Category Manager

Join the California Dairies, Inc. (CDI) team, a farmer-owned cooperative dedicated to sustainably producing the highest quality dairy products while fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration. CDI products are delivered locally and around the world. Our corporate function serves as the central hub for the CDI enterprise, driving strategic decision-making, innovation, overall business support, and growth across our diverse portfolio of dairy products and brands. We encourage you to be part of our team thats shaping the future of dairy, right from the heart of California!

Our commitment to CDI employees:

We believe in valuing our team with a total rewards package that goes beyond the basics. Youll find we offer competitive pay and incentive programs designed to recognize and reward your contributions. Competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits, generous paid time off, sick days & holidays, retirement plans designed to secure your future. We dont stop there. Weve also cultivated a variety of valuable programs focused on your personal well-being and professional growth, ensuring you have the support you need to both inside and outside of work.

Job Summary

The Category Manager works closely with the Retail Sales Team, Marketing Team, and Finance & Accounting teams to drive sales, purchases, and profitability. As a strategic partner to top customers, the Category Manager is responsible for providing fact-based, insight-led, and actionable category solutions to drive growth for the category, customer, and company. The Category Manager acts as a thought-leader using consumer and data trends to provide value-creating business solutions regarding category assortment, merchandising, shelving, pricing, and promotion. The role has close collaboration with both internal & external partners. The position requires proficiency in following the company values of cooperation, integrity, work ethic, decisiveness, and agility.

Essential Functions

• Category Insight Leadership

• Define and own the multi-year Category Insights learning agenda aligned to enterprise growth priorities

• Identify high-value opportunities across channels and retailers by synthesizing primary research, panel data, and syndicated sources

• Translate shopper behavior and category trends into clear commercial implications that drive distribution, velocity, and basket expansion

• Serve as a category thought leader, elevating CDI's credibility with retail partners through insight-led selling

• Analytics

• Integrate diverse data streams (primary, shopper, panel, syndicated, and retailer data) into cohesive, action-oriented narratives

• Establish frameworks and standardized approaches for Category trend mapping, segmentation, and opportunity sizing

• Build scalable tools and ways of working that embed shopper thinking into the Sales organization

• Champion disciplined, hypothesis-led analytics that move beyond diagnosis to business opportunities to test and learn

• Storytelling

• Craft stakeholder-ready, insight-driven stories that drive clarity and inspire action among senior leaders and decision-makers

• Connect macro trends, category dynamics, and shopper motivations into growth opportunities and narratives

• Simplify complexity into intuitive visualizations and clear business implications tailored to diverse audiences

• Equip Sales teams with compelling, insight-backed selling stories that unlock incremental retailer opportunity

• Partnership

• Act as the voice of the category expert in preparation for key customer engagements and internal strategy discussions

• Elevate organizational fluency in category analytics through education, frameworks, and repeatable tools

• Build and manage external research partners to deliver high-impact learning efficiently and effectively.

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to adapt to changing conditions and demands. Ability to handle multiple priorities.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to interface with all levels of the organization as well as external customers. Excellent verbal, written, and social communication skills.
• Ability to work under pressure with minimal or no supervision.
• Ability to travel to Retailer and key trade events (20% travel)
• Detail oriented and deep understanding of key category management.
• Exceptional leadership, motivational, and team management skills.
• Proven ability to develop teams to the next level.
• Strategic thinking and analytical skills with the proven ability to translate data into insights and actions.
• Possess strong communication and organizational skills.
• Strong Microsoft skills required.
• Enjoy independent responsibility. Self-motivated and able to execute independently.
• Emotional intelligence.
• Travel required for in-person meetings as needed.
• Team player with excellent collaboration skills.
• High level of integrity and dependability with strong sense of urgency and results-orientation.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (especially Excel and PowerPoint)
• Strong financial acumen, attention to detail, time management and problem-solving skills
• Ability to collaborate across multiple departments and levels of the organization.
• Must demonstrate good judgement when carrying out duties as assigned.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or equivalent work experience required.
• 7+ years progressive experience working in an insights capacity; category / shopper/retailer-facing experience a must, CPG experience preferred
• Deep fluency in shopper panel (Numerator preferred), syndicated and retailer data
• Demonstrated success translating insights into measurable commercial impact
• Experience designing and leading large-scale research initiatives
• Strong retail and business acumen with ability to identify opportunities that drive growth in a retail environment

Language Skills

English is required as the written and spoken language.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

• CMA certification preferred

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The company will make reasonable accommodations that do not cause an undue hardship if such an accommodation enables individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Travel

Some domestic travel.

ADA/FEHA

The Company will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and California's Fair Employment and Housing Act.

EEO

The Company is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Physical Demands

The physical requirements outlined here represent those necessary for successful performance of this positions core responsibilities. Upon request, the company will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities to perform these fundamental job duties, provided such accommodations do not create an undue burden on the organization.

• Sitting/Standing/Walking: Stands, walks and sits during completion of job responsibilities.
• Lifting/Carrying: Occasional lifting requirements as job demands. Must be able to lift a minimum of 40 lbs. on an occasional basis.
• Pushing/Pulling: Occasional pushing or pulling requirements.
• Bending/Stooping: Occasional bending and stooping requirements.
• Squatting/Kneeling/Crawling: Occasional kneeling or crawling requirements.
• Twisting/Turning: Ongoing twisting or turning requirements.
• Climbing/Balancing: Climbing and balancing is required during plant inspections, and other related job requirements.
• Reaching: Ongoing reaching requirements associated with job requirements.
• Grasping/Manipulating: Grasping and manipulating of papers, objects, and equipment will be required. Ability
• to keyboard for data input will be required on an ongoing basis.

The pay range is listed below and represents our good faith estimate upon hire. The final offer will depend on factors such as the candidates experiences, skills, and qualifications.