Category Management Senior Analyst

David creates tools to increase muscle and decrease fat. Our first product is a protein bar. More broadly, David is a platform to develop high-protein, low-calorie, blood-sugar-friendly foods that are craveable. This is a rare opportunity to join a breakout food brand at a pivotal stage of growth. Led by CEO Peter Rahal, Cofounder and Former CEO of RXBAR, David is working to become the leading consumer food brand focused on high-protein foods in North America and beyond. Role & Responsibilities We are seeking a Category Management Senior Analyst to serve as David’s in-house expert on the categories it competes in, the consumers it serves, and the trade dynamics that shape its competitive position at retail. This role will be the connective tissue between market intelligence and commercial decision making, ensuring that David’s retail strategy is grounded in data, informed by competitive reality, and supported by the right level of trade investment. You will own David’s syndicated data relationships and build the analytical frameworks that allow the Retail and Finance teams to understand what is happening in the market, why it is happening, and what David should do about it. You will work closely with Sales Finance on trade budgeting, quarterly forecasts, and pricing strategy to ensure we are always competing effectively across every channel. Depending on level and experience, responsibilities may include: 1. Category Intelligence & Consumer Insights Track and analyze category share dynamics on an ongoing basis, identifying which brands are gaining and losing share, which channels are driving category growth, and what product or pricing dynamics are behind the trends Build and maintain a competitive intelligence framework that surfaces meaningful signals about competitor strategy, including new product launches, distribution changes, and promotional investment shifts Analyze consumer preference patterns to understand what is driving trial and repeat purchase at a product, format, and channel level, and translate these insights into actionable recommendations for David’s assortment and go to market strategy Evaluate David’s portfolio performance across customers and channels, including everyday items, limited time offers, and display formats, and support add and delete decisions grounded in category, customer, and financial data Assess retailer specific opportunities across product formats, packaging configurations, unit counts, and retailer display units to identify where David can win incremental distribution Own David’s syndicated data ecosystem, including SPINS, Numerator, and retailer specific data portals, serving as the internal expert on how to access, interpret, and act on these sources 2. Trade Spend, Pricing & Promotional ROI Use SPINS, Numerator, and retailer specific data to quantify promotional investment levels across David and its key competitors, measuring promotion depth (average discount) and frequency by channel and by retailer Build a comprehensive view of the promotional landscape in each channel David operates in, identifying where David is over or under investing relative to category norms and competitive benchmarks Develop and propose pricing guardrails across channels, customers, and products based on competitive dynamics and consumer price sensitivity, and gather and centralize customer and buyer feedback on pricing to inform ongoing recommendations Analyze the ROI of David’s past promotional events across customers and SKUs, identifying what worked, what did not, and what best practices should inform future promotional planning Develop tools and dashboards that allow the Retail and Finance teams to monitor trade spend and pricing effectiveness in near real time and course correct Partner with Sales Finance to ensure that trade budgets by customer, channel, and product line reflect both the competitive promotional environment and David’s strategic priorities for each account 3. Retailer Facing Analytics & Category Reviews Build category reviews, retailer selling stories, and fact-based presentations that position David as a category thought leader and support distribution growth with key retail partners Develop retailer specific analytics that demonstrate David’s incrementality to the category, its role in driving basket size, and its performance versus the competitive set Support new item launches through pre-launch retailer targeting analysis, forecast development, and post-launch performance tracking against established benchmarks Identify distribution gaps and white space opportunities by retailer and by format, prioritizing them based on category potential and David’s ability to win Partner with the Retail team to translate category insights into compelling narratives that resonate with retail buyers and support the annual planning process 4. Sales Finance Partnership & Quarterly Reforecast Work closely with Sales Finance on the quarterly reforecast process, ensuring that projected net sales and trade spend are reconciled against the latest channel and category trajectories Provide Sales Finance with the market level context needed to challenge or validate internal assumptions, including category growth rates, channel mix shifts, and competitive dynamics that could affect David’s volume outlook Partner with Sales Finance to define and prioritize the right syndicated data subscriptions, evaluating the cost and benefit of different data sources and ensuring David always has the market intelligence it needs Develop a forecast framework that integrates category data, customer performance trends, and trade investment levels into a single, coherent view of where the business is headed 5. Cross Functional Partnership Serve as the internal expert on category trends, consumer insights, and competitive dynamics, making this intelligence accessible and actionable for the Retail, Finance, and Marketing teams Partner with Commercialization to ensure that consumer insights inform innovation priorities, packaging decisions, and brand positioning in the context of category realities Support strategic projects and process improvements as the commercial organization scales, including customer business reviews, annual planning processes, and new market entry analyses Requirements 1 to 3 years of experience in Category Management, Sales Analytics, Revenue Management, Commercial Strategy, or a related CPG function Strong analytical skills and advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint Hands on experience with syndicated data platforms such as SPINS, Nielsen, Circana and/or Numerator is highly desirable Ability to translate complex datasets into clear, actionable business recommendations Strong communication skills and comfort presenting to senior leadership and external retail partners Highly organized and detail oriented, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously Experience developing customer presentations, category reviews, and retailer selling stories is desirable Experience working with Sales Finance on trade budgeting or forecasting processes is a plus Excitement about helping build an early stage CPG brand This is a full-time role. Salary: $100-120k per year, inclusive of cash bonus based on attainment of company targets + company equity opportunity 100% covered Health, Vision, Dental Insurance 401(k) with 4% match Additional perks, such as covered commuter, gym expenses and office lunches Substantial and required PTO We work in the office 5 days per week in New York City - when culture lines up, it is fun to be in the office together #J-18808-Ljbffr David