Category Analyst

Kinsa is recruiting for a: Category Analyst (Baking) Location: Great Chicago, Illinois (Hybrid) Summary: Our client is nationally known as a manufacturer and marketer of some the leading brands of frozen baked goods! They are seeking a dynamic and results-driven Category Analystto lead strategic growth initiatives across bakery categories within retail and foodservice channels. This role is pivotal in driving wins, expanding distribution, selling innovation, and cultivating strong relationships. This position will report directly to the Director of Marketingand requires strong collaboration skills to work closely with Sales and Marketing. Compensation & Benefits 70-80K Base salary Bonus Potential (5-20%) Health, Dental, Vision 401K You'll add value to this role by performing various functions including, but not limited to : Responsible for growing volume and profitability of company bakery categories and customer accounts: Manages and supports the customer selling process including presentation preparation and execution. Assist with winning new distribution by justifying new shelf space / SKUs for PL items (leveraging customer specific or national category data and insights) and identifying assortment voids and white space opportunities where core capabilities and capacity exist. Analyze customer data/BI/Circana/foodservice industry sources and identifies industry trends, consumer behavior and a deep understanding of competitive landscape to drive positive business performance for company and customer. Owns monthly reporting cadence. Manage the product assortment, including adding or removing products, to ensure the category meets customer demand and remains profitable. Sells the company value proposition proactively and utilizes category data to build presentations that drive distribution, innovation, seasonal plans and align to category goals. Responsible for supporting day-to-day customer relationships and is the primary contact for the sales team and select customers, with opportunity to grow into more customer facing activities in time. Miscellaneous sales support to support sales, customers, customer projects, and trade show planning. Comfortable managing customer portals, item set up forms, distributor portals, new item submissions, promotional planning tools. Track the financial performance of the category and participate in Quarterly Business Reviews, Report successes to management. You'll fit right in if you have: Minimum of 3-5 years of business experience in category management, sales, sales planning/analysis, or related field. Bachelor's degree in business, finance, or related field preferred. Proven track record in food sales within retail, foodservice, or manufacturing sectors. Experience in In-Store bakery and Foodservice a plus. Excellent business analytical skills-Ability to transform insights and analytics into customized strategic account presentations to deliver growth. Fluency in pulling, analyzing, and presenting Circana data. Strong bias toward action with excellent oral, written, interpersonal communication skills and effective relationship building and collaborations skills. Comfort working in an entrepreneurial environment and ability to thrive in ambiguity and be flexible. Financial acumen -Basic understanding of P&L and price implications. Fluency in BI, MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Strong project management skills with demonstrated problem solving ability, skilled at multi-tasking and prioritization. Important Details : The position is full-time and hybrid. Approximately 5-10% travel to various company locations, customer appointments, trade shows or other job-related functions. Referrals are our best source for the top talent our clients need so if you know of anyone with these skills in the food and beverage industry, please pass me their name and email/phone number, or share this job posting with them. Kinsa pays referral bonuses if someone you refer gets hired by our client! Check out our other food and beverage industry career opportunities at Recruiter Information: Dave Rothe daver@

Created: 2026-04-03