Space Planning & Insights Manager

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

As a Space Planning Manager, you will act as a pivotal link between data and the shelf, developing strategies that enhance category performance within the alcohol industry. This role goes beyond planogramming alone; it leverages deep shopper insights and analytical tools to consult on product placement and support key retailer initiatives. Success requires a blend of technical precision and the ability to partner cross-functionally to ensure optimal shelf execution and measurable results.

What You Will Do

Leadership & Customer Partnership

• Lead a team of space planning analysts, setting priorities and developing capabilities.
• Lead space management initiatives across National Large Format and Control State retailers.
• Lead category captaincies and strategic customer engagements, developing merchandising strategies aligned to retailer and Sazerac priorities.
• Build trusted relationships with retail partners and internal stakeholders to influence decisions through fact-based recommendations.

Shelf & Category Strategy

• Translate shopper insights, syndicated data, and category strategies into actionable shelf and merchandising recommendations.
• Develop strategies that optimize assortment, share of shelf, adjacencies, shopper flow, and space productivity.

• Evaluate planogram effectiveness to identify opportunities for optimizing share of shelf, product adjacencies, and shopper flow.

• Serve as a subject matter expert in space planning, merchandising, and shelf strategy.

Planogram & Project Management

• Lead planogram development, optimization, and reset projects from strategy through execution.

• Drive planogram reset projects by managing timelines, coordinating resources, and aligning cross-functional teams for successful execution.

• Oversee data integrity, planogram libraries, imagery, and compliance with customer and category guidelines.
• Establish best practices and improve processes, tools, and capabilities to increase efficiency and scalability.

• Partner with the Category Leadership Team in executing space management initiatives to deliver best-in-class planograms for retail and wholesale partners.

Strategic Initiatives

• Deliver persuasive reporting and presentations to both internal and external stakeholders, providing high-level communication and professional service.
• Partner cross-functionally to lead retailer discussions with fact-based shelving recommendations, professional visuals, and category insights.
• Clearly articulate insights to identify opportunities and provide recommendations, evaluating how shelving strategies drive measurable results for strategic accounts.

Qualifications/Requirements

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Analytics, or related field.
• 5–7 years of relevant experience in space management, space planning, category management, merchandising, or retail analytics.
• 2+ years in consumer-packaged goods, beverage alcohol, or retail industry experience
• Experience leading projects and influencing cross-functional stakeholders.
• Advanced knowledge of space planning tools such as JDA/Blue Yonder, Shelf IQ, or similar platforms.
• Experience with Circana, NielsenIQ, and other syndicated data sources.
• Strong Excel and Power BI, Tableau, or similar analytical skills.
• Strong project management, communication, presentation, and organizational skills.
• Ability to translate data into actionable customer and merchandising recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%.
• Valid driver's license.

Preferred

• Alcohol Beverage or broader CPG experience.
• Experience with Grocery, Mass, Liquor, or similar retail channels (Kroger, Albertsons, Walmart, Target, Total Wine & More, etc.)
• Experience leading category captaincies or strategic retailer partnerships.
• 2+ years of people management experience.

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.

The annual salary range for this role is $108,475 - $162,713. Final compensation will be based on relevant experience, qualifications, geographic location, and internal pay equity considerations. Roles within our Commercial and Sales team may be eligible for additional compensation, such as car allowance, cell phone reimbursement, commissions, and/or annual bonuses. Please ask your recruiter for more details about the total package for your role.

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.