Sr. Director Category Commercial, Plant Based Food & Beverage at Danone North America in White Plains, New York

Job Description:

About of the role:

Danone North America has an exciting opportunity for a Sr. Director Category Commercial located Remotely. Lead Category Commerical for given brand(s) or channel to translate BU objectives and strategies into sales and channel specific strategies and objectives that drive sustainable, profitable growth in the BU. Ensure that trade spend meets objectives within brands to deliver brand short-term and long-term financial commitments. Facilitate the communication between sales and brand marketing. Provide the business intelligence for given BU/products to the sales team to create and develop customer plans. Steward across go-to-market processes ensuring that sales/customer voice is considered (customer business planning, new product launches, supply chain allocations, hold-back estimates for trade spend allocation, etc.).

Key responsibilities

Translate BU objectives and strategies into sales and channel specific strategies and objectives

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  • Own the customer planning process and oversee the development of plan creation (e.g., guidance provided by finance, input from the BU based on priorities, sales creating customer-specific plans, etc.)
  
  
  • Set clear and specific executional (assortment, merchandising, pricing and shelving) objectives for each brand and communicate objectives to sales team/customer planning using insights from RGM and the marketing center of excellence
  
  
  • Ensure that channel specific strategies and innovations are being developed by the BUs (e.g., club-specific SKUs, etc.) - work with the BUs and marketing to enhance this process
  
  
  • Create customer promotion calendar that follows established promotion guidelines and best practices and ensures optimal return on investment
  
  
  • Develop and present trade strategies, objectives, and plans at national and regional sales meetings
  
  
  • Collaborate with customer planning to make sure that trade objectives reach the sales teams (and are the basis for annual planning)
  
  

Actively monitor execution of plans to ensure that BU targets and sales targets are being met

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  • Evaluate trade promotion requests from account teams to assess financial viability and strategic fit with brand strategy
  
  
  • Monitor standard metrics across customers (i.e. volume, revenue growth, profitability, price points, competitive landscape, etc.) and intervene to adjust the promotion plan when the execution of the plan goes off course as necessary
  
  
  • Support customer teams in adjusting trade calendar/spend to hit targets (reconciling the top-down and bottom-up plan)
  
  

Maintain trade marketing budget responsibilities

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  • Work with the BU and finance team to develop trade spending budgets and the specific deliverables that need to be achieved from those investments
  
  
  • Participate in demand planning meetings to be in the loop on forecasts (especially new product demand) to understand how plans and targets will change
  
  
  • Lead monthly sales and customer review process to ensure achievement of financial and executional targets - support teams in adjusting trade calendar/spend to hit targets
  
  

Coordinate with BUs to build the brand plans and stories for sales to execute

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  • Work with BU to develop brand story, including what shopper cares about
  
  
  • Understand competitive landscape, provide business with context and what is happening in the market
  
  
  • Provide business intelligence for specific BU/products, be well versed on what is happening in the business
  
  

Represent the priorities of sales and the BU, when needed

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  • Act as a liaison between Sales, Brand Marketing and other staff functions to ensure that customer execution is in line with strategic brand and category objectives
  
  
  • Provide sales input into the marketing/innovation team regarding product development (e.g., pricing, pack size, etc.) - maintain cross-channel view for new product and brand launches
  
  
  • Ensure consistent BU approach across all the different customers managed by the field teams by ensuring cross functional alignment of trade investment plan
  
  
  • Represent customer and field voice in internal, cross-functional meetings
  
  

Analyze historical trade investments to guide future trade investments

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  • Determine direction of promotion spend with customer based on historical ROI and relative spend versus others
  
  
  • Analyze ROI of past trade promotions, use this and new information and tools to determine best investments
  
  
  • Track a standard and broad set of metrics across customers regularly (i.e. volume, revenue growth, profitability, price points, competitive landscape, etc.) and modify the promotion plan as necessary
  
  

Lead commercialization of new product development and launches

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  • Help shape innovation pipeline by providing relevant insights into the R&D process (e.g., shopper insights, shelving, etc.) - especially for product design and packaging design
  
  
  • Engage with cross-functional innovation team and provide the voice of sales/customers
  
  
  • Build new product launch plan (i.e., sell deck) - to articulate where we are going first with new products, right pricing, ship dates, etc.
  
  
  • Maintain cross-channel view for new product launches and brand launches and support Danone leadership in making go/no-go launch decisions
  
  

About You:

• You will have a Bachelor's Degree required


• You will have the ability to understand shopper insights, translate into customer friendly language


• You will have a minimum 8 years of experience in CPG Field Sales or related functions, including trade marketing, broker management, direct customer selling experience, Category Management and/or Shopper Marketing


• You will have 3 years minimum in a team leadership role


• You will have strong collaborator and communicator, effectively working across the organization - ability to navigate a dynamic and demanding environment


• You will demonstrated ability to achieve breakthrough results through the course of work


• You will have strong team leadership and management skills - demonstrated ability to attract, develop, and maintain high performers

About Us:

At Danone, we believe that every time we eat or drink, we vote for the world we want. As a leading food and beverage company, we make healthy, sustainably-produced foods and beverages that nourish people's lives. Some of our brands include Dannon, Activia, Horizon Organic, International Delight, Silk, Oikos, So Delicious Dairy Free, Stok, Two Good, Vega, and Wallaby Organic. And as one of the largest Certified B Corporation in the world, we are committed to redefining success in business to ensure that through our brands we create real benefits for people, our communities, and the planet. With headquarters in Broomfield, CO and White Plains, NY, Danone North America has more than 6,000 employees across the U.S. and Canada, and more than a dozen manufacturing facilities across North America. Our employees enjoy competitive pay and industry-leading benefits including flexible time off (no yearly cap) and up to 26 weeks gender-neutral paid parental leave, and share a common mission and culture committed to both business results and social purpose. When you join Danone North America, you become part of a global team that is inspiring a healthier world through food. Please join us in nourishing lives & inspiring a healthier world through food! Learn more @ www.danonenorthamerica.com

Danone North America doesn't just welcome what makes you unique, we value it. We're proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All hires to our team are based on qualifications, merit and business needs. We recruit, employ, train and promote regardless of race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, genetic characteristic or any other protected status. Faithful to our values of openness and humanism, all of our employees share in the commitment to engage one another with dignity and respect.

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The base compensation range for this position is $175,000-$200,000. Danone North America additionally offers a performance-based bonus and has a strong benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription Drug Coverage, 401k Plan, Wellness Program, Life Insurance, Tuition Reimbursement, Flexible Time Off, and Paid Parental Bonding Leave, among other benefit plan options.

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