Category Development Manager II

Wells Enterprises is a leader in the ice cream category with iconic brands like Blue Bunny, Bomb Pop, Halo Top, and Blue Ribbon Classics! We leverage data and insights in all facets of our business.  The Category Development team is Best in Class. We are collaborative, analytical, curious, authentic, and results driven. We love supporting our internal and external partners with best-in-class insights. In the past few years, we have been able to increase our impact across the business and at retail. Due to an internal transfer, we are looking for a Category Development Manager II to support our Retail team.  In this role, you will lead development of detailed analytics and insights for Target, Meijer, Hy-Vee and other small regional retail customers. The leader in this role will strive to maximize category growth and support assigned sales divisions in achieving annual and strategic goals. They will proactively develop customer relationships and lead the respective sales organization in `best practices` regarding customer category development. 

Responsibilities Include: 

• Lead their retailers in all areas of category management. The expectation is to be curious, collaborative, and analytical in efforts to grow the Wells business.  
• Leveraging multiple data sources to develop and analyze key initiatives such as promotional execution or new item launches.  
• Leading development of actionable category insigts and providing recommendations to grow sales and communicating to both Wells internal sales management and assigned customer partners. 
• Serve as a strategic business team partner and support sales teams in achieving customer goals leveraging CATMAN skills to: 
  • Develop Category Reviews
  • Write or Edit planograms 
  • Support all other category development functions including reporting and the development of sales stories and presentations.  
• Skillfully leverages multiple data sources when building customer communications. Incorporates direct customer input along with variety of Wells internal information in analyses. Examples Include:
  • Pricing and promotional analysis 
  • Competitive analysis  
  • Assortment Optimization analysis 
  • New Item analysis 
• Managing multiple customer needs and prioritizing work according to best return of effort to the organization. Proactively partners with key customers to develop results-oriented solutions, strengthen business relationships, and assists in establishing Wells as their leading category consultants. 
• Being recognized as field-level customer expert. Works with sales team to identify key customer decision makers, strategies, company facts, history and other relevant information, using knowledge to support business recommendations. 
• Effectively executes the Wells sales process including establishing objectives and developing strong selling stories, anticipating objections, understanding the market and competitive data, and building Nielsen or IRI and other data into presentations, and communicating their meaning to buyers