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Category Manager, Mainstream Chocolate

Job Location: ​Parsippany​

Company description

Ferrero is a family-owned company with a truly progressive and global outlook and iconic brands such as Nutella®, Tic Tac®, Ferrero Rocher®, Raffaello®, Kinder Bueno® and Kinder Surprise®. As the love for our brands continues to grow, so too does our global reach. Represented in more than 50 countries, with products sold in more than 170, the Ferrero Group is loved by generations around the world. The secret to our global success? 40,000  dedicated employees who celebrate care and quality to craft a business, careers and brands we are proud of. Join us, and you could be one of them.

About the Role:

Are you ready to shape the future of the chocolate aisle and drive the success of iconic Ferrero brands? We’re looking for a visionary Category Manager, Mainstream Chocolate (Aisle & Seasonal Focus). As the Category Manager, Mainstream Chocolate, you’ll develop and implement winning strategies that drive sales, boost margins, and build brand equity in the U.S. marketplace. This role is your opportunity to make an impact with one of the most beloved names in confectionery. If you’re passionate about market growth and excited to bring compelling selling arguments to life, we want to hear from you!

 

This position is hybrid and based in our US Headquarters in Parsippany, NJ. This role reports into the Category Management Director, Chocolate.

Main Responsibilities:

  • Maintain and communicate Ferrero’s strategy on how to grow the Mainstream Chocolate category, focusing on Distribution, Merchandising, Shelving, and Pricing (DSMP) fundamentals
  • Support key initiatives within the Mainstream Chocolate category
  • Translate Category Management annual & long-term priorities to actionable sales stories & initiatives
  • Work collaboratively with Field Sales, Trade Marketing, and Customer Marketing to develop recommendations for aligned Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and ensure process integrity each session
  • Provide category input during Joint Business Planning (JBP) process and support execution against strategic initiatives and commitments in key accounts
  • Work collaboratively to develop innovative and insightful content to drive category growth
  • Assist Field Sales in developing medium and long-term business opportunities at accounts in assigned category
  • Develop category based selling stories for new product launches through commercial planning process
  • Manage and maximize use and output of syndicated research resources, shopper insights platforms, category management teams, research projects in support of the sales organization and ensure linkage with the category management plan
  • Strong understanding of syndicated data to help predict trends and find “dig” sites to develop category management strategies
  • Monitor and analyze category, competition and consumer market data to identify business opportunities and develop new category development plans
     

Who we are looking for:

  • 7+ years of relevant experience required; CPG Foods experience is preferred
  • Bachelor’s degree in a Business/Marketing discipline required; MBA a plus
  • Prior Category Management role required; Additional insights experience preferred 
  • Syndicated data required; IRI preferred 
  • Interpersonal skills to interface effectively with the necessary internal and external stakeholders, building solid relationships and achieving brand sales goals
  • Strategic and proactive thinking to develop category strategies and translate them into DSMP objectives 
  • Data analysis skills to monitor key accounts' performance in category and develop strategies to close gaps, increase sales, etc.
  • Solid MS Office skills, especially Excel & PowerPoint, and Storytelling capabilities to translate data & insights into selling narratives 
  • Candidates should possess strong collaborative capabilities, high integrity & ethics, and operate daily with the company's values in mind
  • Global mindset; desire to build a successful career with a growing global company
  • 25% travel required for customer meetings and industry events
     

How to be successful in the role and at Ferrero:

Consumers, quality and care are at the heart of everything we do. So, to be successful at Ferrero, you’ll need to be just as consumer and product centric as we are - dedicated to crafting brilliant results for consumers around the world. 

Diversity Statement

Ferrero is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture in which all employees feel welcomed and appreciated and have the same opportunities. We believe all of our people are equally talented in their own way. In nurturing the curiosity and natural abilities of our employees, we provide them, generation after generation, the means to succeed personally and professionally, enabling them to craft their journey at Ferrero. The diversity of our talents is what makes our work environment multicultural, innovative and highly rewarding.

 

Ferrero U.S.A. provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.

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