Senior Category Director - Walmart
Senior Director, Category Management (Walmart)
Location: Hybrid, Bentonville, AR
Compensation: $185,000 - $220,000 base salary + annual bonus + long-term incentive opportunity
About the Opportunity
A leading global beverage company with a portfolio of iconic beer, flavored malt beverage, spirits, and beyond-beer brands is seeking a Senior Director, Category Management - Walmart to drive category growth and strengthen one of its most strategic retail partnerships.
This is a highly visible leadership role responsible for shaping category strategy, delivering actionable insights, influencing retailer decision-making, and leading a high-performing category management team. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker, skilled storyteller, and experienced people leader with deep expertise in category management, syndicated data, and large-scale retail partnerships.
Position Summary
The Senior Director, Category Management will lead category strategy for the Beer and Hard Beverage portfolio at Walmart. This individual will leverage consumer, shopper, and marketplace insights to drive category growth, build trusted retailer relationships, and influence key business decisions through data-driven recommendations.
The role requires strong commercial acumen, analytical expertise, customer-facing leadership, and the ability to translate complex data into compelling business stories that deliver results.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and execute category growth strategies that drive performance across Walmart's Beer and Hard Beverage categories.
- Serve as a strategic thought partner to Walmart by delivering category expertise, insights, and recommendations that support mutual growth objectives.
- Build and maintain senior-level retailer relationships while positioning the organization as a trusted category advisor.
- Develop compelling category narratives, assortment recommendations, merchandising strategies, and shopper-focused solutions tailored to Walmart.
- Lead initiatives that improve speed, efficiency, and effectiveness through process optimization and technology adoption.
- Leverage syndicated and retailer data sources, including Circana, NielsenIQ, Walmart Luminate, Numerator, and POS data, to identify opportunities and inform strategic decision-making.
- Monitor category performance, competitive activity, consumer trends, and emerging market dynamics.
- Deliver executive-level presentations, dashboards, and strategic business reviews for both internal and customer audiences.
- Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Revenue Management, Insights, and Supply Chain teams to execute category initiatives.
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing category management team while fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required; Business, Marketing, Economics, or related field preferred.
- 10+ years of experience within Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), beverage, retail, category management, or related commercial functions.
- Demonstrated experience leading category management initiatives with major national retailers, preferably Walmart.
- Strong understanding of category strategy, consumer behavior, shopper insights, assortment optimization, and merchandising principles.
- Advanced analytical capabilities with experience utilizing syndicated data platforms such as Circana, NielsenIQ, Numerator, and Walmart Luminate.
- Proven ability to translate data into actionable business recommendations and executive-level presentations.
- Strong leadership experience with a successful track record of developing and mentoring teams.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
- Strong project management and organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail.
Preferred Experience
- Beverage Alcohol, Beer, Spirits, or broader beverage category experience.
- Experience presenting directly to Walmart merchants and category leaders.
- Expertise in shopper marketing, category analytics, or customer strategy functions.
- Experience leading large, cross-functional business initiatives.
Why Join?
- Opportunity to influence strategy across one of the largest retail partnerships in the world.
- Lead a high-impact team within a category-leading beverage organization.
- Competitive compensation package including bonus and long-term incentives.
- Comprehensive health, wellness, retirement, and parental benefits.
- Collaborative, fast-paced culture focused on innovation, growth, and leadership development.
FAQs
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