Manager Category Space

Acosta is seeking a strategic and detail-oriented Category Space Manager to lead space management initiatives supporting Sam’s Fresh business priorities. In this role, you will manage the Acosta Space Management team responsible for delivering high-quality merchandising and shelf planning solutions aligned to retailer timelines, category strategies, and business objectives. You will leverage insights, historical learnings, syndicated data, and consumer behavior research to guide forward-thinking Fresh strategies and ensure planogram programs are executed accurately, efficiently, and on time.

What You'll Do

• Lead and manage the Acosta Space Management team through the planogram development process, ensuring key milestones and retailer timelines are met.
• Identify marketplace trends, category insights, and department opportunities that support strategic merchandising decisions.
• Develop strategic planogram action plans and establish priorities aligned with the retailer’s buying team goals and objectives.
• Ensure team members receive appropriate training and development on JDA/Space Planning software, automation scripts, product knowledge, fixture utilization, safety guidelines, and consumer shopping behaviors.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in analyzing retailer data, syndicated data, incrementality insights, and member behavior to strengthen department recommendations.
• Recommend space, assortment, and merchandising optimizations based on available data and cross-functional expertise.
• Create and deliver compelling presentations for retailer buying teams and the vendor community using available tools, insights, and data.
• Leverage Acosta’s space automation capabilities to improve planogram accuracy, consistency, and team productivity.
• Prepare and present monthly business reviews to retailer space planning and buying teams, including project status, timeliness, quality metrics, and key updates.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate is a collaborative people leader with strong space management experience, the ability to translate data into actionable recommendations, and a passion for improving merchandising execution. You should be comfortable working directly with retailer leadership, buying teams, space planning partners, and internal cross-functional stakeholders.

• College degree or equivalent work experience required.
• Five (5) to seven (7) years of related experience in space management, space planning, or a space technology-based solution with a top retailer.
• Experience using data, insights, and analytics to influence merchandising, category, or assortment strategies.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to guide, coach, and develop team members.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, timelines, and deliverables in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, including the ability to share insights and recommendations with retailer and vendor stakeholders.
• Three (3) or more years of Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) industry and consumer analytics experience preferred.
• Three (3) or more years of people management experience preferred.

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