Director, Category Management
Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc.
Location: Atlanta Georgia
Time: 7 months ago
This role will sit in our Atlanta Support Center, with an expectation to be onsite 80% of the time.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Collaborates with VP, Brand Experience, and CMO to develop annual marketing plans.
- Lead the strategic development and implementation of category management strategies that align with brand objectives and customer needs.
- Collaborate with the culinary development team to refine concepts and develop products for test/launch, introduce new items, improve existing recipes, and ensure menu innovation.
- Plan and execute promotions and marketing initiatives for specific food and beverage categories to drive sales and enhance customer engagement.
- Develop and implement pricing strategies for menu items, considering factors such as ingredient costs, market trends, and perceived value.
- Collaborate with data analytics to assess category performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and report on key metrics to senior management.
- Build business cases for innovation and collaborate with CI to test product concepts. Collaborate with the culinary team on category/consumer/business inputs to develop concepts.
- Optimize product portfolio, including pricing, margins, and limiting cannibalization (in collaboration with Revenue Management).
- Manage performance & growth of team.
- Manage cross-functional stage-gate teams & processes.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE QUALIFICATIONS
- 4-year degree in Marketing or a related field required.
- 10+ years of experience in Category Management, Marketing, or related field.
- 5+ years in a Marketing, Supply Chain, or related field leadership role, managing people and processes.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, or ABILITIES
- Deep understanding of the QSR industry and familiarity with market trends, consumer behavior, and competitive landscape.
- Strong financial understanding, including budget management, cost analysis, and pricing strategies to maximize profitability.
- In-depth knowledge of the products within assigned categories, including market demands
- Proficiency in data analysis tools and techniques to interpret category performance metrics, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions.
- Understanding of supply chain processes, inventory management, and logistics to ensure efficient and effective category operations.
- Ability to develop and implement strategic plans for category management in alignment with overall business goals.
- Excellent communication skills to convey category strategies, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and build relationships with internal and external partners.
- Leadership skills to guide and inspire a category management team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence.
- Ability to identify challenges and develop effective solutions to address issues within product categories.
- Efficient project management skills to oversee multiple initiatives simultaneously and ensure timely and successful execution.
- Capacity to bring creative and innovative ideas to category development, including new product introductions and promotional strategies.
- Ability to adapt to changing market conditions, consumer preferences, and industry trends to keep category strategies relevant.
- Strong ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams, including marketing, sales, operations, and supply chain, to achieve common objectives.
- Results-driven mindset with a focus on achieving key performance indicators and business objectives.
- Ability to influence stakeholders and drive consensus on category strategies and initiatives.
- Commitment to understanding and meeting customer needs through effective category management strategies.
Inspire Brands is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 32,000 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC restaurants worldwide.
We’re made up of some of the world’s most iconic restaurant brands, but we’re much more than just a restaurant company. We’re a team of hundreds of thousands who individually and collectively are changing the way people eat, drink, and gather around the table. We know that food is much more than a staple—it’s an experience. At Inspire, that’s our purpose: to ignite and nourish flavorful experiences.