About the Role
Title: Associate Category Manager – Small Format
Location: US
Category: Sales
Job Description:
The Vita Coco Company, created in 2004 by Co-CEO Michael Kirban and Ira Liran, produces the leading brand of coconut water in the United States with a growing presence around the world. The Vita Coco Company’s brands include the leading coconut water, Vita Coco; clean energy drink Runa; premium canned water, Ever & Ever; and protein-infused water, PWR LIFT.
In 2021, The Vita Coco Company became a publicly traded, Public Benefit Corporation. With a growing portfolio of natural products, The Vita Coco Company has identified its public benefit purpose as creating ethical, sustainable products that uplift communities and do right by our planet by harnessing and protecting nature’s resources.
In 2022, The Vita Coco Company was certified as a B Corporation™ furthering the Company’s commitment toward operating its business as a force for good, while delivering better-for-you products.
Vita Coco is headquartered in New York City with international offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and London.
What You’ll Do:
The Associate Category Manager is a motivated self-starter and creative storyteller who thrives in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. They are a strategic thinker with the hustle to effectively solve problems when the answers are not easy to find. They are a collaborative and flexible team player with a strong desire to make an impact. They have exceptional communication skills (both written and verbal), keen attention to detail, and a high level of personal accountability.
The Associate Category Manager will play an instrumental role in Vita Coco’s growth acceleration across Small Format channels (Convenience, Drug, Dollar, Food Service and Military), with a special focus on Convenience retailers, such as RaceTrac, Pilot Flying J and EG Group.
This role will report to the Category Manager – Small Format and can be remote or based out of our NYC HQ.
How You’ll Do It:
Storytelling
- Embrace a true storytelling mindset, shifting from presenting data to bringing the audience along on a data-based story journey
- Know your audience and how to adapt presentation style/content accordingly to achieve maximum impact
- Elevate presentations from the “what” to the “so what” and the “now what”
- Navigate ambiguity and connect the dots for audiences, using insights to drive action
- Present effectively and engagingly, with the ability to command an audience both virtually and in person
Relationships
- Become a close partner to the Small Format Sales team, working arm-in-arm to enhance business management capabilities, identify opportunities, and cement Vita Coco’s position as a best-in-class partner to retailers
- Work effectively with multiple “customers” (Sales, Marketing, retailers, distributors, etc.) to manage projects and priorities
- Collaborate cross-functionally with team members across departments to drive business success
- Act as a trusted category advisor to retailers, presenting retailers with opportunities and insights that they are unable to see themselves
Analysis
- Maintain a close pulse on business performance via ongoing evaluation with Sales counterparts
- Synthesize multiple data sources into compelling and concise fact-based stories for retailers, distributors, and internal review
- Analyze shelving, pricing, assortment, and merchandising variables to identify account and channel-specific growth opportunities
- Take on special projects as business needs warrant
What You’ll Bring to Vita Coco:
- 2-4 years of CPG industry experience, with category management, business insights, or shopper insights experience preferred
- Bachelor’s degree in a business-related field required
- Significant experience with scanning data sources, such as Circana, Nielsen, and/or retailer-specific data sources
- Strong mastery of panel data sources, such as Numerator, Circana, and/or retailer-specific data sources
- Experience with JDA or other space planning software
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Familiarity with C-Shopper is a plus
- A natural curiosity for and expertise in natural + functional beverage trends and strategy
- A continuous improvement mindset rooted in a genuine desire to understand what’s working and what’s not
- Proactivity and the desire to go above and beyond to achieve results
- Excellent time management skills and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
- · Note – occasional travel for retailer and internal meetings required