Category Manager - Regional Grocery

Sazerac Company Overview

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, Traveller, and Sazerac Rye. Additionally, Sazerac owns many popular brands across a range of spirits, including Fireball, Svedka, Wheatley, BuzzBallz, 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.

Company/Location Overview

Why Sazerac? 

• Innovative and Forward-Thinking: Join a company that values innovation and excellence and is driving the future of the beverage industry.
• Rich Tradition: Join a team with a strong heritage of craftsmanship and quality, creating memorable experiences for our customers.
• Collaborative Environment: Work in an inclusive, collaborative atmosphere where your ideas and expertise are valued.
• Career Growth: Benefit from continuous learning opportunities and career development programs to advance your career.

Job Description/Responsibilities

This Category Manager – Regional Grocery role is built for someone who wants their insights to drive real decisions - not sit in reports. You’ll partner directly with Sales and regional grocery retailers to turn data into clear strategies that grow distribution, shelf presence, and category performance, while also supporting national account initiatives and strategic projects as needed. This is a highly visible, remote role (Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Dallas, Indiana) where you’ll own your work end-to-end and see it come to life in-store. If you’re comfortable working with imperfect data and turning it into action, this role puts you at the center of how we win in market.  

What You’ll Do

• Own the full process - from pulling and analyzing raw, imperfect data to turning it into clear selling stories that drive decisions with retailers and Sales 
• Work directly with Sales and customers to ensure insights show up in conversations and translate to in-store execution
• Identifyand push the biggest growth opportunities across assortment, shelving, pricing, and promotions 
• Own and manage category captainships, serving as a trusted category advisor to retailer partners and delivering objective, category-first recommendations that drive growth
• Responsible for Category Management support across Hy-Vee, Publix, SEG, Schnucks, Festival Foods, Food Lion, Giant Eagle, and ALDI
• Build simple, high-impact tools and visuals that drive action-not just reporting 
• Stay close to the market andvalidatein-store to ensure strategies deliver real results 

Qualifications/Requirements

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, or a related field 
• 8+ years of experience in Category Management, Shopper Insights, or related roles within CPG or beverage
• Proven ability to turn retail and shopper data into clear, customer-facing recommendations that drive results
• Experience working with syndicated and shopper data (e.g., Nielsen, IRI/Circana) and tools like Excel or Power BI

Preferred:

• Experience leading captaincies in large regional or national grocery retailers 
• Background in beverage, alcohol, or other DSD categories
• Experience with advanced data tools (e.g.,PowerBI,Tableau, SQL, Alteryx) or building scalable reporting solutions 

Culture and Benefits

Sazerac offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, 401K, paid time off, and more. These benefits may varydepending on location and work type. Learn more about how we support our employees here.

The annual salary range for this role is $132,000 - $198,900.  Final compensation will be based on relevant experience, qualifications, geographic location, and internal pay equity considerations.

Sazerac is committed to equality of opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, physical or mental disability or any other legally protected status.

What’s Next:

After you apply, a recruiter will review your application and reach out to qualified candidates. Selected candidates will follow our interview process, which may include a phone screen, hiring manager interview, and panel interviews with business leaders. There may be additional steps or assessments throughout the process dependent on the position. Applicants who are not selected to move through the process, at any stage, will be notified via email.