Category Strategist - Walmart

About the Role and Company

The Hershey Company Canada, a renowned confectionery leader behind beloved brands like Reese's, Hershey’s Kisses, Twizzlers, and Jolly Ranchers, is seeking a Category Strategist focused on Walmart Canada. This position is based in Mississauga, Ontario and combines strategic oversight with operational execution to enhance category growth in everyday and seasonal confectionery segments.

The company fosters a culture balancing independence with strong support, emphasizing career growth through coaching, cross-functional collaboration, and e-learning. Hershey Canada is recognized as a top employer, including accolades from Forbes Canada and Great Place to Work for 2025-2026.

Role Purpose

The Category Strategist for Walmart acts as the principal category thought leader and vendor advisor, responsible for formulating and executing data-driven strategies to maximize category performance. This involves leveraging consumer and shopper insights to recommend assortment, shelf space, merchandising, and omnichannel improvements in partnership with Walmart teams and internal stakeholders.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop strategic category growth plans rooted in shopper and consumer insights to drive overall category expansion and align with Hershey’s priorities.
• Act as the key vendor advisor to Walmart’s category and merchandising divisions, providing evidence-based guidance on assortment, space allocation, shelving, seasonality, and innovations in retail formats.
• Lead yearly and in-year category planning that includes diagnostics, opportunity assessments, strategic roadmaps, and activation schedules synced with Walmart’s business calendar.
• Analyze data from retailer platforms, syndicated sources, shopper research, and internal performance metrics to identify growth drivers and actionable opportunities.
• Optimize shelf space through modular evaluations, item productivity analysis, planogram recommendations, and measurement post-implementation.
• Drive seasonal strategies for critical events (e.g., Easter, Halloween, Holiday) ensuring space integrity, promotional preparedness, and mitigation of execution risks.
• Collaborate with internal omnichannel and e-commerce teams alongside Walmart to enhance online product visibility, content quality, and shelf performance.
• Create compelling presentations and storytelling materials for both customers and internal audiences to clarify complex insights into strategic choices.
• Provide leadership and mentoring to category team members by establishing standards, workflows, and best practices.
• Work cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Analytics, and more to ensure cohesive, actionable strategies.

Core Competencies

• Strong category leadership combined with commercial insight into retailer economics and growth opportunities.
• Advanced analytical skills to frame questions, synthesize diverse data sets, and develop evidence-based recommendations.
• Proven ability to build consensus and influence senior stakeholders across complex organizational structures.
• Excellent communication skills with a knack for persuasive storytelling and presentation delivery.
• Effective project management to prioritize tasks and meet demanding deadlines with quality outcomes.
• Experience in coaching and talent development within teams to raise capability and standards.

Key Stakeholders & Tools

The role works closely with Walmart Canada’s category, merchandising, and e-commerce teams as well as Hershey’s internal sales, marketing, supply chain, finance, analytics, and category management groups. Essential tools include retailer portals like Retail Link, syndicated data sources (Nielsen/NIQ), internal shipment and financial reports, and productivity software such as Excel and PowerPoint.

Work Environment & Travel

• This position operates in a hybrid setting based in Mississauga but requires frequent collaboration to meet retailer and seasonal deadlines.
• Occasional travel is expected for customer engagement, store visits, and internal meetings.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent education and professional background.
• Minimum of six years in business, sales, or insights roles, preferably within the consumer packaged goods sector.
• Demonstrated prior experience in category management or vendor advisership is mandatory.

Compensation & Benefits

The expected annual base salary ranges between 89800 and 112300 CAD, contingent on experience, expertise, and education. Along with this competitive pay, the compensation plan includes performance incentives and a comprehensive benefits package addressing physical, mental, and financial wellness.

Additional Information

If you are passionate about representing iconic brands and driving category excellence at Walmart Canada, Hershey invites you to apply and join their dynamic team.