Category Analyst Food Flex

Job Title: Category Analyst – Food East & Military

Job Location: East Coast/Central Time Zone near major airport

Summary

The Category Analyst will serve as a key constituent to internal team members, management & external customers; Success in the role will be defined as the development and implementation of category initiatives to meet and exceed Hershey and customer financial objectives. The Category Analyst will be an expert in the pervasive application of insights to fuel category growth.  Key to role is synthesizing business trends, competitive trends, shopper insights, financial insights, etc., to identify opportunities and develop solutions to drive category growth across the store. The Category Analyst will work closely with the CSEs and the customers to influence the development and implementation of category strategy & initiatives at their designated retailers.

Responsibilities

• Collaboratively work with Category Management and Sales Leadership to uncover insights, trends, shopper behaviors and competitive activity to shape customer strategy and build action plans across all major selling initiatives to drive profitable and sustainable market share growth.
• Complete cross-functional projects with internal teams such as sales, category management, marketing, shopper insights and demand planning.
• Extensive Knowledge of all content and strategies at a Subject Matter Expert level. Comfortable and confident to present and field questions to customers in a live environment.
• Utilization and application of traditional category management tools including, but not limited to: JDA, Syndicated Data (IRI), Numerator, Proprietary Order Writing Software and Symphony loyalty data to ensure the execution and support of the strategic business plan. 

Qualifications

 Education: Bachelor's Degree Required

 Experience: This position requires previous CPG Sales experience (approximately 3-5 years), advanced analytical skills, advanced understanding of consumer/shopper behavior and market research strategies, and knowledge of consumer sales industry trends. Preferred skills include prior Category Management experience.