Director of Sales Operations and Category Strategy

Haribo Of America - Des Plaines, IL

Full-time - Senior

Des Plaines, IL

Food Manufacturing

About the position

The Director of Sales Operations and Category Strategy at HARIBO will lead the integration of Category Management strategies with Sales Operations, analytics, and Broker Management to drive profitable growth and optimize HARIBO's position in the U.S. market. This senior leadership role requires a strategic thinker with extensive experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, particularly in candy and snacks, to enhance sales operations and category strategies.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead category strategies that align with business objectives, including assortment and pricing strategies, market analysis, and retail partner engagement.
• Manage sales operations by partnering with Sales Directors and other team members, aligning strategies with financial targets.
• Oversee broker management, implementing process improvements and developing consistent working methods with broker partners.
• Drive operational excellence by optimizing sales operations processes to support customer marketing execution and category strategy execution across various sales channels.
• Lead and mentor a team of Category Managers, fostering their professional development.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for category strategy and sales operations, preparing and presenting reports to senior leadership.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in Category Management, Sales operations, or related roles within the CPG / Consumer Packaged Goods industry.
• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Marketing, or related field.
• Prior experience directly managing people/teams.
• 10+ years of experience using IRI, Circana, Nielsen, or other forms of syndicated sales and market data related to the consumer-packaged goods industry.
• Prior experience with Brokers, utilizing multiple Brokers, and understanding of Broker relationships.
• Proven track record of developing and executing successful category strategies and optimizing sales operations.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience within the candy, confectionery, or snacks in the FMCG, fast moving consumer goods industry is strongly preferred.
• MBA, Master’s Degree.

Benefits

• Fully paid health insurance premiums and generous HSA contribution.
• 11 paid Holidays plus Paid Time Off/PTO.
• Competitive 401(k).
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Community involvement opportunities.
• Career growth opportunities.