Category Manager

Position Title: Category Manager

Position Type: Regular
- Full-Time

Requisition : 42126

In every role, McCainers are ambitious, curious, and passionate about creating exceptional work experiences – together. With a customer‑first mindset, we make doing business with McCain easy.

The Category Manager is a key member of McCain’s North America Go-To-Market (GTM) team and serves as a trusted category partner for internal and external customers. This role blends strategic thinking with strong execution, transforming data and market insights into compelling category stories and actionable business recommendations. The Category Manager plays a critical role in shaping channel and customer strategies that drive positive category outcomes, strengthen customer partnerships, and deliver disproportionate growth for McCain.

• Provide category leadership and insight to inform McCain’s annual operating plan, commercial strategy, and channel plans across North America
• Develop and adapt standard category reporting to proactively identify opportunities, support QBRs, and inform portfolio, innovation, and gap analysis from a GTM lens
• Partner closely with GTM channel leaders and cross‑functional customer teams to shape the category components of Joint Business Plans and Customer Growth Plans
• Translate channel strategies into customer‑specific executional plans that support listings, distribution, assortment, pricing, promotions, space, and layout decisions
• Own the development, implementation, and tracking of category execution plans that enhance customer engagement and fuel sustainable commercial growth
• Collaborate with channel leads, culinary, and sales analytics teams to deliver differentiated category solutions that grow the business and the category
• Monitor and evaluate sales execution performance at the category, channel, and North America levels to support target setting and planning
• Deliver value‑added commercial insights and analysis to support management decision‑making and in‑market execution
• Ensure adherence to commercial controls, processes, and governance to enable consistent and coordinated sales execution
• Share category performance results, insights, and action plans with channel managers, channel leads, and sales partners

• University degree required
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive commercial experience
• Experience working within a global organization; food industry experience strongly preferred
• Strong commercial acumen, including data analysis, planning, forecasting, and performance tracking
• Proven ability to translate data and insights into clear, compelling business recommendations
• Demonstrated ability to influence across all levels of a matrix organization
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a hands‑on, problem‑solving approach
• Strong storytelling, communication, and presentation skills
• High level of resilience, adaptability, and comfort navigating ambiguity
• Performance‑driven with a strong sense of urgency and accountability
• Alignment with McCain’s values, leadership principles, and culture of humility

This role sits within the North America Go‑To‑Market team and works cross‑functionally with Sales, Marketing, Culinary, Analytics, and Channel Leadership. The Category Manager operates in a highly collaborative, matrixed environment and plays a central role in connecting category strategy to customer execution across multiple channels.

Health coverage (medical, dental, vision, prescription drug), retirement savings benefits, and leave support including medical, family and bereavement. Well‑being programs include vacation and holidays, company‑supported volunteering time, and mental health resources. Additional benefit detail available during the application process.

McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

McCain is an accessible employer. If you require accommodation throughout the recruitment process, please let us know and we will work with you to find appropriate solutions.

By submitting personal data to us, you agree this will be handled in accordance with McCain’s Global Privacy Policy and Global Employee Privacy Policy.

Target salary range: $81,600.00 – $ USD annually. Bonus eligibility may apply.

Job Family: Sales

Location(s): US
- United States of America :
Illinois :
Oakbrook Terrace

Company: McCain Foods USA, Inc.