Category Insights Manager/Analyst (CIM) - Indianapolis

Description

Join One of the Top Wineries in the U.S.!

At Oliver Winery, we've been making wine people love since 1972. As Indiana's oldest winery and the largest in the Midwest, we've grown into one of the top 30 wineries in the U.S., and Newsweek named ours the #2 tasting room in the country. Now we're looking for a Category Insights Manager in the Indianapolis area to help write the next chapter. This is a role for someone who can turn complex data into a winning story, walk a retailer through it with confidence, and find growth opportunities before anyone else sees them. If you want your insights to shape strategy at a nationally recognized brand, we'd love to meet you.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Category Insights Manager (CIM) drives profitable growth across Oliver Winery's national account universe by translating complex data into clear, compelling selling propositions. Working directly with the National Account Team, the CIM identifies distribution opportunities, diagnoses performance gaps, and quantifies the revenue potential of each. The role demands equal parts analytical rigor and commercial instinct, the ability to build a data-backed case and walk a retailer through it without a net.

The CIM is the connective tissue between data and decisions. That means designing deliverables that stand on their own, partnering with Sales and Trade Marketing to shape account-level strategy, and surfacing the insights that matter, before anyone has to ask. The CIM delivers insights on brand performance, launches, pricing, and ROI on promotional programming and strategies. By partnering with cross-functional teams and senior leadership, the CIM identifies consumer purchasing behaviors, analyzes customer business performance, competitive threats, and uncovers opportunities to advance the Oliver Winery business.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES

Market Analysis & Strategy

• Conduct comprehensive market research to identify emerging trends, competitive dynamics, and shifting consumer preferences, translating findings into account-specific strategies.

• Identify and size distribution gaps across the Oliver portfolio at target retailers, benchmarking performance against comparable accounts and markets to quantify the opportunity in dollars.

• Perform fair share and market indexing analysis to determine where Oliver is under- or over-indexed relative to total market performance, and build the case to close the gap.

• Analyze root causes of performance gaps across volume, market share, pricing, promotions, shelf space, and distribution, and recommend prioritized improvements.

• Apply velocity and TDP methodology (dollars per distribution point) to distinguish distribution-driven declines from rate-of-sale problems, and to identify which SKUs are productive enough to warrant expansion.

• Conduct geographic market-level analysis to identify regional growth pockets, declining markets, and state-level opportunities within key retail accounts.

• Collect and analyze economic trends, business performance metrics, and category forecasts to inform planning and decision-making.

Business Intelligence & Reporting

• Deliver accurate, actionable insights to internal stakeholders, structured to support account presentations, business reviews, and executive decision-making.

• Design self-sufficient deliverables, reports, leave-behinds, and category reviews that communicate the full story without requiring the author to be in the room.

• Provide merchandising insights and SKU-level assortment analysis, including clear recommendations on which items to expand, protect, or exit during category reviews.

• Perform post-program analysis to measure results and optimize future promotional strategies.

• Design and manage customized reporting for the NA team, Trade Marketing, and CCO on both a recurring and ad-hoc basis.

• Conduct cross-retailer benchmarking to identify best-in-class performance standards and apply them to underperforming accounts, leveraging comparable markets as proof-of-concept.

Pricing & Promotional Strategy

• Develop and evaluate pricing strategies and promotional plans to optimize profitability, accounting for market dynamics and retailer value perception.

• Conduct spend analysis and provide recommendations to maximize cost-effectiveness of trade investment.

• Lead distributor compliance analysis and score-carding on spring/fall reset execution and programming.

Category Planning & Presentations

• Support the creation of Category Plans with data-driven insights aligned to customer objectives and Oliver's growth priorities.

• Develop and present formal category reviews and business planning presentations to both internal and external stakeholders — with the ability to defend recommendations in the room.

• Quantify revenue opportunity for each strategic recommendation distribution gaps, SKU additions, and market expansion should be sized with math, not estimates.

Partnerships & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Establish strong working partnerships with the NA team (VP, Channel Managers) and Trade Marketing to develop strategic ABP plans for national and regional target accounts.

