Category Manager

About JLB
JLB is a award-winning retail consulting firm that is passionate about helping brands succeed at Target and Target win in the Marketplace. More than a traditional broker, we offer tailored solutions across Sales, Strategy, Category Management, Insights, Digital, Shopper Marketing, and more—helping brands thrive at one of the world's most innovative retailers.

The Team
Our Category Management Service at Target serves as a pivotal resource for the Target buying team, offering flawless day-to-day support and is entrusted with direct access to Target's internal systems. This role is exclusively dedicated to Target, representing a collaborative and strategic partnership that seamlessly integrates with the Target buying team.

The Role
The Category Manager leads complex category work, expertly analyzing data from multiple sources, synthesizing to deliver clear, tailored presentations to the Target buying team. This role combines analytics, presentation, and leadership skills to guide both short and long-term initiatives. They anticipate business needs and proactively identify challenges and opportunities. Strong project management, problem-solving, and communication skills are essential.

What We Offer:

Full-Time Benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision, Life)

401(k) with company match

Training and Career Development

Generous Paid Time-Off

Responsibilities:

Relationships: Independently manages day-to-day relationships with Target and cross-functional teams, including merchant, business analyst, inventory analyst, space & transition planning & pricing promo team, and develops relationships with the Director merchant. Leads the preparation and execution of client meetings, including weekly updates and ad hoc sessions, while driving collaborative problem-solving discussions. Provides strategic recommendations grounded in a deep understanding of category trends and client needs.

Reporting: Owns the end-of-end reporting process, combining advanced data analytics with a deep understanding of business drivers. Integrates multiple data sources to deliver detailed weekly reports and strategic insights that highlight performance trends, opportunities, and risks. Incorporates insights on sales, promotions, and inventory in multiple roll-ups like brand, vendor, subcategory, and item. Develops and manages custom attributes, enabling deeper analysis and providing valuable insights into business performance. Supports ad hoc reporting needs, proactively identifying relevant data points to address client questions and guide decisions.

Marketplace Insights/Competitive Shops: Manages in-depth analyses of competitive marketplace and retailer trends, including merchandising, pricing, brand, and SKU selection. Produces comprehensive reports on market share, competitive retailer performance, and industry trends. Identifies and capitalizes on emerging trends, opportunity items, promotional themes, and merchandising strategies. Provides strategic recommendations to Target merchant team.

Category & Seasonal Reviews: Executes category and seasonal review utilizing some pre-established templates and creating custom outputs for their business. Gains a deep understanding of client strategies and analyzes sales, space-to-sales, consumer behavior, basket drivers, segmentation, pricing tiers, assortment gaps, white space, and merchandising. Provides actionable insights and strategic recommendations to enhance category performance and productivity. Is successful at synthesizing to create executive summaries and key recommendations summaries independently. Effectively presents to the client, utilizing advanced presentation techniques to convey complex data and insights, fostering client understanding and buy-in.

Planogram Process: Own the transition & revision planogram process from start to finish. This includes managing T&A, confirming item images & attributes, merchandise planning, SVP walk-through support, planogram optimization, and writing all planogram versions. Analyze merchandising and assortment to influence strategy. Develop strategic planograms that align with business objectives and enhance customer experience. Efficiently writes up to 1,000 planograms, store ties, fixture placement, signage, and proofing.

Digital Support: Manages the development of comprehensive digital performance reports and seasonal analyses. Conducts in-depth analysis of channel sales performance, search behavior, purchasability, and site content and experience. Collaborates with internal digital category experts to identify the correct tools to use for a business question before developing custom outputs. Develops and presents to Target strategic recommendations based on data analysis to support business objectives and improve digital performance.

Macro & Micro Trends: Research trends and utilize internal resources to gain comprehensive insights. Identify emerging trends and apply these to current and forward-thinking category initiatives. Shares insights and presentations that are applicable to other categories at JLB to create efficiency and knowledge sharing.

Qualifications:

Education Level: (Required) bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field such as Business, Finance, Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, or a related discipline. Field of Study/Area of Experience:

6+ years of experience in retail or brand background is a must.

3+ years of relatable Category Advisor or Captainship is preferred but not required.

Target specific Category Management experience is a plus.

Proficient in diverse tasks including reporting & analytics, setting planograms, planogram writing, creating presentations, and adept presentation delivery. Skilled in synthesizing multiple/extensive resources to craft compelling narratives and actionable insights, with a deep understanding of merchandising strategies and the ability to leverage and apply substantial datasets effectively.

Job Will Remain Open Until Filled

Responsibilities

Relationships: Independently manages day-to-day relationships with Target and cross-functional teams: including merchant, business analyst, inventory analyst, space & transition planning & pricing promo team, and developing relationships with Director merchant. Leads preparation and execution of client meetings, including weekly updates and ad hoc sessions, while driving collaborative problem-solving discussions. Provides strategic recommendations grounded in a deep understanding of category trends and client needs.

