Space Planning & Insights Manager

Build your career at Sazerac! With almost 400 years of rich history, Sazerac Company has thrived as an independent, American family-owned company with operations in the United States and around the world. Since the 2000s, Sazerac has averaged double digit growth every year! Sazerac Company produces and markets the most award-winning bourbons and whiskeys in the world, including Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, and Sazerac Rye. Additionally, Sazerac owns many popular brands across a range of spirits, including Fireball, Southern Comfort, Seagram’s V.O., Myers’s, Goldschläger, Parrot Bay, 99 Brand, and Platinum Vodka. 

We’re proud of our award-winning culture and distilleries. Our Louisville office has been named one of the “Best Places to Work in Kentucky” four times, and our Buffalo Trace Distillery has earned the title of “world’s most award-winning distillery” through the dedication of our craftsmen for well over 200 years. Whether you’re a recent graduate or an experienced professional, Sazerac provides extraordinary opportunities for growth with competitive salaries and benefits in an exciting, entrepreneurial industry.

As the Space Planning & Insights Manager, you will be the SME and lead projects spanning the breadth of space planning initiatives including, assortment optimization, merchandising standards, coolers, shelves and endcap designs to optimize category & Sazerac space for our retail partners. You'll leverage tools such as IRI/Nielsen, Assortment & Space Optimization tools, Shopper/Category insights, and Retailer/Distributor data to establish Sazerac as a valuable thought leader and create growth driving planogram recommendations. 

Responsibilities: 

• Contribute to Sazerac fiscal year growth by being a business partner, translating insights and analytics into top and bottom-line business impact. This person leverages all appropriate data, insights, and tools to make fact-based schematic recommendations to internal and external customers. In addition, the role partners with Distributor and Retailer partners to validate schematics and follow with Post Schematic analyses to quantify the sales growth driven by the installation. Ultimately, this thought leadership is expected to drive Sazerac share of shelf and accelerate growth.
• Partner to develop fact-based category growth strategies with this role owning the schematic recommendations. Leads national account sales space planning support with tools, customer/channel insights, and compelling consumer and trade rationales to support fact-based presentations, turning data into easy to understand and motivating stories. Analyze effectiveness of schematic installation and inform internal and external customers. Accompanies Category Managers and NAMs to lead or support retailer meetings regarding methodology, processes, recommendations.
• Align individual priorities, time, and resource allocation, by brand, country, and state priorities. Support sales team with market analysis, opportunity identification, and review of progress. 
• Establish best practice approaches to space planning analyses, insight generation, and integrating into fact-based selling materials. Develop space planning tools to assist with organization adoption of approach. Drive introduction and organizational adoption of space planning tools to drive category and Sazerac growth for the Brand State Priorities. 
• Compiles, cleanses, and aggregates space information to generate actionable information and related performance indicators.
• Integrate robust data analysis and variables to develop and maintain planograms reflecting the category’s strategic vision, most optimal assortments, merchandising guidelines and size requirements.
• Develop and maintain Space Planning tools suite, including but not limited to: Assortment & Space Optimization tool (ASO), space planning licenses, image library, labels, and space optimization calculators. Manage and drive schematic reset projects and add/delete exercises for accounts by aligning on objectives, maintaining accurate timelines, and providing clear communication with internal and external customers. Provide support for organizational training related to space planning tools, measures, analysis, and application.

Qualifications: 

MUST 

• Minimum Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or related field
• 5+ years of professional Category Management experience
• 2+ years of space planning and product merchandising experience 
• Candidate must have technical skills in the following areas: Assortment tools, syndicated data platforms (Nielsen/IRI) & advance knowledge of space planning applications (e.g., JDA/Blue Yonder)
• Understanding of application of principles and practices of Category Management (analysis of assortment, pricing, promotion, shelving, shopper)
• Strong track record of Project Management
• Ability to deal with complex business situations and multiple priorities
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to present both internally and externally to retailers 
• Experience working in a fast-paced Sales environment with sense of urgency and professional delivery to customer needs
• Expert in Microsoft Office Suite including Excel, Power Point, and Word 
• Ability to identify new opportunities to support key initiatives / improve existing processes
• Self-starter, detail oriented, highly organized, ability to multitask
• Strong customer service aptitude, ability to work with all levels of the organization from Field Level to Executive Management
• Ability to travel (up to 25%)

PREFERRED 

• Space Planning certification
• Experience in Alcohol Beverage Industry or CPG overall