Category Insights Manager

Highline Warren Overview

Highline Warren is a vertically integrated distributor of maintenance consumables with unmatched access to the North American market. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company operates 21 distribution and manufacturing facilities across North America, offering more than 30,000 products to over 10,000 customers.

Highline Warren provides access to over 400 trusted brands — including national, owned, and private label products — and serves as a strategic manufacturing partner to top retailers across North America. With industry-leading fill rates and a strategic network that reaches 99% of the U.S. population within two days, the company simplifies the supply chain for its customers. Employing more than 1,700 teammates, Highline Warren is driven by people powered performance.

Role Overview

The Category Insights Manager is responsible for delivering fact-based category analyses, insights, and recommendations that support customer-facing selling initiatives and internal decision making. This role partners closely with Sales, Marketing, and Category Leadership to translate data into clear, actionable insights that drive category growth. The Category Insights Manager operates with a strong execution mindset and serves as a key contributor, rather than the owner, of broader category strategy. This position focuses on execution, analysis and day-to-day customer and internal support.

Key Responsibilities

To Perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function.

Category & Customer Insights (Execution Focused)

• Analyze customer, syndicated, and internal data to develop actionable category and shopper insights
• Support category storytelling by consolidating trends, performance metrics, and fundamentals into clear insights and recommendations
• Deliver objective, fact-based insights to support category growth opportunities, issue resolution, and performance improvement
• Contribute analysis and insights for customer presentations, line reviews, and selling materials

Customer & Sales Support

• Partner with Sales, customer presentations, and business reviews by providing category, competitive, and performance insights
• Support selling initiatives through preparation of data, insights, and presentation materials
• Participate in customer discussions as a category insights subject-matter contributor, with guidance from senior leadership

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Marketing, Sales, and other internal teams to support category initiatives and business questions
• Work with analytics, data, and BI resources to ensure accurate, timely, and consistent reporting
• Contribute to cross-functional projects by providing analytical inputs and category insights

Project & Workflow Management

• Manage assigned project timelines and deliverables to ensure on-time execution
• Handle multiple analytical requests and priorities simultaneously while maintaining quality and accuracy
• Perform ad hoc analysis as needed to support evolving business needs

Category Captain Role

• Act as an Auto Retailer’s strategic category partner, leading category strategy, modular planning, and shelf optimization using objective, fact-based insights to drive mutual growth.
• Serve as the primary steward of category performance, translating shopper, market, and POS data into actionable recommendations that influence assortment, pricing, promotion, and space decisions.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

An individual qualified for this job must be able to:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment
• Effectively manages multiple priorities while maintaining accuracy and meeting deadlines
• Collaborative, team-oriented mindset
• Strong organization and time-management skills
• Solid business acumen with attention to detail
• Initiative driven and action oriented

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, AND CERTIFICATIONS

An individual qualified for this job must have and maintain the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred but not required
• 4–7 years of experience in category management, insights, or commercial analytics (CPG or consumer goods preferred)
• Proven experience supporting category insights, promotional analysis, and customer-facing materials
• High proficiency in MS Excel and PowerPoint; Power BI experience strongly preferred
• Familiarity with syndicated data sources (e.g., Circana/Neilsen or similar)
• Experience presenting insights to cross-functional partners or customer teams
• Demonstrated success working in a matrixed organization.
• Solid experience in presenting ideas and concepts to varying seniority levels within an organization.
• Proven track record of tangible impact to top/bottom line.