Merchandising Manager, National

Job Title: Merchandising Manager, National

Job Location: Hershey PA preferred, Remote optional

Summary

The Merchandising Manager, National is a pivotal member of the HSY Sales team with important responsibilities impacting the P&L for our entire organization. Below is a list of deliverables for the role:

• Develop, create, and manage National merchandising solutions that drive secondary display locations and revenue/share gains while minimizing internal complexity and cost.

• Ensure profitability of all item creations through PTVCM tracking and management.

• Identify Innovation and Promotional secondary merchandising needs and opportunities across National customers, with particular focus on the Food COT, and work with appropriate internal teams to develop insight-based strategies and solutions.

• Oversee the organizational merch strategy for Innovation items for all COT by attending Innovation meetings and providing Marketing with Sales perspective and feedback. Note, that the role is not responsible for the creation of customer-specific Innovation vehicles but will work as a liaison between Merch COE and Marketing.

• Play an active role in the customer planning process to identify merchandising needs and holistic solutions that satisfy customer opportunities and meet internal hurdles and timelines.

• Provide valuable insights to Marketing partners helping to shape and develop successful innovation launches and consumer promotions as part of the annual planning process.

• Assist Marketing with Merchandise mix recommendations and volume validations "strawmen" for program / innovation forecasting

• Remain connected to the Retail environment and actively participate in key customer appointments as needed to understand customer needs or present merchandising solutions.

• Provide and maintain visibility across the organization so that Merchandising BDPs and solutions are shared as appropriate and unnecessary customization and complexity are avoided.

• Preferred location for this role is central-PA. Remote work with occasional travel into Hershey will be considered.

Key Business Partners include: Customer Teams, Shopper Engagement, Marketing, Category Mangement, Operations, Packaging, Finance, R&D, Retail Organization and external agencies / suppliers such as Menasha, West Rock, MAP, TPN, etc.

Responsibilities

Customer Specific Merchandising

• Own the creation and management of national merchandising solutions including business case development and Accolade management. Specific focus on core packs, strategic brands and anchor events.

• Develop, maintain, and leverage key cross-functional relationships in Sales, Shopper Engagement, Marketing, Category Management, Operations, Packaging, Finance, Research and external partners to ensure merchandising solutions are best suited to the goals of driving effective activation, revenue and profit.

• Maintain close connectivity with the Retail and Sales team to fully understand the in-store environment, recognize executional issues, and identify new opportunities.

• Present new merchandising solutions to customer KDMs as needed.

Innovation

• Attend Marketing innovation meetings representing the Merch COE team providing valuable insights into potential executions for the various COT.

• Provide regularly scheduled Innovation and OPM recaps to the Customer Activation team to ensure customer-specific solutions are appropriately developed

Customer Planning

• Remain actively involved with Customer Team planning to identify future merchandising needs on core packs and anchor events within company processes and lead times.
• Maintain connectivity to other Customer Activation to share best practices and prevent duplication in custom vehicle development.

Business and Financial Management

• Understand and analyze syndicated and shopper data from Customers to identify merchandising opportunities and make fact-based strategic recommendations. Primary focus on core packs and Brands.

• Actively manage the national merchandising portfolio to increase display performance, maximize revenue, and profits while minimizing cost and complexity to the organization. Evaluate vehicles as needed for rationalization.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree required.
  Experience: 5+ years' experience in Sales, Category Management and/or Marketing

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