Category Development Manager, Shave & Grooming

Edgewell is not just a company, but a vibrant global community of 6,800 visionaries, doers, and makers. Our family of over 25 personal care brands serves people in more than 50 countries. We are dedicated to infusing joyfulness into every aspect of our work. Our pledge goes beyond our products, with our fundamental value of People First guiding us to foster a diverse, inclusive, and respectful environment where every team member can flourish and celebrate our shared achievements.

The Walmart Category Development Manager (CDM) will collaborate closely with Walmart merchant teams to drive category sales and market share growth. This role involves analyzing data, validating decisions, and developing strategies to optimize category performance. Prior experience as Category Advisor or Validator preferred, with Luminate and Syndicated data experience required. 

This position will understand and anticipate Shave & Grooming consumer demand to maximize growth at Walmart, both overall and by segment. This will be achieved by identifying and recommending strategies to capitalize on category opportunities and address challenges in the following areas:
 
1. Develop modular recommendations that simplify the shopping experience for Walmart customers by leveraging current merchandising principles, Walmart’s strategic direction, operational efficiency requirements, and insights from shopper research.
2. Perform weekly tracking of sales volume, panel metrics, ratings, reviews, and other relevant data as required by Walmart. Includes the creation and maintenance of POS and syndicated data source reports.
3. Conduct financial modeling based on add/delete recommendations and volume source assumptions.
4. Validation of decisions made throughout Walmart’s modular process and any data related requests, as needed. 

Accountabilities:
1. Co-develop and manage the annual integrated customer business plan with the Walmart Shave & Grooming merchant team to achieve the agreed-upon brand and customer growth strategies and objectives.
2. Partner with the Walmart merchant to develop strategic category plans which attain Walmart objectives (volume and share objectives). 
3. Provide thought leadership in identifying business opportunities with Walmart by leveraging consumer and shopper insights using Luminate, Syndicated and Panel data. 
4. Act as category expert by objectively delivering Category Development principles and solutions to Walmart through use of customer internal scan and loyalty data, Circana, industry studies and custom consumer/shopper research. 
5. Support category management growth through the application of the most recent sales technologies including shelf management tools such as JDA, Point of Sale systems (Luminate, Crisp and Circana) applications, Assortment Tool (Luminate), Market-wide Pricing (Beats) and Panel (Circana ) on category growth solution-based selling.
     a. Demonstrate expertise in category management and efficient assortment to Walmart. (Luminate ADD Tool)
     b. Be proficient in creating and interpreting shopper and consumer research to drive category solutions development with Walmart. (via Luninate Customer Perception and other internal research). 
6. Develop and strengthen Walmart Shave & Grooming relationships through objective presentation and active participation in Weekly Walmart Management updates, Assortment and modular reviews by delivering objective value-added insights and recommendations to grow the category and Shave & Grooming brands. 
7. Utilize shelf management software (JDA) and category expertise to provide recommendations for shelf placement of new items and existing products with an objective of securing distribution/placement. 
8. Initiate & synchronize brand strategies/priorities with Walmart Shave & Grooming for a win-win. Execute new product initiatives accordingly. Develop scorecards and monitor the execution of 4P activities in line with established objectives and guidelines.
9. Leads discovery and articulation of new shopper insight, and the business opportunities derived from them, and ensures learning is understood by Walmart Shave & Grooming merchant team .
10. Participates in identifying and/or defining customer shopper segmentation and targeting strategies through understanding of dynamics such as “loyalty” (shopping frequency and expenditures) or “lifestyles” (segments who buy products with a certain profile) and supplementing behavioral understanding with discovery of needs and insight.
11. Monitor changes in the consumer and competitive environment for Walmart buying team and supports established/new products.
 
Walmart Category Captain/Validator “Must Have” Skills:

System / Analytical Skills
•    Proficient in Microsoft Office, Circana, Luminate, Retail Link, JDA (space management tool) and database management.
•    Clear understanding of how to pull data from Nielsen AOD or Circana Unify Platform (Syndicated POS), HH Panel and Retailer data.
•    Proven analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, uncover root causes of trends and deliver concise action-oriented recommendations on findings.
•    High attention to details.
•    Demonstrated ability to develop category stories leveraging consumer and shopper knowledge (Kantar, Mintel, etc.).
•    Understanding of qualitative and quantitative shopper and consumer insight surveys and how to apply to business case scenarios. 

Advisory/Validator Skills
•    Understanding of Walmart’s Advisory Team Principles and how to operate within their expectations of confidentiality.
•    Demonstrated ability to build and sustain strong customer relationships, earning trust and respect.
•    Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
•    Ability to be objective and think strategically.
•    Able to work independently and to plan, organize and set/achieve priorities.
•    Excellent presentation skills with keen skill in storytelling
•    Capable of understanding the objective and delivering a clear presentation that can be shared without your presence.
 
Requirements 
•    Previous Walmart Category management experience, prefer in an advisor or validator capacity.

The salary range for this position is $96,000 - $144,000. The actual base salary offered to a candidate may vary based upon factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, time in role, base salary of internal peers, prior performance, business sector, and geographic location. In addition to base salary, the competitive compensation package may include, depending on the role, participation in an incentive program linked to performance.

#LI-AC1

Edgewell is an equal opportunity employer. We do all we can to create a collaborative and diverse global team, where good ideas can thrive, and our colleagues can learn and lead. We prohibit discrimination based on age, color, disability, marital or parental status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status or any legally protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. We listen deeply and speak directly to create an environment that’s open to difference. We aim to bring joy to not only the products we create and the people we serve, but our colleagues across the globe too.