• Collaborate with Trade Marketing and Marketing to craft product messaging and positioning strategies grounded in consumer and category data.

• Provide timely support to sales teams on ad-hoc data requests, analytical questions, and system support without losing focus on higher-priority strategic work.

• Stay current on industry trends, shopper insights, competitor activities, and data tools and bring relevant findings to the NA team and senior leadership proactively.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Statistics, Data Analytics, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.

• 4+ years of experience in Category Management, Trade Marketing, Analytics, or Insights, CPG and/or retail experience strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated fluency with retail scan data (Nielsen, TABS, IRI/Circana, or equivalent) including item-level, account-level, and market-level analysis.

• Proficiency in TDP and velocity-based analysis, the ability to distinguish a distribution problem from a rate-of-sale problem and size each accordingly.

• Experience with fair share analysis and market indexing, building the case for where a brand is under-indexed and quantifying the gap.

• Ability to conduct cross-retailer and cross-market benchmarking, using comparable accounts or geographies to frame opportunity and de-risk recommendations.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret data, identify the insight that matters, and communicate it plainly.

• Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, including the ability to build models, dynamic reports, and presentation-ready visuals without significant support.

• Proficient in Nielsen, TABS, Power BI, VIP, or equivalent category management platforms; familiarity with data visualization tools.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to present confidently to internal leadership and external retail partners.

• Ability to design deliverables that stand on their own, leave-behinds, category reviews, and reports that communicate the full story without narration.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment, with strong project organization and timeline management.

• Willingness to travel to sales and customer meetings, planning workshops, and category reviews (approx. 1–2 trips per month).

SUCCESS FACTORS & COMPETENCIES

• Makes the call. Comfortable drawing a conclusion from imperfect data and defending it, doesn't hedge when a recommendation is needed.

• Builds the math. Revenue opportunity estimates are grounded in TDP x velocity logic or comp-market benchmarks, not approximations or directional guesses.

• Thinks in priorities. Can rank five gaps and defend the sequence, doesn't present fifteen opportunities and call it a strategy.

• Demonstrates complex problem-solving with a structured, data-first approach, equally comfortable in the weeds and at the executive summary level.

• Communicates proactively and transparently, surfaces risks and opportunities before being asked.

• Takes ownership of deadlines, deliverable quality, and follow-through, operates with minimal supervision.

• Utilizes a persuasive, constructive communication style that creates alignment across Sales, Trade Marketing, and senior leadership.

• Understands Oliver's business broadly, including the portfolio, the retail landscape, and the competitive dynamics shaping the category.

• Adapts quickly to changing priorities and new data; remains solutions-oriented under pressure.

• Interest in and appreciation for wine and the beverage industry.

BEING PART OF THE OLIVER TEAM

• Effectively engage customers, vendors, and distributors to build strong, trust-based relationships.

• Actively seek out and apply knowledge of the beverage industry to further the Oliver Winery brand.

• Execute assigned work at a high level — with attention to detail, sound judgment, and thoughtful prioritization.

• Make responsible business and financial decisions within the context of sales plan and budget parameters.

• Contribute to a positive work environment through attitude, effort, and collaboration.

• Model the Oliver values: Get Stuff Done, Respect People, Expect Quality and Think Differently.

POSITION DETAILS

Schedule: Full-time, Monday–Friday. Some travel, evening, and occasional weekend work required.

Travel: Approximately 1–2 trips per month for sales meetings, customer visits, and planning workshops.

Performance Review: Annual review conducted by management. Goals set collaboratively with supervisor.

Classification: Full-Time, Exempt.

We strongly encourage uploading a Cover Letter/Letter of Interest with your resume.

For more information about working at Oliver Winery, check us out on Glassdoor !

This document is confidential and contains proprietary information and intellectual property of Oliver Winery, Inc. Disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this document and the information contained therein is strictly prohibited. © 2025 OLIVER WINERY & VINEYARDS, BLOOMINGTON, IN 47404 | OLIVER IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF OLIVER WINE COMPANY, INC. EOE