[Hiring] Customer Development Manager, Retail Strategy & Insights @Ajinomoto Foods North America

Role Description

The Customer Development Manager, Retail Strategy & Insights, plays a pivotal role in driving growth across the CPG channel by leading category and consumer insights that power business strategies and execution in close partnership with the Sales Team. This individual is the go-to expert for category and shopper analytics, transforming data into compelling stories and actionable recommendations that advance Ajinomoto-branded and customer businesses. You will partner closely with Sales, Marketing, and cross-functional teams to identify opportunities, address performance challenges, and deliver strategic guidance that drives incremental category growth, brand performance, and retailer engagement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 5–10 years of relevant CPG industry experience (supplier, retailer, or broker).
• Proven track record in Category Management, Sales, or Business Analytics.
• Advanced proficiency with syndicated and POS data tools (Nielsen, Circana, Retail Link, 84.51, etc.).
• Experience using shopper card data systems (e.g., EYC, Stratum, Circana, Luminate).
• Strong Excel and PowerPoint skills; proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Familiarity with space management software preferred.

Requirements

• Achieve sales and profit objectives within the CPG channel through strategic insights, category leadership, and collaboration with sales partners.
• Partner with sales leaders to uncover and pursue new business opportunities, including innovation launches and growth initiatives.
• Lead the development and presentation of category reviews and business analyses to internal and external stakeholders, identifying opportunities and recommending clear actions to grow both the category and Ajinomoto brands.
• Leverage all available data sources — syndicated, shopper, and POS — to support fact-based recommendations and business decisions based on brand and company share, distribution, and velocity.
• Build and maintain strong, consultative relationships with key customer stakeholders to influence category strategies and execution in partnership with Brokers.
• Partner with internal teams across Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Supply Chain to ensure alignment and execution of growth plans.
• Proactively identify performance issues and recommend data-driven solutions that address root causes and unlock opportunities.
• Serve as a trusted business insights consultant to both Ajinomoto leadership and retail partners, providing innovative, actionable ideas to drive mutual growth.
• Communicate learnings and best practices across the sales organization to enhance team capabilities and elevate execution excellence via consistent performance summaries and category trends.
• Educate, coach, and influence cross-functional peers by sharing insights, fostering collaboration, and driving the adoption of data-led strategies.
• Analyze market promotional tactics, strategies, and effectiveness to support trade spend optimization and retail media spend optimization.
• Manage and support store planograms by working with sales and merchandising teams to optimize shelf layouts, ensure compliance with retailer guidelines, and drive category growth through effective product placement strategies.
• Providing sales teams with retailer-specific trends on category growth opportunities, assortment, and product offerings to support incremental distribution or planogram placements.

Company Description