Sr Director, Shopper Insights And Category Management

We are currently looking for an exceptional leader to join the Hostess Brands team as our new Sr. Director, Shopper Insights and Category Management. This role will be based out of our office on North Wacker Drive in Chicago, IL where we enjoy a hybrid work schedule.

Overview

The Sr. Director of Shopper Insights and Category Management will report directly to the Chief Customer Officer. This role focuses on enlightening our categories and customers. This position also enlightens Hostess’ biggest growth opportunities through data, advanced analytics, collaboration, and storytelling through the lens of the shopper.

Essential Experience:

• Previous experience working in impulse categories highly preferred.
• Previous experience as a leader with both local and hybrid work teams, selection for new members, career development, performance & retention management as well as empowering engagement required.
• Previous experience within Convenience Channel preferred.
• 10+ years relevant experience in category management, shopper insights, sales, and/or marketing within consumer-packaged goods. Previous Insights and Category Management experience required.

Skills and Experience:

• Strong leadership skills & ability to think strategically.
• Ability to thrive in fast paced, agile, limited resource and low ego environment focused on growth and objective delivery.
• Extensive communication & presentation skills.
• Strong analytical & problem-solving skills.

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in related field or related prior experience required
• MBA is preferred.

Key Functions and Accountabilities include:

• Serve as a visible member of the Sales Leadership Team to establish growth plans and selling strategies along with effective talent development & resource across the selling function.
• Lead team to ensure outstanding collaboration & partnership between customers, Hostess Selling Organization, and cross functional teams. Proactively bring forward growth opportunities for our customers categories and the Hostess business. Build indispensable partnerships across these key stakeholders.
• Attract, develop, engage, and retain an exceptional Shopper Insights and Category Management Team. As a lean and agile company, ensure that the organizational structure and work processes are aligned and supportive of business strategy, annual goal setting, and professional development. Build a high performing team capable of being creative, yet practical; data-driven, yet can honor instinct; and can advance an argument without being ultimately bound by their own thoughts.
• Build creative yet practical shopper insights and category growth plans with retailers and Hostess Brands cross functional teams. This is done through the leadership, vision, data-driven prioritization, and where appropriate sheer force of will with the team.
• Contribute to the enterprise success of Hostess Brands strategic business plans as well as annual operating plan objectives via leadership of the Shopper Insights and Category Management Team.
• Drive a thoughtful long-term digital transformation to enhance advanced analytics and accelerate growth.
• Build a team which is capable of synthesizing multiple evidence stream into digestible & actional insights for Executive consumption. Capable of thinking deeply and able to influence savvy strategic tradeoffs.
• Leverage Hostess Brands POS and syndicated data resources to present, debate, and build out category, shopper, and growth plans. Serve as a thought leader to answer our customer’s and Hostess’s biggest strategic questions to accelerate growth.
• Continually improve our consumption model to deliver actionable marketplace insights and forecast accuracy. Continue to leverage model as a predictive lens for opportunities to enhance business plans, accelerate growth, and manage risk.

Hostess Brands, LLC is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We consider candidates regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status, and encourage minorities, females, veterans, and individuals with disabilities to apply. Upon request, Hostess Brands, LLC will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified applicant.

About Us: Hostess Brands is a leading sweet snacks company that makes, markets, and distributes our delicious treats throughout North America.

Our approximately 2,600 employees put their hearts in everything they do, inspiring moments of joy by baking new and classic snacks including Hostess® Donettes®, Twinkies®, CupCakes, Ding Dongs® and Zingers®, as well as a variety of Voortman® cookies and wafers.