Category Strategist Walmart Full Time

Location: Mississauga, ON

Hershey Canada Company Information

Hershey Canada Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Hershey Company (New York Stock Exchange: HSY) that manufactures, distributes and sells confectionery, snack, refreshment and grocery products in Canada. The Hershey Company is one of Canada’s leading chocolate and confectionary companies with a strong portfolio of brands that delight consumers every day.

Major Canada brands include OH HENRY! HERSHEY’S KISSES, BROOKSIDE, POT OF GOLD, JOLLY RANCHER, REESE’S, TWIZZLERS, HERSHEY’S, SKOR, CHIPITS, SKINNYPOP, LILY’S and ONE.

At Hershey Canada, we’re committed to making a difference in the communities where we live, work and do business. This commitment dates from the earliest years of our company and is a vital part both of our heritage and of who we are today.

Our mission is to create a world class environment that attracts, develops, and retains world class people. We will build organizational capabilities and passion that compete in the present and build for the future to enable and encourage balanced and healthy lives.

Hershey Canada is proud of our top 100 position on Forbes Canada’s Best Employers 2021 List and Forbes 2021 World’s Top Female Friendly Companies. We have also been recognized as Greater Toronto Top Employer’s for 2023 and Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2023, and Great Places to Work Canada 2023-2024.

Role Overview and Purpose

The Category Strategist, Walmart serves as the primary category thought leader and vendor advisor for Walmart Canada, responsible for developing and delivering fact-based category growth strategies across everyday and seasonal confectionery. This role translates shopper, category, and performance data into clear recommendations on assortment, space, merchandising, and omni fundamentals, partnering closely with Walmart and internal cross-functional teams to drive sustainable category growth and flawless in-store execution.

This role is accountable for delivering category leadership for Walmart Canada by identifying growth opportunities, building retailer-ready strategies, and enabling execution through clear insights and recommendations. The Category Strategist partners with the Walmart customer team and cross-functional stakeholders to influence decisions on assortment, space, merchandising, seasonal activation, and omni performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead category growth strategy for Walmart Canada by developing insight-led, shopper- and consumer-driven strategies that grow the total category and support Hershey priorities.
• Serve as the primary vendor advisor to Walmart category/merchandising teams, providing fact-based recommendations on assortment, space, shelving, seasonal strategy, and emerging format opportunities.
• Own annual and in-year category planning, including category diagnostics, opportunity sizing, strategic roadmaps, and activation plans aligned to Walmart’s business goals and calendar.
• Translate data into decisions by integrating multiple sources (e.g., retailer tools, syndicated, shopper research, internal shipment/financials) to diagnose drivers, quantify opportunities, and recommend actions.
• Drive shelf and space optimization through modular analysis, item productivity work, planogram recommendations, and post-implementation measurement.
• Lead seasonal category strategies for key moments (e.g., Easter, Halloween, Holiday), ensuring space protection, promotional readiness, and executional risk mitigation.
• Enable omni fundamentals by partnering with internal omni/eComm resources and Walmart teams to strengthen discoverability, content, and online shelf performance.
• Deliver high-impact storytelling through customer-facing and internal presentations (e.g., category reviews, line reviews, seasonal deep dives, business reviews) that simplify complexity into clear choices.
• Coach and develop capability across the category team (direct and indirect), setting standards for outputs, ways of working, and best practices.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Sales Strategy, Marketing, SRGM, Supply Chain, Finance, and Analytics to ensure recommendations are aligned, executable, and measurable.

Core Competencies

• Category leadership & commercial acumen: understands category dynamics, retailer economics, and growth levers.
• Analytical problem solving: frames questions, triangulates data, and builds fact-based recommendations.
• Influence without authority: builds trust and alignment across a matrix and with senior customer stakeholders.
• Executive communication: strong storytelling, presentation, and facilitation skills.
• Project leadership: prioritizes effectively and delivers quality outputs under tight timelines.
• People leadership & coaching: develops talent through feedback, standards, and capability building.

Key Stakeholders

• External: Walmart Canada category, merchandising, and omni/eComm teams; data/insights partners supporting Walmart programs.
• Internal: Walmart Customer Sales team, Sales Strategy, Marketing/Brand, SRGM, Finance, Customer Supply Chain/CPFR, Omni/eComm, Insights/Analytics, and Category Management & Shopper Evolution.

Tools & Data (examples)

• Retailer platforms and portals (e.g., Retail Link and Walmart reporting tools, as applicable).
• Syndicated data and shopper insights (e.g., Nielsen/NIQ; shopper research/panels where available).
• Internal shipment, financial, and performance reporting.
• Standard productivity tools (Excel, PowerPoint) and internal BI/reporting solutions.

Working Conditions

• Hybrid work based in Mississauga, with frequent collaboration across teams and deadlines tied to retailer asks and seasonal calendars.
• Occasional travel may be required for customer meetings, store visits, and internal planning sessions.

Experience and Education

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent of education and experience
• A minimum of 6+ years experience in business/sales/insights (CPG preferred).
• Prior Category Management (Vendor Advisership) experience is required.

So what do you say? Would you like to represent fun brands like Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Twizzlers and Jolly Ranchers!?

The anticipated base salary range for this role is $99,850 to $124,800 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of job‑related factors, including, but not limited to, experience, skill set, education, and training. In addition to a market-competitive base salary, our Total Rewards package includes performance‑based incentives and a comprehensive, competitive benefits package designed to support overall physical, mental, and financial well‑being (as applicable).