Strategy Associate Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

The Associate Director, Customer Category Strategy serves as a strategic leader connecting customer teams, category insights, retailer intelligence, and the broader commercial organization. Reporting to the Vice President of Customer Strategy & Retail Intelligence, this leader is responsible for transforming data, shopper insights, omnichannel trends, retailer feedback, and market intelligence into actionable category roadmaps that support category performance across physical and digital retail environments.
The role combines local-level space analytics, category performance data, consumer and shopper insights, retailer information, and macro and micro market trends to identify opportunities and develop compelling customer-specific stories. As a leader of a team of subject matter experts aligned to a business unit, the Associate Director will help shape category roadmaps, influence retailer decision-making, and uncover opportunities through innovation, collaboration, and disciplined execution.
This individual serves as a strategic category expert both internally and externally, partnering closely with Business Unit Sales & Strategy (BUSS) teams to provide retailer, category, and space insights that inform commercial decision-making. The role ensures category recommendations are grounded in retailer realities, future retail trends, and evolving shopper behaviors while advancing long-term category leadership.
The Associate Director will lead efforts to identify emerging retail opportunities, drive space and merchandising strategies, evaluate evolving omnichannel retail models, and develop recommendations that position the organization and its customers for success in the future retail environment.
Key Responsibilities
Customer Category Strategy

• Develop and deliver customer-specific category roadmaps that support category performance and long-term retailer and business objectives.
• Integrate multiple data sources-including space analytics, syndicated data, retailer data, shopper insights, consumer research, and market trends-to identify opportunities and develop actionable recommendations.
• Translate complex analyses into compelling customer-facing stories that influence retailer decisions and strengthen category leadership.
• Build strategic recommendations focused on assortment, shelving, merchandising, space productivity, omnichannel execution, and the future evolution of the retail environment.
• Identify category opportunities at national, regional, and local market levels through advanced analytics, retailer insights, and changing consumer behaviors.
• Leverage retailer strategies, category trends, and market intelligence to develop forward-looking category roadmaps aligned to customer and business priorities.

Omnichannel Strategy, Space & Retail Excellence

• Lead the development of omnichannel category roadmaps that connect physical retail, e-commerce, click-and-collect, digital merchandising, and emerging retail formats.
• Evaluate changing shopper behaviors, channel dynamics, and retailer strategies to ensure category recommendations remain relevant across all points of purchase.
• Partner with customer teams to identify opportunities that improve category performance through optimized space, merchandising, and omnichannel execution.
• Assess the impact of evolving retail models, store formats, digital capabilities, and emerging technologies to identify opportunities for category leadership and future store development.
• Champion thought leadership around the future of retail, helping customers and internal teams understand how category strategies must evolve across physical and digital environments.
• Incorporate emerging retail trends, technology, and shopper behaviors into category roadmaps and strategic recommendations.

Customer Partnership & Business Unit Support

• Partner closely with Customer Teams and Business Unit Sales & Strategy (BUSS) teams to develop retailer-specific category strategies aligned with customer objectives.
• Serve as the category, retailer, and space strategy subject matter expert for assigned business units and customer teams.
• Provide category, retailer, and space insights that support commercial planning, strategic decision-making, and customer engagement activities.
• Translate retailer feedback, category trends, space opportunities, and field insights into actionable recommendations that inform category roadmaps and business priorities.
• Equip sales, BUSS, and customer teams with actionable insights, category stories, retailer intelligence, and space-based recommendations that can be effectively activated in-market.
• Support key customer meetings, joint business planning sessions, category reviews, and executive business reviews through compelling, insight-based storytelling.
• Establish feedback loops that continuously capture retailer and field perspectives to improve category recommendations, priorities, and execution.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Enterprise Collaboration

• Lead strategic collaboration across Business Units (BU), Business Unit Sales & Strategy (BUSS), Commercial Capabilities, Retail Teams, Supply Chain, Marketing, Insights, Analytics, and Revenue Growth Management functions.
• Align category roadmaps with broader commercial objectives while ensuring recommendations are operationally feasible, retailer-relevant, and grounded in category insights.
• Partner with Commercial Capabilities teams to develop tools, frameworks, and best practices that strengthen category leadership and customer-facing effectiveness.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain and business partners to ensure category recommendations consider inventory, fulfillment, and operational realities.
• Influence innovation, assortment, merchandising, space planning, and go-to-market decisions through fact-based insights and retailer-informed recommendations.
• Foster alignment across stakeholders to drive execution against shared business priorities.

Innovation, Test & Learn & Retail Solutions

• Identify emerging retail opportunities, technologies, and industry trends that can unlock new sources of category value and competitive advantage.
• Lead the development and coordination of test-and-learn initiatives designed to evaluate new retail solutions, merchandising concepts, space optimization approaches, future-store formats, and omnichannel execution opportunities.
• Partner with customer teams and cross-functional stakeholders to design pilots, establish success metrics, measure results, and scale successful initiatives.
• Create a culture of experimentation and continuous improvement by leveraging data and insights to validate new approaches and accelerate learning.
• Share best practices, key learnings, and scalable retail solutions across business units and customer teams.
• Monitor industry innovation and emerging retailer strategies to identify opportunities that shape the future of category management and retail execution.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of category strategy, insights, analytics, space planning, and retail intelligence subject matter experts aligned to a business unit.
• Foster a culture of curiosity, innovation, collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Establish clear priorities, development plans, and performance expectations that drive business impact and employee growth.
• Promote analytical rigor, strategic thinking, thought leadership, and storytelling excellence across the team.
• Build organizational capability in category strategy, retailer strategy, space analytics, omnichannel execution, and future-of-retail thinking.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Analytics, Statistics, Consumer Behavior, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in category strategy, category management, category leadership, retail analytics, shopper insights, sales strategy, or related commercial functions.
• 3+ years of experience leading and developing high-performing teams.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize multiple data sources into actionable business recommendations and category roadmaps.
• Strong understanding of retail, omnichannel commerce, category management principles, retailer strategies, and shopper behavior.
• Experience working with syndicated data, retailer data, consumer insights, space analytics, and category performance metrics.
• Proven success influencing senior leaders, cross-functional stakeholders, and external customer partners.
• Exceptional communication, storytelling, presentation, and relationship-building skills.

Preferred

• MBA or other advanced degree.
• Experience working directly with national and regional retail customers.
• Expertise in category strategy, omnichannel retail, space optimization, retail merchandising, future-store concepts, and advanced consumer insights.
• Experience leading customer pilots, retail innovation initiatives, or test-and-learn programs.
• Familiarity with Circana/IRI, NielsenIQ, retailer loyalty data, space planning tools, shopper panel data, and advanced analytics platforms.

Our Total Rewards philosophy is to provide a meaningful and flexible spectrum of programs that equitably support our diverse workforce and their families and complement Kraft Heinz' strategy and values.
New Hire Base Salary Range:
$164,200.00 - $205,200.00
Bonus: This position is eligible for a performance-based bonus as provided by the plan terms and governing documents.
The compensation offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors
Benefits: Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family's needs. Coverage for benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.
Wellbeing: We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.
You'll be able to participate in a variety of benefits and wellbeing programs that may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors, for example:
Physical - Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments
Social - Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training
Emotional - Employee Assistance Program , Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs
Financial - 401k, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability