Category Development Manager I

Salary Range $103,550-$129,425 per year

Position Summary

The Category Development Manager plays a pivotal role in driving Foster Farms' category leadership across our Prepared portfolio-including Branded Retail, Foodservice, and Private Label products. This position serves as a strategic business partner to Sales, Marketing, and Trade teams by transforming complex data into actionable insights that strengthen customer partnerships and guide brand strategy.

The ideal candidate is a data-driven storyteller with a strong command of syndicated, shopper, and receipt-level data who can influence internal strategy and external sell-in conversations with persuasive, insight-led narratives.

Responsibilities:

Category Leadership & Insights

• Lead the development of category insights across Foster Farms' portfolio using data from Circana (IRI), 84.51, and Numerator to uncover growth opportunities and consumer trends.
• Translate data into compelling, retailer-ready presentations that position Foster Farms as the trusted category expert and preferred supplier.
• Identify and communicate category growth drivers, white-space opportunities, and competitive performance to influence assortment, shelving, pricing, and promotional strategies.

Sales Enablement & Buyer Engagement

• Build and deliver fact-based sell-in stories that demonstrate the category value of Foster Farms' SKUs and secure placement of new and existing items.
• Partner with Sales to develop strategic recommendations and joint business plans tailored to each retailer's objectives and consumer base.
• Support customer meetings and line reviews with robust analytics, visualization tools, and persuasive storytelling that highlight Foster Farms' category leadership.

Strategic Business Partnership

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Trade, and Revenue Management to align category insights with brand strategy, pricing architecture, and promotional planning.
• Serve as the internal voice of the category, guiding strategic decisions and informing innovation and product development initiatives.
• Deliver regular business updates and category health reports to senior leadership, providing clear recommendations for action.
• Partner with Innovation to prioritize new product opportunities with the greatest potential while providing on-going visibility to competitive launches and marketplace performance.

Analytics & Tools

• Leverage advanced analytics and visualization platforms to distill complex data sets into clear insights and impactful visuals.
• Maintain strong working knowledge of Circana/IRI POS data, retailer-specific tools (84.51, Retail Link), and shopper panel data (Numerator).
• Continuously refine reporting and measurement approaches to improve accuracy, speed, and relevance of insights delivered to key stakeholders.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, or related field (MBA preferred).
• 5-8 years of experience in Category Management, Sales Strategy, or Consumer Insights within the CPG industry.
• Must reside in PST, MST or CST time zones
• Proven success translating data into insights that influence retailer decisions and drive brand growth.
• Advanced proficiency in syndicated and shopper data tools (Circana/IRI, 84.51, Numerator, Retail Link).
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and storytelling skills with the ability to simplify complex concepts for diverse audiences.
• Expertise in visualization and presentation tools
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills; able to influence cross-functional partners and senior leaders.
• Highly organized self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced, remote environment.
• Demonstrates an entrepreneurial, roll-up-your-sleeves approach

Foster Farms ACTION Guiding Principles

• Accountability: Deliver on commitments.
• Collaboration: Achieve more by working as a team.
• Truth-Seeking: Be open-minded and act with humility.
• Initiative: Be proactive and lead with a growth mindset.
• Ownership: Take responsibility for results.
• Nimble: Operate with speed and agility.

Why Join Foster Farms?

This is a high-impact opportunity to shape the future of the ready-to-eat business at a leading food company, directly supporting our mission, vision, and values. You will play a critical role in delivering safe, high-quality food and great moments for millions of families.

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