Associate Manager, Category Commercialization

The Associate Manager will support key areas of focus including commercial planning, category assortment, innovation commercialization, and category sales growth execution for assigned categories. Support the Sr. Manager, Category Commercialization with day‑to‑day workload and assigned projects, including AOP initiatives, executional tracking, and category activity alignment Collaborate with Brand, Supply Chain, Shopper Insights, RGM, Channel Strategy, and Category Management teams to help build and maintain an annual calendar of category activities, programming, and OBPPC tactics aligned to the commercial plan Contribute the category commercial perspective in cross‑functional discussions and when partnering with Brand marketing teams Develop insights‑based category selling stories, operating plans, and presentation materials to support annual commercial plans for the selling organization Leads commercialization efforts for new product innovation and retail account‑specific product or package initiatives, helping ensure retail readiness and strong launch execution Provide inputs and analysis to support the annual brand planning process and innovation launches Track in‑year performance, identify trends or gaps versus AOP goals, and recommend opportunities for tactical adjustments Assist with preparation and execution of company‑wide and sales meetings including Monthly Business Reviews, National Sales Meeting, customer AOP meetings, Bottler meetings, and related forums Minimum 3 years of experience in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), sales, marketing, category management, or commercialization Beverage industry experience is a plus but not required Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or equivalent experience. Up to 25% travel Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills to build stakeholder trust Comfortable working through ambiguity and supporting solutions to complex commercial challenges Strong analytical / critical thinking skills and the ability to problem-solve. Robust knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint. and experience with POS reporting tools like Circana or Nielsen a plus. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with strong sense of urgency Ability to shift priorities quickly and remain focused under pressure while managing multiple projects / requests Strong organizational skills and attention to detail to ensure tight deadlines are met both internally and externally