Category Advisor

About Analyticsmart

Analyticsmart is a pioneering boutique analytics firm transforming the Consumer Packaged Goods sector throughout North America. Our mission is to convert raw data into actionable strategic insights that drive business growth and profit enhancement. We provide innovative SaaS products and analytics services including Merchandising Applications, CRMs, Planogram Repositories, Category Management solutions, and impactful Data Visualizations that streamline operations and deliver measurable benefits. Since our founding in 2009 in Toronto, we have expanded to offices in Montreal and New York City, maintaining a solid financial footing and a bootstrapped growth approach. Our commitment to clients spans small businesses to global brands, fostering trusted, long-term partnerships built on expertise and collaborative success.

Role Overview

The Category Advisor role involves delivering insightful, data-backed strategic counsel for a prominent national retail client. This position entails analyzing complex datasets to craft compelling category narratives that influence merchandising choices and optimize shelf space, directly affecting assortment planning and category expansion. Working centrally in analytics and retail execution, you'll collaborate with cross-functional teams to provide evidence-based recommendations aligning retailer goals with brand strategies. This opportunity offers significant growth, exposure to senior leadership, and the chance to shape modern category management practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyze historical and longitudinal sales data to identify and forecast sales trends.
• Evaluate productivity trends through thorough review of past sales figures.
• Create precise reports by integrating data from internal and external sources.
• Assess third-party data to recommend practices that enhance company performance.
• Present actionable insights and findings to team members and management.
• Investigate and proactively address issues through detailed data examination.
• Leverage retailer POS data for comprehensive customer analysis supporting internal sales forecasting and target achievement while minimizing lost sales.
• Support the implementation and facilitation of category strategies and initiatives.
• Identify current and emerging sales trends and market share relative to the market segment.
• Conduct sales analysis to meet client informational needs and influence product listing decisions.
• Analyze and optimize planograms considering productivity, pricing, promotion, and placement factors.
• Develop and maintain planograms that support strategic business goals to maximize sales and efficiency.
• Handle all Client category and competitive data with strict confidentiality.
• Perform additional tasks as assigned by management.

Qualifications and Experience

• At least 5 years of direct experience applying category management principles to achieve measurable business growth.
• Demonstrated expertise managing portfolios ranging from 100 to over 1,000 SKUs within complex retail settings.
• Proficient in using JDA space planning software for planogram building and analysis across diverse categories.
• Hands-on experience with Retail Link to extract point-of-sale data, analyze product/store performance, and generate actionable retailer insights to support merchandising and assortment decisions.
• Advanced skills with Nielsen and syndicated data sets, managing multi-million-dollar category analyses.
• Expert-level proficiency in Excel, including pivot tables, Power Query, advanced formulas, and large dataset handling.
• Ability to integrate data from multiple sources to produce actionable business insights.
• Track record of managing multiple simultaneous category projects under deadline pressure.
• Strong problem-solving capabilities focused on revenue, margin, and shelf optimization decisions.
• Experience delivering presentations to senior management and retail stakeholders.
• Proven success in developing and sustaining strategic client relationships.
• Proficient in managing large-scale data to derive high-impact recommendations.
• Experienced project manager skilled in overseeing comprehensive category initiatives.
• Strong collaboration skills working with sales, supply chain, and marketing teams.
• Capable of applying critical thinking and commercial insight to influence business outcomes effectively.

Additional Information

• Work Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Liberty Village office)
• Employment Type: Full-time, on-site
• Company Culture: Collaborative, fun, and innovative work environment with a focus on real impact and client value.
• Company Benefits: Includes a generous bonus program recognizing significant contributions.