Lead, Category Leadership

Your Opportunity as the Lead, Category Leadership   

As a Walmart Category Advisor for JM Smucker, you will serve as a trusted partner to Walmart’s merchant team on a dynamic advisor team, driving category growth through data-driven insights, strategic recommendations, and flawless execution. You will leverage deep expertise in category management, shopper and consumer analytics, and modular planning to deliver actionable solutions that enhance sales, market share, and customer satisfaction. You will have one direct report, on a team of six.

Location: Bentonville, AR

Work Arrangements: Hybrid - onsite a minimum of 9 days a month primarily during core weeks as determined by the Company; maybe more as business need requires

In This Role You Will:

Category Leadership & Advisory

• Act as point person for Walmart merchants on category, shopper, and consumer trends, providing fact-based, insight-led recommendations 
• Lead the modular build process, delivering optimized planograms and assortment strategies that align with Walmart’s objectives 
• Conduct category reviews, SWOT analyses, and scorecard development using syndicated and POS data (Circana, Scintilla, Primary/Secondary Research) 
• Assess new product introductions, market analyses, and assortment changes to drive category and brand growth 

Insights & Analytics

• Integrate data from multiple sources (syndicated, panel, POS, customer insights) to uncover compelling trends and develop actionable recommendations 
• Utilize tools such as Scintilla, Excel, PowerPoint, Circana, JDA, and Tableau for analysis and reporting 
• Deliver accurate, insightful reporting to Walmart with expert commentary on current performance and future trends 

Collaboration & Communication

• Work cross-functionally with internal teams (Sales, Marketing, Insights, R&D) to support buyer strategies and category initiatives 
• Participate in account strategic planning processes and collaborate on assortment, space, and merchandising solutions 
• Present findings and recommendations confidently to Walmart merchants and internal stakeholders at all levels 

Continuous Improvement

• Stay current on industry developments and best practices in category management, proactively seeking opportunities to strengthen professional competence 
• Adopt a continuous improvement mindset to elevate advisory execution and advocate for resources and technology to provide leading category capabilities 

The Right Place for You

We are bold, kind, strive to do the right thing, we play to win, and we believe in a strong community that thrives together. Our culture is rooted in our Basic Beliefs, and we believe in supporting every employee by meeting their physical, emotional, and financial needs.

What We Are Looking For:

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’S Degree

• 2+ years of Walmart Category Advisory experience 
• Experience building relationships within customers / retailers
• Experience in analysis of shopper / consumer-based CPG information
• Strong analytical skills, problem solving, and storytelling experience
• Excellent organization and written / verbal communication skills
• Proficient in leveraging syndicated data
• JDA Prospace software experience
• Ability to develop and translate insights into actions
• Strategic mindset to help build and execute effective plans
• Business & Financial Acumen
• Ability to travel up to 15%

Additional skills and experience that we think would make someone successful in this role (not required):

• Scintilla Experience

Learn more about working at Smucker:

• Helping our Employees Thrive
• Delivering on Our Purpose 
• Our Continued Commitment to Ensuring a Workplace for All 
• Follow us on LinkedIn®