Reporting: Owns the end-to-end reporting process, combining advanced data analytics with a deep understanding of business drivers. Integrates multiple data sources to deliver detailed weekly reports and strategic insights that highlight performance trends, opportunities, and risks. Incorporates insights on sales, promotions, inventory in multiple roll ups like brand, vendor, subcategory, and item. Develops and manages custom attributes, enabling deeper analysis and providing valuable insights into business performance. Supports ad hoc reporting needs, proactively identifying relevant data points to address client questions and guide decisions.

Marketplace Insights/Competitive Shops: Manages in-depth analyses of competitive marketplace and retailer trends, including merchandising, pricing, brand, and SKU selection. Produces comprehensive reports on market share, competitive retailer performance, and industry trends. Identifies and capitalizes on emerging trends, opportunity items, promotional themes, and merchandising strategies. Provides strategic recommendations to Target merchant team.

Category & Seasonal Reviews: Executes category and seasonal review utilizing some pre-established templates and creating custom outputs for their business. Gains a deep understanding of client strategies and analyzes: sales, space-to-sales, consumer behavior, and basket drivers, segmentation, pricing tiers, assortment gaps, white space, and merchandising. Provides actionable insights and strategic recommendations to enhance category performance and productivity. Is successful at synthesizing to create executive summaries and key recommendations summaries independently. Effectively presents to the client, utilizing advanced presentation techniques to convey complex data and insights, fostering client understanding and buy-in.

Planogram Process: Own the transition & revision planogram process from start to finish. This includes managing T&A, confirming item images & attributes, merchandise planning, SVP walk-through support, planogram optimization and writing all planogram versions. Analyze merchandising and assortment to influence strategy. Develops strategic planograms that align with business objectives and enhance the customer experience. Efficiently writes up to 1,000 planograms, store ties, fixture placement, signage, and proofing.

Digital Support: Manages the development of comprehensive digital performance reports and seasonal analyses. Conducts in-depth analysis of channel sales performance, search behavior, purchasability, and site content and experience. Collaborates with internal digital category experts to identify correct tools to use for a business question before developing custom outputs. Develops and presents to Target strategic recommendations based on data analysis to support business objectives and improve digital performance.

Macro & Micro Trends: Research trends and utilize internal resources to gain comprehensive insights. Identify emerging trends and apply these to current and forward-thinking category initiatives. Shares insights and presentations that are applicable to other categories at JLB to create efficiency and knowledge sharing.

Minimum Qualifications

Education Level: (Required) Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field such as Business, Finance, Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, or a related discipline.

6+ years of experience in retail or brand background is a must.

3+ years of relatable Category Advisor or Captainship is preferred but not required.

Target specific Category Management experience is a plus.

Proficient in diverse tasks including reporting & analytics, setting planograms, planogram writing, creating presentations, and adept presentation delivery. Skilled in synthesizing multiple/extensive resources to craft compelling narratives and actionable insights, with a deep understanding of merchandising strategies and the ability to leverage and apply substantial datasets effectively.

Direct Reports

This position does not have supervisory responsibilities for direct reports

Indirect Reports

Does not have direct reports, but may delegate work of others and provide guidance, direction and mentoring to indirect reports

Skills, Knowledge And Abilities

Strategic Thinker: Deep understanding of business strategy with the ability to synthesize data, trends, and insights into actionable recommendations aligned with long-term growth.

Highly Organized: Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and coordinate across teams with precision and efficiency.

Advanced Analytical Skills: Expert in evaluating complex data sets and using tools to generate clear, actionable insights.

Detail-Oriented: Strong attention to data accuracy and integrity, especially in tools like JDA and other planning systems.

Tool Proficiency: Skilled in Excel, PowerPoint, JDA, POS systems, and market insights platforms (e.g., Kantar, Mintel, Numerator), as well as Target-specific tools. Customer Service Focused: Prioritizes clear communication and responsiveness to drive customer satisfaction.

Self-Starter: Proactive, results-driven, and solutions-oriented with a strong commitment to continuous improvement.

Strategic Thinker: Deep understanding of business strategy with the ability to synthesize data, trends, and insights into actionable recommendations aligned with long-term growth.

Environmental & Physical Requirements
Typical office time spent for reporting, meetings and planogram writing. Monthly store walks/retailer visits. Bi-annual product unboxing & setting planograms live in the office for SVP walks (typically planograms are set for 8 weeks). Sales plan sets live in the office live 6-8 times per year.

Additional Information Regarding Job Duties And Job Descriptions
Job duties include additional responsibilities as assigned by one's supervisor or other manager related to the position/department. This job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position. The Company reserves the right at any time with or without notice to alter or change job responsibilities, reassign or transfer job position or assign additional job responsibilities, subject to applicable law. The Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable a qualified applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by law.

Important Information
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of associates so classified.

The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity in all employment practices without regard to age, race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, physical or mental disability, or any other category protected by law. As part of this commitment, the Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable an applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by law.

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