Category & Product Manager
Role summary
The Category & Product Manager is the business owner of a defined category, responsible for setting the long-term product vision, leading cross-functional teams, and driving financial performance (revenue, margin, SKU productivity). This role involves shaping the product line, creating compelling sell-in materials for retailers, and ensuring clear consumer value. The Category & Product Manager acts as the General Manager for their category, analyzing consumer insights, market data, and competitive landscapes to identify innovation opportunities and optimize the product portfolio globally. They will also lead go-to-market strategies, collaborate with sales and operations for launch readiness, and monitor in-market performance.
SUMMARY
As the business owner of a defined category, the Category & Product Manager sets the long-term product vision, leads cross-functional teams, and drives results. They use insights to shape the product line, craft compelling sell-in materials that win retailer support, and ensure every product delivers clear consumer value. In this role, you operate as the GM of your category — owning revenue, margin, and SKU productivity while shaping how Kids2 competes and shows up in the market.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Category Strategy, P&L Ownership & Portfolio Management: Owns the financial performance & strategic direction of the category. Leverages category expertise and insights to drive long-term product vision, profitable growth, and consumer relevance globally.
- Define the Category Vision and maintain a 3 Year Product Roadmap setting strategic direction while prioritizing product introductions.
- Leverage consumer insights, analyze category data, and monitor the competitive landscape to identify whitespace opportunities for your category, delivering innovation while capturing share
- Lead portfolio reviews to optimize SKU productivity and portfolio rationalization decisions.
- Act as the P&L owner for your business — establishing forecasts, cost targets, and margin goal for new items while managing portfolio health of total category
- Bring a global mindset to ensure product market fits across regions.
- Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration: Brings strategy to life by influencing, aligning, and leading core teams toward a shared outcome.
- Turn strategy into inspiring, actionable briefs that align design, engineering, packaging & digital marketing teams around what to design, why it matters, and how it wins in market.
- Lead and influence cross-functional teams — drive clarity around decisions, changes, and shifting priorities.
- Foster collaboration, trust, and accountability by building strong working relationships across all functions.
- Maintain launch schedules & guide teams toward aligned decisions by navigating obstacles, balancing perspectives, and maintaining forward momentum.
- Create clarity and momentum by focusing energy on what moves the business forward with the largest impact.
- Commercialization & Go-to-Market Excellence: Ensures item success across the product lifecycle — from sell-in strategy to sell-through performance and portfolio optimization.
- Develop compelling sell-in materials and line plans that influence retailer decisions and secure product placement.
- Serve as the category expert in key retailer meetings, trade shows, and strategic presentations.
- Partner with Sales, Operations, and Demand Planning to ensure launch of readiness, sell-through, and inventory efficiency.
- Optimize assets ensuring consumer facing content & packaging clearly communicates consumer value and product features.
- Monitor in-market performance to identify opportunities for product refreshes, or recommended add/ drops to retail partners
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
- 5+ years of experience in product, category, or brand management – with direct ownership of business performance.
- Must have general knowledge of manufacturing materials, product development processes, and costs.
- Familiarity with the online and brick & mortar retail landscape is strongly preferred.
- Prior experience managing a product P&L is required.
EDUCATION & SKILLS
- Bachelor’s degree in business management, finance or other related field or equivalent work experience is required.
- Ability to execute and excel in fast-paced organization
- Ability to prioritize amid shifting priorities and a changing business landscape
- Outstanding oral and presentation-based communication skills
COMPUTER/TECHNICAL SKILLS
- Must be proficient in PowerPoint, Excel and Word
- Familiarity working with category and retailer data tools (e.g., Circana, Profitero, Scintilla) and analyzing POS/shopper data
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
- While performing the duties of this job, the team member is regularly required to talk or hear.
- The team member frequently is required to sit; have flexible use of hands; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
- The team member is occasionally required to stand, walk, and taste or smell. T
- The team member must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 - 50 pounds.
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
- In office Monday - Thursday and half day on Friday
- General office environment with occasional travel domestically & internationally