mid to high-level buyers. Complexities in categories may be driven by the number of times a category transitions/revises, segmentation strategy, the digital strategy, the competitive retailers, and the off-shelf activity. They are responsible for maintaining ownership of the relationship with Target buyers and Directors, delivering insights & recommendations through comprehensive in-store and online analyses.

They must develop unbiased storytelling through data analysis of competitive business trends, and a deep understanding of shopping behaviors to drive strategy and optimize the category at Target.

They expertly manage the entire category transition process from initiation to completion with meticulous attention to detail and unwavering accuracy in the planogram process to result in flawless execution and enhanced planogram productivity. They assist the Category Management Leadership Team with strategy work. Additionally, they contribute internally through supplemental project support as needed and play a significant role in the training and development of the broader team.

• Relationships:
  Independently manages day-to-day relationships with Target and cross-functional teams: including merchant, business analyst, inventory analyst, space & transition planning & pricing promo team, and developing relationships with Director merchant. Leads preparation and execution of client meetings, including weekly updates and ad hoc sessions, while driving collaborative problem-solving discussions. Provides strategic recommendations grounded in a deep understanding of category trends and client needs.
• Reporting:
  Owns the end-to-end reporting process, combining advanced data analytics with a deep understanding of business drivers. Integrates multiple data sources to deliver detailed weekly reports and strategic insights that highlight performance trends, opportunities, and risks. Incorporates insights on sales, promotions, inventory in multiple roll ups like brand, vendor, subcategory, and item. Develops and manages custom attributes, enabling deeper analysis and providing valuable insights into business performance.
  
  Supports ad hoc reporting needs, proactively identifying relevant data points to address client questions and guide decisions.
• Marketplace Insights/Competitive Shops:
  Manages in-depth analyses of competitive marketplace and retailer trends, including merchandising, pricing, brand, and SKU selection. Produces comprehensive reports on market share, competitive retailer performance, and industry trends. Identifies and capitalizes on emerging trends, opportunity items, promotional themes, and merchandising strategies. Provides strategic recommendations to Target merchant team.
• Category & Seasonal Reviews:
  Executes category and seasonal review utilizing some pre-established templates and creating custom outputs for their business. Gains a deep understanding of client strategies and analyzes sales, space-to-sales, consumer behavior, and basket drivers, segmentation, pricing tiers, assortment gaps, white…