Category Analyst, Culinary

Description

Lactalis USA is currently seeking candidates to join our Culinary Team, located in Buffalo, New York.

Lactalis, the world leader in dairy, is a family-owned business with more than 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals worldwide, committed to nurturing the future by providing healthy and delicious dairy products that bring people together every day. We produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together every day. We offer an enviable range of dairy brands including Galbani, President, Kraft Natural Cheese, Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, Parmalat, Siggi's, and Stonyfield Organic in addition to several brands imported from our affiliates in Europe.

At Lactalis, our core values of AMBITION, ENGAGEMENT, and SIMPLICITY are at the heart of everything we do. We are dedicated to building a safe, diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace and we know that our candidates come from many different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. If you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job posting, we still encourage you to apply and share with us your STORY, your PASSION, and your EXPERTISE! You may be just the perfect candidate for this or other roles within our company.

Lactalis is an equal employment opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants with regard to any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities.

From your PASSION to ours

As a Category Analyst-Culinary, you are responsible for providing Category support within the Foodservice Division, delivering insight and best in class execution for sales support in gaining new customers, furthering existing relationships, and assisting in all corporate strategic initiatives. You are responsible for making actionable recommendations through the application of strong, proactive data analytics and customer/consumer/market insights. Provide compelling presentations and other information in support of sales and category growth.

The Category Analyst is a data research expert on key Lactalis American Group (LAG) categories and has comprehensive knowledge of analyzing market data. The Category Analyst identifies opportunities and addresses the needs of both the manufacturer and the customer to optimize category and item performance in terms of sales trends and market share.

From your EXPERTISE to ours

Key responsibilities for this position include:

• Perform category and channel analysis for Distribution Sales Team & Corporate Accounts, assist in developing business plans and strategies for achieving category volume, and market share including competitive analysis to identify opportunities and challenges
• Create customer presentations with data and insights using internal research, data analytics and customer/consumer insights, alongside syndicated data for customer performance reviews and recommendations
• Work efficiently to respond to urgent requests for information and presentation support from the field and customers to drive growth
• Utilize syndicated data to provide competitive pricing and fair share market sizing info in support of Broker sales activities. Assist Brokers in identifying target opportunities
• Provide customer level Marketing support as needed to our Culinary Zone and Corporate Accounts Sales Teams
• Assist in providing Sales Team with market insights, regional competitive data, and talking points to support customer visits
• Work with colleagues within the department to develop cross-training expertise and serve as additional support when necessary
• Contribute to all Category output and develop continuous improvements wherever possible

WORK CONDITIONS

• Travel may be required occasionally.
• Extended hours may be necessary depending on the project needs.
• To fulfill these responsibilities, tools such as a computer, phone or, and / or allowance(s) may be provided.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential duties and responsibilities.
• This position requires physical presence in the office, in accordance with the guidelines of the Hybrid Work Policy.
• Demonstrate commitment to a safe working environment that promotes the health and well-being of all employees and that will further contribute to the Company's overall performance and success.

Requirements

From your STORY to ours

Qualified applicants will contribute the following:

Education

• Bachelor's degree is required.

Experience

• Minimum 1-3 years related experience with a leading food manufacturer.

Certifications and specific knowledge

• Knowledge of the foodservice industry a plus.

Competencies

• Strong communication, organizational skills, teamwork ability: must be able to multi-task.
• Proactive in tasks and sense of urgency meeting deadlines.
• Significant knowledge of current software systems including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Strong interpersonal skills including ability to maintain strong professional relationships with a diverse range of groups, and associates in different locations.
• Highly organized with experience managing multiple projects and priorities while managing workflow in a deadline driven and service-focused environment.
• Proven track record of creating compelling and successful sales presentations tailored to individual customers as well as the ability to effectively communicate programs to field sales team.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret industry data (IRI, Nielsen, shipments, etc.).

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