Category Manager, Premium Chocolate

Job Description

About the Role

Title: Category Manager, Premium Chocolate

Location: Parsippany, NJ, US

Job Description:

Job Location:

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 passionate about premium chocolate and eager to drive the growth of iconic brands? Ferrero is looking for a dynamic and strategic Category Manager, Premium Chocolate to lead the development and implementation of growth strategies for our premium chocolate category. As the Category Manager, Premium Chocolate, you’ll be at the forefront of driving sales and margin success, crafting compelling selling arguments, and building the equity leadership of our beloved Ferrero brands across the U.S. market.

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

Main Responsibilities:

Maintain and communicate Ferrero’s strategy on how to grow the Premium Chocolate category, focusing on Distribution, Merchandising, Shelving, and Pricing (DSMP) fundamentals

Translate Category Management annual andlong-term priorities to actionable sales stories andinitiatives

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

Partner with Field Sales in developing medium and long-term business opportunities at accounts in assigned category

Manage and maximize use andoutput of syndicated research resources, shopper insights platforms, category management teams, and research projects in support of the sales organization

Monitor and analyze category, competition and consumer market data to identify business opportunities and develop new category development plans

Who we are looking for:

5+ years 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 distribution, shelving, pricing and merchandising 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

Management presentation competencies to effectively present key category insights in front of internal and external stakeholders

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.