Category Insights Manager-Midwest

Summary

Oliver Winery is a nationally recognized winery seeking a Category Insights Manager to drive profitable growth across its national account universe. The role translates complex market and retail data into actionable strategies, develops category plans and presentations, evaluates pricing and promotional programs, and partners with Sales, Trade Marketing, Marketing, and senior leadership to identify growth opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive market research to identify emerging trends, competitive dynamics, and shifting consumer preferences, translating findings into account-specific strategies
• Identify and size distribution gaps across the Oliver portfolio at target retailers, benchmarking performance against comparable accounts and markets to quantify the opportunity in dollars
• Perform fair share and market indexing analysis to determine where Oliver is under- or over-indexed relative to total market performance, and build the case to close the gap
• Analyze root causes of performance gaps across volume, market share, pricing, promotions, shelf space, and distribution, and recommend prioritized improvements
• Apply velocity and TDP methodology (dollars per distribution point) to distinguish distribution-driven declines from rate-of-sale problems, and to identify which SKUs are productive enough to warrant expansion
• Conduct geographic market-level analysis to identify regional growth pockets, declining markets, and state-level opportunities within key retail accounts
• Collect and analyze economic trends, business performance metrics, and category forecasts to inform planning and decision-making
• Deliver accurate, actionable insights to internal stakeholders, structured to support account presentations, business reviews, and executive decision-making
• Design self-sufficient deliverables, reports, leave-behinds, and category reviews that communicate the full story without requiring the author to be in the room
• Provide merchandising insights and SKU-level assortment analysis, including clear recommendations on which items to expand, protect, or exit during category reviews
• Perform post-program analysis to measure results and optimize future promotional strategies
• Design and manage customized reporting for the NA team, Trade Marketing, and CCO on both a recurring and ad-hoc basis
• Conduct cross-retailer benchmarking to identify best-in-class performance standards and apply them to underperforming accounts, leveraging comparable markets as proof-of-concept
• Develop and evaluate pricing strategies and promotional plans to optimize profitability, accounting for market dynamics and retailer value perception
• Conduct spend analysis and provide recommendations to maximize cost-effectiveness of trade investment
• Lead distributor compliance analysis and score-carding on spring/fall reset execution and programming
• Support the creation of Category Plans with data-driven insights aligned to customer objectives and Oliver's growth priorities
• Develop and present formal category reviews and business planning presentations to both internal and external stakeholders — with the ability to defend recommendations in the room
• Quantify revenue opportunity for each strategic recommendation distribution gaps, SKU additions, and market expansion should be sized with math, not estimates
• Establish strong working partnerships with the NA team (VP, Channel Managers) and Trade Marketing to develop strategic ABP plans for national and regional target accounts
• Collaborate with Trade Marketing and Marketing to craft product messaging and positioning strategies grounded in consumer and category data
• Provide timely support to sales teams on ad-hoc data requests, analytical questions, and system support without losing focus on higher-priority strategic work
• Stay current on industry trends, shopper insights, competitor activities, and data tools and bring relevant findings to the NA team and senior leadership proactively
• Effectively engage customers, vendors, and distributors to build strong, trust-based relationships
• Actively seek out and apply knowledge of the beverage industry to further the Oliver Winery brand
• Execute assigned work at a high level — with attention to detail, sound judgment, and thoughtful prioritization
• Make responsible business and financial decisions within the context of sales plan and budget parameters
• Contribute to a positive work environment through attitude, effort, and collaboration
• Model the Oliver values: Get Stuff Done, Respect People, Expect Quality and Think Differently

Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Statistics, Data Analytics, or a related field, or equivalent work experience
• 4+ years of experience in Category Management, Trade Marketing, Analytics, or Insights
• Demonstrated fluency with retail scan data (Nielsen, TABS, IRI/Circana, or equivalent) including item-level, account-level, and market-level analysis
• Proficiency in TDP and velocity-based analysis, the ability to distinguish a distribution problem from a rate-of-sale problem and size each accordingly
• Experience with fair share analysis and market indexing, building the case for where a brand is under-indexed and quantifying the gap
• Ability to conduct cross-retailer and cross-market benchmarking, using comparable accounts or geographies to frame opportunity and de-risk recommendations
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret data, identify the insight that matters, and communicate it plainly
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, including the ability to build models, dynamic reports, and presentation-ready visuals without significant support
• Proficient in Nielsen, TABS, Power BI, VIP, or equivalent category management platforms; familiarity with data visualization tools
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to present confidently to internal leadership and external retail partners
• Ability to design deliverables that stand on their own, leave-behinds, category reviews, and reports that communicate the full story without narration
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment, with strong project organization and timeline management
• Comfortable drawing a conclusion from imperfect data and defending it, doesn't hedge when a recommendation is needed
• Revenue opportunity estimates are grounded in TDP x velocity logic or comp-market benchmarks, not approximations or directional guesses
• Can rank five gaps and defend the sequence, doesn't present fifteen opportunities and call it a strategy
• Demonstrates complex problem-solving with a structured, data-first approach, equally comfortable in the weeds and at the executive summary level
• Communicates proactively and transparently, surfaces risks and opportunities before being asked
• Takes ownership of deadlines, deliverable quality, and follow-through, operates with minimal supervision
• Utilizes a persuasive, constructive communication style that creates alignment across Sales, Trade Marketing, and senior leadership
• Understands Oliver's business broadly, including the portfolio, the retail landscape, and the competitive dynamics shaping the category
• Adapts quickly to changing priorities and new data; remains solutions-oriented under pressure
• Effectively engage customers, vendors, and distributors to build strong, trust-based relationships
• Actively seek out and apply knowledge of the beverage industry to further the Oliver Winery brand
• Execute assigned work at a high level — with attention to detail, sound judgment, and thoughtful prioritization
• Make responsible business and financial decisions within the context of sales plan and budget parameters
• Contribute to a positive work environment through attitude, effort, and collaboration
• Model the Oliver values: Get Stuff Done, Respect People, Expect Quality and Think Differently
• CPG and/or retail experience strongly preferred
• Interest in and appreciation for wine and the beverage industry

Qualifications

Must Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Statistics, Data Analytics, or a related field, or equivalent work experience
• 4+ years of experience in Category Management, Trade Marketing, Analytics, or Insights
• Demonstrated fluency with retail scan data (Nielsen, TABS, IRI/Circana, or equivalent) including item-level, account-level, and market-level analysis
• Proficiency in TDP and velocity-based analysis, the ability to distinguish a distribution problem from a rate-of-sale problem and size each accordingly
• Experience with fair share analysis and market indexing, building the case for where a brand is under-indexed and quantifying the gap
• Ability to conduct cross-retailer and cross-market benchmarking, using comparable accounts or geographies to frame opportunity and de-risk recommendations
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret data, identify the insight that matters, and communicate it plainly
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, including the ability to build models, dynamic reports, and presentation-ready visuals without significant support
• Proficient in Nielsen, TABS, Power BI, VIP, or equivalent category management platforms; familiarity with data visualization tools
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to present confidently to internal leadership and external retail partners
• Ability to design deliverables that stand on their own, leave-behinds, category reviews, and reports that communicate the full story without narration
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment, with strong project organization and timeline management
• Comfortable drawing a conclusion from imperfect data and defending it, doesn't hedge when a recommendation is needed
• Revenue opportunity estimates are grounded in TDP x velocity logic or comp-market benchmarks, not approximations or directional guesses
• Can rank five gaps and defend the sequence, doesn't present fifteen opportunities and call it a strategy
• Demonstrates complex problem-solving with a structured, data-first approach, equally comfortable in the weeds and at the executive summary level
• Communicates proactively and transparently, surfaces risks and opportunities before being asked
• Takes ownership of deadlines, deliverable quality, and follow-through, operates with minimal supervision
• Utilizes a persuasive, constructive communication style that creates alignment across Sales, Trade Marketing, and senior leadership
• Understands Oliver's business broadly, including the portfolio, the retail landscape, and the competitive dynamics shaping the category
• Adapts quickly to changing priorities and new data; remains solutions-oriented under pressure
• Effectively engage customers, vendors, and distributors to build strong, trust-based relationships
• Actively seek out and apply knowledge of the beverage industry to further the Oliver Winery brand
• Execute assigned work at a high level — with attention to detail, sound judgment, and thoughtful prioritization
• Make responsible business and financial decisions within the context of sales plan and budget parameters
• Contribute to a positive work environment through attitude, effort, and collaboration
• Model the Oliver values: Get Stuff Done, Respect People, Expect Quality and Think Differently

Nice to Haves

• CPG and/or retail experience strongly preferred
• Interest in and appreciation for wine and the beverage industry