Category Manager - Small Format

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

Note: This role is fully remote. No flexibility outside of these locations: Georgia (Atlanta), Kentucky (Louisville), Ohio (Cincinnati), or Texas (Dallas or Houston) 

This Category Manager role will deliver best-in-class insights, analytics, and category strategies that drive growth for both Sazerac brands and supported retailer partners across the Small Format channel. The ideal candidate is an experienced CPG professional with proven ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights that fuel sales execution, shelf expansion, and retailer profitability. Known as a fact-based storyteller who partners closely with field sales, operates autonomously in remote environments, and focuses relentlessly on business impact, not just reporting. 

Job Description:  

• Deliver integrated consumer, category, and market insights that inform retailer strategy and in-store execution across the Small Format channel. 

• Act as a category steward for major convenience and value chain partners, developing insight-led recommendations to help grow their overall spirits business through our brands and initiatives. 

• Identify and prioritize incremental sales, space, and assortment opportunities that drive mutual growth for retailers and the company. 

• Develop bite-sized, easy-to-sell insights that help field sales teams unlock distribution, displays, and shelf growth in independent stores. 

• Translate complex data into clear selling stories that sales teams can confidently use in customer conversations. 

• Partner closely with sales leadership to align insights with executional priorities and commercial initiatives. 

• Analyze and synthesize data from syndicated sources (e.g., Nielsen, Circana), panel data (e.g., Numerator), and retailer-specific systems to uncover growth drivers. 

• Use tools such as Power BI, Excel, and planogram software to create compelling visuals and narratives that focus on “what to do next,” not just “what happened.” 

• Deliver custom analyses and special projects that support customer planning, leadership decisions, and strategic initiatives. 

• Operate autonomously in a remote-first environment, proactively identifying opportunities and driving projects from idea to execution. 

• Conduct periodic in-market store visits to assess shelf conditions, validate insights, and uncover real-world opportunities. 

• Stay current on industry trends, shopper behavior, and competitive activity to ensure insights remain forward-looking and relevant. 

• Build and document scalable processes and best practices that improve efficiency and enable future growth. 

• Create best-in-class tools for both internal and external stakeholders such as scorecards, case studies, merchandising standards, etc. 

Qualifications/Requirements

REQUIRED 

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Economics, or a related field 

• 7+ years of experience in Category Management, Shopper Insights, Trade Marketing, or Customer Strategy within CPG, beverage, and/or alcohol 

• Proven ability to translate data into customer-facing recommendations that drive results 

• Strong expertise in syndicated data (Nielsen, Circana), panel data, and retailer-specific platforms 

• Advanced proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau) 

• Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to tell clear, fact-based stories 

• Highly self-motivated with the ability to manage priorities independently 

PREFERRED 

• Experience in supporting national small format retailers (e.g., C-Stores, 7-Eleven, Casey’s, Circle K, etc.) 

• Expertise in data visualization/data preparation tools (e.g., Tableau, Microsoft Access, PowerBI, SQL, VBA, Alteryx) 

• Experience with alcoholic beverages or DSD categories 

• Experience working with the Convenience channel 

Culture and Benefits

A career at Sazerac offers you the opportunity to reach your full potential as part of a creative, decisive, high-performance team. Sazerac values the needs and wants of our team members and offers inclusive benefits to attract and retain the best talent. Our culture is built upon the values of hard work, diligence and personal responsibility.

Sazerac Team Members enjoy:

• Competitive Pay
• Comprehensive Benefits from Day One including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance.
• Family Coverage: Options to cover family members, including domestic partners.
• 401(k) Plan: Immediate access to a matching 401(k) plan.
• Flexible Time Away: Enjoy paid time off (PTO), holidays, and parental leave.
• Mental Health and Wellness: Access to mental health care and wellness incentive programs.
• Educational Support: Benefit from tuition reimbursement and our scholarship program for dependents of Sazerac team members.
• Fun Extras: Enjoy branded apparel, fun events, and a team member bottle purchase program.
• Training and Development: Opportunities for professional growth and development.

The annual salary range for this role is $112,900 - $169,400. Final compensation will be based on relevant experience, qualifications, geographic location, and internal pay equity considerations

Benefits, salary range, and programs may vary by role or location. For roles within our commercial team - the Salary range refers to base salary only and does not include car allowance, annual bonus, fuel or cell phone reimbursement. Please ask your Talent Acquisition Partner for more information about our total rewards package. 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.