Sr Director, Category Management

UTZ Quality Foods is seeking a Sr Director, Category Management. The Senior Director, Field Category Management leads our field category management function reporting into the Sales Center of Excellence team. This executive-level position is responsible for driving revenue growth, profitability, and market share across multiple product categories within the Salty Snacks division.

As a strategic leader, the Senior Director will shape the company's approach to category strategy, data analytics, and customer engagement - integrating consumer insights, marketing strategy, and commercial execution. This individual will lead a team of category managers and analysts, collaborate closely with Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Operations, and serve as a key strategic partner to senior leadership and top retail customers.

This role requires a proven ability to combine analytical rigor with commercial savvy, and to inspire teams and customers alike through data-driven storytelling. This is a remote position.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of holistic category growth strategies that drive top-line revenue, profitability, and market share across multiple categories.
• Align category and insights strategies with enterprise commercial goals, brand priorities, and trade investment frameworks.
• Serve as a key thought partner to senior leadership, influencing long-term commercial planning and investment decisions.
• Lead, coach, and inspire the Field Category Management team to achieve excellence in analytics, strategy, and customer engagement.
• Build organizational capability through process improvement, tool development, and talent advancement.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and insight-led decision-making.
• Partner with key retail customers to co-create category strategies, lead top-to-top presentations, and strengthen customer relationships.
• Leverage category insights to influence retailer decisions on assortment, pricing, shelving, and promotional plans.
• Represent the organization in key industry forums and trade shows (e.g., FMI, NACS, Expo West), positioning the company as a category thought leader.
• Oversee the integration and interpretation of syndicated, panel, and internal data to identify trends, opportunities, and risks.
• Transform data into actionable insights and compelling narratives that drive business decisions and customer partnerships.
• Guide the development of executive-level reports and presentations that highlight performance, competitive positioning, and strategic opportunities.
• Collaborate with Marketing to ensure customer stories and category strategies align with brand and innovation initiatives.
• Partner with Finance, Supply Chain, and Revenue Management to ensure category actions support Net Realized Revenue (NRR) improvement and operational feasibility.
• Drive organizational alignment around category and shopper strategies, ensuring clear linkage between consumer demand, customer execution, and financial outcomes.
• Champion change management initiatives to elevate insight-driven decision-making across the business.
• Lead cross-functional efforts to enhance pricing, PPA (Pack-Price Architecture), and trade investment effectiveness.
• Act as a cultural catalyst for embedding category management and insights excellence across the organization.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or related field; MBA strongly preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in Category Management, Consumer Insights, or related commercial functions within the FMCG/CPG industry.
• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience, including team management and cross-functional influence.
• Proven ability to lead strategic customer engagements and deliver compelling, insight-driven presentations.
• Expertise in syndicated and panel data analysis (e.g., Nielsen, IRI, Circana) and the ability to synthesize insights into persuasive commercial strategies.
• Deep understanding of the selling process, P&L ownership, trade and revenue management principles, and the business planning cycle.
• Strong conceptual thinker with the ability to connect data, brand strategy, and retail execution.
• Demonstrated success in change management and embedding insight-led commercial processes.
• Willingness to travel as needed for customer meetings, team leadership, and industry events.

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