Full job description
What you will do:
The Associate Category Growth Manager (ACM), will help define and execute strategies that drive growth for Tillamook for one or more of our six premium dairy categories: Cheese, Ice Cream, Cream Cheese, Butter, Yogurt, and Sour Cream.
The ACM is responsible for assisting in the strategic planning for their assigned category, managing the annual planning process, building a 3-5 year strategic vision to tactical project development.
The ACM is responsible for managing innovation for their assigned category from inception to in-market execution, driven by insights related to market insights, consumer insights, syndicated data, and competitive trends.
The ACM is the expert on their assigned category, analyzing consumer data and insights to make business recommendations, and regularly reports out on those insights and data trends.
The ACM is a results-oriented, cross functional leader with excellent communications skills to drive alignment of category initiatives to drive growth for the organization.
Here’s a day in the life:
- Assists the Category Manager by helping define the assigned category strategy and executing the objectives to drive new products and categories to market.
- Assists the Category Manager to identify, define and execute category positioning, product offerings, merchandising recommendations, pricing approach, packaging improvements and new platform development.
- Develops and presents briefs for new products and packages.
- Provides inputs and recommendations for strategic planning for the annual operating plan and long-range plan.
- Assists in developing tools, resources and training programs that empower the sales team to effectively communicate the value proposition of new products, innovation, or strategies.
- Collaborates with Consumer & Market Insights team to conduct thorough market analysis and consumer research to identify trends, preferences and opportunities for growth.
- Utilizes consumer insights to inform product development and strategic planning, ensuring alignment with consumer needs and pain points.
- Analyze competitor & category dynamics to inform business decisions and provide recommendations to the Category Manager and broader leadership team. Complete monthly reporting including sales and consumer data analysis, trend research, competitive profiling, distribution gap analysis and more.
- Develops and presents briefs for execution of packaging design and demand creation activities.
- Collaborates with various departments such as R&D, marketing, supply chain, and sales to ensure seamless execution of category initiatives and innovation projects.
- Lead product development projects, from conception to implementation, often in collaboration with a project manager, ensuring timelines, budgets and objectives are met.
- Know your category/segment P&L, and work with cross-functional partners to set product pricing, margins, and effectively manage variances to profit.
- Utilize MS Office applications, especially Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
Knowledge, skills, and abilities:
- Bachelor’s degree is preferred. MBA degree is a plus.
- 3+ years of relevant experience in brand management, marketing, innovation or general management in consumer packaged goods
- Strong understanding of financials and P&L Management
- Experience with product launches
- Experience in product improvement projects
- Experience in developing professional presentations
- Understanding of consumer research types and how it augments category narratives
- Hands on experience in analyzing and deriving insights from scan and panel data (such as IRI, Nielsen)
- Travel approximately 5-10%, valid driver’s license required
- Able to travel in a car or plane on a regular basis
Industry leading benefit and reward programs:
We offer outstanding benefits to our employees. For more information, please visit the careers page: www.tillamook.com/careers.
We are committed to creating a diverse culture and inclusive conditions where all employees are heard, valued and feel a sense of belonging. We rely on different perspectives, thoughts, backgrounds and cultures to inform our work, to help us be better as a brand and as an employer and to fuel our success. We are seeking talent from a wide range of diversity, perspectives, and backgrounds to join our exceptional organization and help us build our future.
Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) is a Drug-Free Workplace. EEO/A