Quality. Responsibility. Mutuality. Efficiency. Freedom. Unusual values for a $5 billion company? Not at Mars North America! The Five Principles of Mars have inspired us for over 90 years. More than a statement of values, they are the explanation for our success and the formula for our future.
Mars North America creates the foods you love, like M&M's®, SNICKERS®, DOVE® and UNCLE BEN'S® . . . and the foods your pets love, too, like PEDIGREE®, CESAR®, WHISKAS® and SHEBA®.
We stand apart because we are a global leader in the food, snack and petcare industries and one of the most successful family-owned businesses in the world. Currently, we are looking for qualified, diverse individuals to apply for the following position:
Purpose of Role:
This position is responsible for implementing relevant consumer and customer knowledge within Mars Food US Customer planning and program development. This role develops value-added category solution initiatives and profitable business building strategies. The Category Leadership manager provides Fact Based Selling presentations and Field category leadership support for sales.
Principal Accountabilities
· Drives analysis of consumer, category and customer information in order to develop compelling and profitable business building recommendations to our customers. This includes presentations to Account Teams, Broker Managers and Customers to help close the sale.
· Leverages channel, category and brand knowledge to provide essential fact-based and competitively advantaged solutions for Customer planning and programs of sale. This includes working closely with Account Teams/Brokers to establish a category leadership position.
· Pro-actively develops and delivers effective business solutions, transferring proprietary consumer segmentation, relevant research and brand positioning into compelling category focused selling stories and program options. This includes working closely with Field Sales Management, Brokers and Customers to identify, develop and deliver initiatives.
· Integrates Knowledge Estate to create compelling category selling stories and programs of sale for base, promotional, seasonal and new businesses.
· Manages considerable communication between Customers, Field Sales teams, Brokers, ensuring alignment of category management practices and information.
· Provides micro-level consumer and customer category insight back to the SBU to ensure account level knowledge incorporated by internal Sales and Marketing teams.
· This position must have experience in syndicated market data, customer specific data management, consumer demographic data, mapping systems, household panel data, consumer research, industry recognized category management processes tools and procedures, brand and category dynamics.
Mission Critical Competencies
Management/Effectiveness Competencies:
· Analytical Skills
· Customer Focus
· Influencing Skills
· Communication Skills (Formal)
· Problem Solving
· Planning/Project Management
· Builds Trusting Relationships
· Dealing with Ambiguity
· Managing & Measuring Work
0px">We are looking for the candidate to be local to Southern California. There is no relocation budget planned for this role.
Key Functional Skills/Knowledge
· Demonstrated ability to translate consumer and customer knowledge into compelling programs of sale and selling stories.
· Strong understanding of customer environment,
· Demonstrated knowledge and application of syndicated data, consumer data and statistics. Syndicated information includes IRI or Nielsen and Spectra
· Ability to incorporate custom studies such as Marketing Mix, Purchase Structures, Field Audit Studies and Consumer Segmentation into fact based selling stories.
· Track record of solid communication and influencing skills.
· Fundamentals of Category Leadership Information Sources Sales & Customer knowledge
· Software management/applications - Must have a working knowledge and ability to demonstrate the use of the following functional tool-sets and how/when/where they fit into the overall category management process.
· Syndicated data (IRI Xlerate® IRI Builders®)
· Assortment Tool
· Marketing Mix and Price Elasticities
· Space Management tools (JDA Prospace®, Apollo )
· Microsoft Office Applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Key Experiences
· Minimum of 3 years of category management experience (Sales, Market Research and Marketing considered valuable).
· Ability to travel to work with Customer teams within a given geography (Max 20% of time).
Desired Education
Four-year under-graduate degree. Advanced degree a plus.
Decision Making Authority and Impact
Decisions
· Work plans to create category solution initiatives for Account Teams
· Presentations format, information sources and analysis content to Customers
· Project management approach, including how best to respond to ad hoc requests
Recommendations
· Category Leadership Plans to Directors and Food Sales Leadership Teams
· Research requests to IRI, Account Teams and Food Sales Leadership Teams
· Implications of customer specific consumer insights to Internal Sales & Marketing Teams
