Skills & Competencies for Category Manager

Category Manager job profile

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JOB SUMMARY for Category Manager

Develops the overall strategy for a product category and researches new product options in the category to drive sales and achieve targets.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES for Category Manager

Leads a team that provides category insights and proposals by analyzing marketing and customer data and monitoring relevant market conditions. Works closely with sales team to determine optimal pricing through analysis of sales trends, competitors, buying habits and planograms of products to promote sales opportunities. Provides effective promotional materials. May develop special arrangements with vendors to enhance product promotions.

Category Manager SALARY RANGE

BASE 50%
$122,507
TOTAL 50%
$134,378
Job Level
M03
Job Code
SM15000441
Education/Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Reports To
Head of a Unit/Department

Category Manager Skills and Competencies List

Proficiency Levels and Behavioural Indicators
Salary.com identifies five increasing levels of proficiency for each skill/competency. Some jobs require only a relatively low level of proficiency in each skill/competency, while other jobs will require a more advanced level of proficiency in the same skill/competency. These levels rate the degree of proficiency (skill level, expertise) we expect the incumbent to perform in the given skill/competency for the given job. Note that we intentionally do not associate timeframes or years of experience in performing the skill/competency because that can be misleading. Proficiency levels identify what the incumbent knows and can do rather than how long they have been doing it. Also, note that the proficiency levels are cumulative, e.g., a level 4 proficiency implies the ability to perform all the behaviors at the lower levels.
Check each Category Manager skill and competencie below to view definitions.
JOB FAMILY COMPETENCIES CORE COMPETENCIES
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14 general skills or competencies (Job family competencies) for Category Manager

1 Job Family Competencies – Brand Management
Proficiency Level -4
Skill definition-Strategizing and evaluating brands in terms of positioning and target customers to ensure products and services highlight the quality of the brand.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Describes the concepts and benefits of brand management.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Assists in creating brand marketing plans to enhance business value.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Assures brand compliance to align with the business’ values and quality standards.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Consults with the management to execute brand portfolio.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Champions the adoption of advanced brand marketing techniques and methods to ensure growth and sustainability.
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2 Job Family Competencies – Competitive Environment
Proficiency Level -4
Skill definition-Ability to gather, analyze, and communicate information about the competitive business market.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Describes basic concepts and principles of competitive environment.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Conducts basic market research to enhance understanding of our competitive environment.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Engages in market research to determine the optimal pricing in the competitive environment.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Ensures market positioning to drive organizational change.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Builds strategies to identify competitors’ strengths and weaknesses.
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3 Category Manager - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Category Manager
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Category Manager
Proficiency Level - 5

11 soft skills or competencies (core competencies) for Category Manager

1 Core Competencies – Business Acumen
Proficiency Level -4
Skill definition-Insight into our organization's business, goals, and values. Ability to design and implement initiatives that facilitate successful outcomes.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Describes the market conditions that impact the business.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Collects and compiles competitor information for competitive analysis.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Communicates financial insights that positively influence the business plan development process.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Evaluates and explains the financial aspects of a business initiative to different teams.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Champions organizational change and digital transformation to drive higher business performance.
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2 Core Competencies – Planning and Organizing
Proficiency Level -5
Skill definition-Managing and prioritizing resources and workloads by creating well-organized plans to attain organizational goals and objectives.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Compiles a list of all the traits of effective planning to help finish the assigned tasks.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Classifies assigned tasks based on the level of importance to ensure organized workload completion.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Defines and translates objectives into specific plans to ensure understanding of organizational goals.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Delivers training sessions to foster and maximize solid planning and organization capabilities.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Champions the adoption of business intelligence systems to achieve planning and organization goals.
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3 Category Manager - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Category Manager
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Category Manager
Proficiency Level - 5

Summary of Category Manager skills and competencies

There are 0 hard skills for Category Manager.
14 general skills for Category Manager, Brand Management, Competitive Environment, Digital Marketing, etc.
11 soft skills for Category Manager, Business Acumen, Planning and Organizing, Driving Results, etc.
While the list totals 25 distinct skills, it's important to note that not all are required to be mastered to the same degree. Some skills may only need a basic understanding, whereas others demand a higher level of expertise.
For instance, as a Category Manager, he or she needs to be skilled in Business Acumen, be an expert in Planning and Organizing, and be skilled in Driving Results.

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