Category Insights Manager - Walmart & Sam's Club

OVERVIEW

Perfetti Van Melle (makers of Mentos, Airheads, Dentyne, Trident and Bubblicious!) is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of confectionery and chewing gum with global brands that are being enjoyed in more than 150 countries worldwide. We’re currently seeking an enthusiastic Category Insights Manager—Walmart & Sam’s Club to join our growing team.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Located in Bentonville, AR, the Category Insights Manager – Walmart & Sam’s Club plays a pivotal role in shaping category growth and driving strategic partnerships with two of the world’s largest retailers. This position leverages advanced analytics, shopper insights, and collaborative leadership to influence decisions across the confectionery aisle. By converting complex data into actionable strategies, the Category Insights Manager ensures both total category performance and Perfetti Van Melle portfolio success. This role works hand-in-hand with Sales and Marketing to develop and execute key growth initiatives with Walmart and Sam’s Club, including assortment strategy, pricing and promotion, modular resets, innovation sell-in, and activation planning. The position requires strong storytelling skills to convert complex data into actionable strategies that influence senior-level decisions.

Key Responsibilities

Category Leadership & Strategy
•    Serve as the primary category expert for Walmart and Sam’s Club across all confectionery segments.
•    Build and deliver category growth strategies that align with Walmart/Sam’s objectives and PVM business priorities.
•    Develop annual and long-range category plans, identifying whitespace opportunities, innovation priorities, and shelf optimization needs.
•    Define success metrics and KPIs for category initiatives to ensure accountability and continuous improvement.
Advanced Insights & Analytics
•    Leverage Walmart Scintilla and Sam’s Madrid to analyze trends, shopper behavior, switching patterns, leakage, and incremental growth opportunities.
•    Translate complex data into clear, compelling narratives that influence Walmart and Sam’s buyers, senior leadership, and internal stakeholders.
•    Identify growth drivers, competitive threats, assortment gaps, and pricing and promotion opportunities.
•    Utilize predictive modeling and emerging analytics tools to anticipate future trends and shopper shifts.
Modular Development & Space Optimization
•    Deliver data-driven assortment, space, and flow recommendations using Scintilla, Circana, and other analytic tools.
•    Provide strategic guidance on shelf layout, pack architecture, new item placement, and category navigation.
•    Partner with Walmart and Sam’s buyers to influence modular resets, seasonal strategies, and space allocation decisions.
•    Ensure recommendations are aligned with shopper navigation principles and drive incremental sales.
Sales & Marketing Partnership
•    Work closely with Sales and Marketing teams to develop and execute key growth initiatives with Walmart and Sam’s Club, including:
•    Joint Business Planning (JBP); Line reviews and innovation sell-in; Pricing and promotional strategy; Shopper marketing and activation programs
•    Ensure category insights are embedded into customer selling stories, marketing plans, and execution strategies.
•    Support top-to-top meetings and senior-level customer engagements with insight-led recommendations.
•    Collaborate on digital activation strategies to enhance omnichannel presence.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
•    Collaborate with Sales, Shopper Marketing, Brand, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, and Insights teams to align category strategies across the organization.
•    Partner with analytics teams to refine models and create custom analyses tailored to customer needs.
•    Act as a thought leader internally, sharing best practices and emerging trends to elevate organizational capability.
Reporting & Performance Tracking
•    Manage weekly, monthly, and quarterly reporting to track KPIs for both PVM and the total category.
•    Communicate shifts in category performance and shopper behavior to internal and external partners.
•    Lead post-event, post-promotion, and post-modular analyses to improve future strategies and execution.
•    Develop dashboards and visualization tools to simplify performance tracking for stakeholders.

WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU

•    Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Analytics, or a related field.
•    7+ years of experience in Category Management, Shopper Insights, or Sales Strategy within CPG.
•    Extensive working knowledge of Walmart Scintilla and Sam’s Madrid.
•    Strong experience with syndicated data sources such as Circana and/or Nielsen.
•    Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau, etc.).
•    Exceptional communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
•    Proven ability to influence retailer decisions through data-driven insights.

Preferred:
•    Direct experience working on the Walmart and/or Sam’s Club account.
•    Experience in confectionery or snack categories.
•    Category Management certification (CMA) or similar credentials.
•    Experience with digital activation and omnichannel strategies is a plus.

WHAT WE OFFER

At Perfetti Van Melle, we are committed to fostering a welcoming workplace, where all individuals, regardless of background or identity, are valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives to the sweet success of our candy-loving community. Additionally, we have a core value of Care For Our People and we are proud to offer benefit programs that support our team members' goals and well-being including:  

• PTO package including vacation, wellness, personal, and pay it forward time off    
• 13 paid holidays    
• 401k with Company Match up to 8%, ranking in the top 1% of the country 
• Annual Bonus potential and merit-based increases   
• Comprehensive Health Insurance     
• Annual well-being subsidy  
• 20 weeks Maternity & 12 weeks Paternity leave options   
• Sam's Club or Costco annual membership reimbursement    
• Tuition-Free College Program or Free Continued Education (BA, Masters, etc.)  
• Modest monthly candy allotment (Airheads, Airheads Xtremes, and Mentos)  

Perfetti Van Melle, USA is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other applicable statutorily protected group status under local, state, or federal law. 

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