Senior Analyst, Category Leadership

Description

Ready for more than just a job? Build a career with purpose.

At Lactalis in the USA, we’re committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our people to learn, grow, and thrive—whether you’re just starting your journey with us or looking to take the next step in your career. From day one, we offer the tools and support to help you succeed.

As the world leader in dairy, Lactalis is a family-owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Each day, we’re proud to produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together.

In the US, we proudly offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani® Italian cheeses and ricotta, Président® specialty cheeses and butters, Kraft® natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone’s® cottage cheese, Cracker Barrel®, Black Diamond® cheddar, and Parmalat® milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi’s®, Stonyfield Organic®, Brown Cow™, Oui®, Yoplait®, Go-Gurt®, :ratio®, Green Mountain Creamery®, and Mountain High®, along with a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun®, Gopi®, and Arz®.

At Lactalis, we live by our core values—Ambition, Engagement, and Simplicity. We foster a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone’s unique background and ideas are valued.

Even if you don’t meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your PASSION, your STORY, and how your EXPERTISE can help us shape the future of dairy. 

From your PASSION to ours

Lactalis Heritage Dairy, part of the Lactalis family of companies, is currently hiring a Senior Analyst, Category Leadership. This position is based in Bentonville, AR. 

The Senior Analyst, Category Leadership plays a key role in delivering best-in-class category analytics, assortment strategies, and shelving recommendations for Walmart. 

This position will leverage customer data, including Scintilla, as well as syndicated data sources such as Circana, to uncover consumer insights, identify trends, and translate data into actionable recommendations. The Senior Analyst will also support the development and automation of the planogram drawing process through innovative tools such as ShelfIQ, helping to enhance efficiency and improve the quality of category solutions.

The ideal candidate is intellectually curious, analytically driven, and eager to explore new technologies and ways of working. This individual will develop deep expertise in Walmart’s internal processes and use that knowledge to support best-in-class assortment decisions and store-level planograms.

The Senior Analyst will also help establish and scale best practices across the Category Leadership team, contributing to innovative approaches that strengthen the team’s capabilities and position it as a leader in retail analytics and category management.

This role offers an opportunity to combine data, technology, consumer insights, and retail strategy to influence meaningful category and merchandising decisions.

From your EXPERTISE to ours

Key responsibilities for this position include:

Schematic/Planogram Work - 50%

• Lead the receipt, management, and prioritization of planogram requests.
• Develop POG proposals based on available data and strategic initiatives.
• Update Cheese and Entertaining POGs for retailers based on insights and recommendations from Category Reviews.
• Review data available in space planning software to ensure POG versions align with retailer compliance metrics, including days of supply, case pack requirements, assortment progressions, and other key measures.
• Utilize tables and data available in space planning software to provide recommendations that improve category performance.
• Maintain a current and accurate product image library for planogram development and use.

Planogram Process Efficiency and Automation – 25%

• Identify areas of improvement throughout the planogram drawing process.
• Release regular automation and process improvements that save time and improve accuracy.
• Evaluate and implement new automation and assortment platforms that provide a strong return on investment.
• Aggregate and disseminate best practices developed across the team.

Category Consultant – 25%

• Manage customer relationships across relevant businesses.
• Bring analytical and shelving expertise to address situational challenges and provide effective recommendations.
• Partner with advisors to identify opportunities and improve processes.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• No direct supervisory responsibility.
• May provide functional leadership, project leadership, mentoring, and guidance to compensation team members and HR stakeholders as required.

Requirements

From your STORY to ours

Qualified applicants will contribute the following:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 3+ years of experience in an analytics role within the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry or a similar environment; Walmart experience preferred.
• Strong technical and analytical skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Working knowledge of Retail Link/Scintilla and syndicated data, including Circana, required. Experience working with multiple data sources is preferred.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel, JDA, and other databases.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize work and meet deadlines within specified timeframes.
• Ability to adapt and thrive in a changing work environment.
• Ability to travel up to 10%.

At Lactalis, we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards Program with a variety of affordable benefits and coverage options. We support insurance costs significantly, contribute generously to retirement plans, and offer Paid Time Off from day one. We are committed to your professional growth, providing training and development opportunities, including Education Reimbursement. Join us and grow your career.

Lactalis is an equal employment opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants with regard to any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities. Further, any division of the Company that is an Affirmative Action Employer will comply with all related legal obligations.