Senior Category Manager - Kroger

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Have a seat at our table. When you join Smithfield, you become part of something special - a company that's sustainably feeding people around the world, producing good food the right way with respect for our people, animals, communities and planet. With opportunities across locations and functions, a culture grounded in our Core Four values - gratitude, communication, respect and accountability - and a strong commitment to learning, collaboration, and innovation, Smithfield offers challenging and rewarding careers where you can grow, contribute and make a real impact. Apply Now!

Overview

The Senior Category Manager is the category leadership expert for the Kroger business, serving as a trusted advisor to both Kroger and Smithfield Foods. This role leverages shopper, consumer, market, and retailer data to develop fact-based strategies that drive growth across Packaged Meats and Deli categories. The position partners closely with Kroger merchants, category leaders, and Smithfield Sales, Marketing, Shopper Marketing, and Insights teams to identify opportunities in assortment, innovation, merchandising, pricing, promotion, and category growth.

This highly visible, customer-facing role requires strong analytical expertise, strategic thinking, storytelling, and executive-level communication skills. The Senior Category Manager also provides thought leadership, mentors team members, and helps advance category management capabilities across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the category management lead and trusted advisor for the Kroger business.
• Analyze and integrate data from Kroger 84.51 On Demand, Stratum, syndicated data, household panels, assortment and space analytics, market trends, shopper insights, and shipment performance.
• Translate complex data into actionable recommendations that drive category growth, profitability, shopper engagement, and loyalty.
• Develop strategies related to assortment, shelving, merchandising, pricing, promotion, distribution, and innovation.
• Evaluate category performance, item productivity, incrementality, transferability, distribution opportunities, and pack/price architecture.
• Assess promotional and pricing effectiveness, including elasticity, lift, ROI, cannibalization, frequency, and timing.
• Lead category reviews, line reviews, innovation presentations, joint business planning initiatives, and senior leadership updates.
• Build and maintain dashboards, scorecards, and reporting tools to monitor key business metrics and identify opportunities and risks.
• Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Insights, and customer teams to support long-term business growth.
• Serve as the subject matter expert in customer meetings and support category-focused selling strategies.
• Drive continuous improvement of reporting processes, analytical tools, and category management best practices.
• Mentor team members and help elevate category management capabilities across the organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or related field plus 8+ years of CPG experience in sales, marketing, category management, trade marketing, or a related area; equivalent experience considered.
• MBA preferred.
• 2+ years of team leadership, people management, or project leadership experience.
• 5+ years of experience using syndicated data sources such as Nielsen, Circana/IRI, or similar platforms.
• Proven success in category management and category captaincy, including delivering measurable business results.
• Experience with assortment tools and planogram software preferred.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, syndicated data platforms, and category management tools.
• Strong analytical, quantitative, communication, presentation, and project management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and customer decision-makers.
• Strong relationship-building skills with a collaborative, team-oriented approach.
• Travel requirement: approximately 5-10%.

EEO Information

Smithfield is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, gender identity, protected veterans status, status as a disabled individual or any other protected group status or non-job characteristic as directed by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment selection process, please call us at 757-357-1595.