Associate Category Manager

About Mizkan America

Mizkan America, headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, is a subsidiary of the Mizkan Group, a global, family-owned company that has been Bringing Flavor to Life™ for more than 220 years
. As one of the leading manufacturers of vinegars, condiments, and sauces in the United States, Mizkan America operates 12 manufacturing facilities serving the retail, food service, specialty Asian, and food ingredient channels. Our portfolio includes trusted and iconic brands such as RAGÚ®, Bertolli®, Holland House®, Nakano®, and Mizkan®, enjoyed by consumers across North America.

Our success is built upon two core principles:
continuously challenging the status quo and delivering only the finest products for our customers
. We foster a culture where employees are encouraged to bring forward new ideas, challenge conventional thinking, and contribute to meaningful improvements across the organization. Transparency, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning are fundamental to how we operate and grow.

At Mizkan, you'll have the opportunity to work with iconic brands, collaborate with talented colleagues, and make an impact within a company that values innovation, development, and long-term success.

At Mizkan, you'll have the opportunity to influence key business decisions, support some of the most recognized brands in the grocery aisle, and help shape category growth through insights, strategy, and innovation. You'll work alongside collaborative and passionate professionals who are committed to delivering results, serving customers, and continuously improving how we work.

We offer a culture that encourages ownership, fresh thinking, and professional development, empowering employees to contribute ideas, build new capabilities, and make a lasting impact on the business. Whether you're partnering with customers, commercializing innovation, or transforming insights into action, you'll play an important role in helping brands like RAGÚ®, Bertolli®, Holland House®, and Nakano® continue to grow and succeed in the marketplace.

The Associate Category Manager supports category growth and Mizkan commercial performance across Mizkan’s portfolio by transforming shopper, consumer, and market insights into actional business recommendations. Serving as a key partner to Sales, Marketing, Revenue Management, Product Development, and Supply Chain teams, this role delivers category expertise that strengthens customer strategies, enhances selling stories, and drives profitable growth.

The role has two primary areas of responsibility:

Category Management: Leverage syndicated, shopper, consumer, and customer data to identify opportunities, develop fact-based recommendations, and support category growth initiatives across Grocery and other customer channels.

Sales Planning & Commercialization: Lead cross-functional coordination and project management activities that support the successful commercialization of innovation, customer programs, and strategic initiatives from concept through execution.

As a subject matter expert in syndicated point-of-sale, shopper, household panel, and customer data, the Associate Category Manager develops and activates insights through monthly score carding, account line reviews, business analyses, customer presentations, and the annual learning agenda. This role collaborates closely with Commercial Leadership and serves as a trusted advisor to Sales and cross-functional teams. Success is measured by the quality and business impact of recommendations, achievement of customer and organizational objectives, effective commercialization of key initiatives, and contribution to sales growth, market share performance, and annual operating plan goals.

• Serve as a subject matter expert in syndicated, shopper, consumer, household panel, customer point-of-sale, and market data, providing actionable insights that support commercial decision‑making.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret category, shopper, consumer, and sales data using Circana, Numerator, customer point‑of‑sale systems, survey data, primary research, AI‑enabled tools, and other relevant…