Category Manager

JOB PURPOSE The purpose of this role is to drive the profitable growth of a product category in North America by developing and executing strategic plans that align with both regional and global objectives. This includes analyzing market data, optimizing product assortments, managing pricing strategies, and collaborating with cross‑functional teams to ensure product launches, inventory management, and marketing efforts are aligned to meet customer needs and business goals. This role has an emphasis on data analysis and strong aftermarket knowledge, bringing internal and external data together to generate business plans. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Accountable for profitable category growth in North America Responsible for developing and executing internal and external category plans and communicating to sales, customers, and leadership team Develop vision, mission, initiatives and scorecard measures to achieve category and regional goals; revise the category plan as appropriate Turn customer, installer and product data into actionable tactics to drive profitable growth Perform market research and partner with third party vendors to ensure the organization is responding to the voice of the customer Work with global teams to execute category plan and align global product line strategy with regional needs Identify customer specific product assortments and inventory deployment proposals to maximize customer sales and minimize returns Collaborate on the development of marketing materials and promotional plans Communicate often with Sales on product line trends and customer concerns Create price strategy to achieve regional financial goals Provide customer support as required (e.g. gap analysis, market insights, customer strategy recommendations, presentations and respond to inquiries) Conduct competitive benchmarking on a regular basis to ensure we are aligned (or better) than our competitors Implement pricing strategies based on market analytics Responsible for identifying new to range product pipeline and launching new products within the region; communicate plans to Global Product for alignment and support Generate new product introduction ideas with support from Sales, Product, and Engineering Support Purchasing team with data to help drive down product costs Work with Product and Engineering to identify product attributes and specifications to support the development of marketing materials Partner with logistics team to manage inventory Plan for SKU obsolescence and identify potential consolidations/supersessions QUALIFICATIONS Bachelor’s degree in business or related field is preferred but industry experience may be considered in place of a degree Minimum of 2+ years of automotive aftermarket experience Minimum of 2+ years of market and data analysis experience Proven ability to manipulate and organize complex part level data into concise reports Ability to work and solve problems independently, in a team, and cross functionally Strong communication and presentation skills, both oral and written Confidence in judgement and decision making Proficient with Microsoft Office Preferred experiences Knowledge or experience with the North America Fuel Handling market Knowledge of North American light, medium and heavy‑duty aftermarket and channels of distribution Ability to research part number interchanges BENEFITS Competitive compensation and benefits programs tailored to the role, including health and well‑being resources and family‑centric policies. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY PHINIA is an equal employment opportunity employer such that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. #J-18808-Ljbffr