ABBOTT LABORATORIES Category Strategy Manager - Bentonville, AR Salary in the United States

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 103,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

Category Strategy Manager – Walmart Team

Responsibilities include providing advanced analytics, shopper and consumer insights, and category recommendations to internal and external customers.  Candidates must have excellent communication and organizational skills, the ability to identify and present recommendations and develop effective and accurate reporting tools.

Best in Class Category Management

• Identify and develop strategic growth platforms for the categories in which Abbott Nutrition competes; shape retailers’ strategic category direction based on shopper understanding/insights at a macro and micro level.
• Identify and actively pursue all category opportunities at the retailer.
• Strong competency in working cross functionally; primary interfaces include retail customer, retail Sales Directors and Team Leads, Account Team Leaders and Account Managers, broader brand organization and market and customer insights and sales development organization.
• Ability to lead large Plano-gram drawing projects and guide retailer merchant teams through actions and rationale.
• Build and develop selling presentations to respond to retailer questions, competitive challenges and brand selling opportunities.
• Maintain/win category captaincy roles; drive execution of best-in-class physical and digital shelf sets.

Retailer Support

• Penetrate retailer at various levels to build relationships and influence decision making.
• Build Abbott equity and influence retailer as a category knowledge resource.
• Coordinate activities to develop, present and implement category management initiatives.
• Provide relevant category and shopper insights to drive assortment, distribution, category placement and aisle recommendations.

Analytical Expertise

• Manage and deliver comprehensive category reviews, using retailer-preferred metrics and industry analysis.
• Oversee category reporting along with share reporting that is provided to the buyer with an executive summary weekly.  Look for opportunities to improve and automate reporting.
• Provide Walmart buyer with category recommendations based on analytical insights.
• Maintain proficiency in the use of Abbott computer systems, space management software (JDA), Nielsen Workstation, account-specific data sources, Microsoft programs (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook).

Ability to identify and utilize appropriate resources is required.  Position will have frequent interaction with customer and have visibility with internal Management.  This role will have an in-direct report and be responsible for his/her daily/weekly tasks. This position will report to the Team Leader of Category Management.