Category Data Analyst(syndicated data platforms, such as Circana/Nielsen)

Job Description

US citizens, Green Card Holders, and those authorized to work in the US are encouraged to apply. We are unable to sponsor H1b candidates at this time

**Job Title:**
**Category Data Analyst(**
syndicated data platforms, such as Circana/Nielsen )

**Location: Holmdel, NJ**

**Duration:**
**Full-time**

**Job Description:**

The Category Data Analyst will leverage internal and syndicated data sources to analyze category and sales performance, identify trends, and generate actionable insights to support merchandising, marketing, and business strategy decisions. This role partners cross-functionally with merchandising, buying, marketing, finance, and operations teams to optimize category performance and drive revenue growth.

**Key Responsibilities**

– Extract, manipulate, and analyze data using SAP and syndicated data sources to support category and sales performance reporting.
– Produce weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports on category sales, market trends, and vendor performance.
– Prepare an in-depth analysis on category performance, competitive landscape, and consumer trends.
– Identify patterns, risks, and growth opportunities through data-driven insights.
– Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather business requirements and deliver relevant analytical insights.
– Create visually compelling dashboards, reports, and presentations to communicate findings to leadership and stakeholders.
– Develop and maintain vendor and manufacturer scorecards to evaluate performance and compliance.
– Provide actionable recommendations to improve category strategy, merchandising execution, and profitability.
– Conduct SKU optimization by department and category to maximize shelf space efficiency and product velocity.
– Generate syndicated data reports (e.g., Circana or similar platforms) to identify trends and merchandising alerts.
– Create and distribute weekly sales trend visuals for key categories and brands.
– Build demographic and consumer profiles for new store locations using U.S. Census and market data.
– Track and score vendor shelf sets and SKU optimization programs.
– Produce bi-weekly compliance and purchasing behavior reports to monitor store performance.
– Support ad-hoc analytical requests from senior management and internal business partners.
– Leverage internal and external data sources (e.g., consumer decision trees) to improve category revenue performance.
– Support automation of reporting and planning processes using ERP and BI platforms.
– Assist merchandising and buying teams in using insights to increase vendor funding, same-store sales, and margin improvement.

**Qualifications**

**Education:**

– Bachelor’s degree in Business, Statistics, Economics, Data Analytics, or a related field.

**Skills & Experience:**

– Proven experience in category, sales, or business data analysis within retail or consumer goods environments.
– Strong analytical skills with hands-on experience in SKU optimization and trend analysis.
– Experience using syndicated data platforms such as Circana (or equivalent tools).
– Proficiency in SAP or similar ERP systems for data extraction and reporting.
– Ability to create clear graphical representations of category and sales trends.
– Strong presentation and storytelling skills using data to influence business decisions.
– Excellent communication and collaboration skills with cross-functional teams.
– Strong problem-solving skills with a focus on actionable insights.
– Experience supporting ad-hoc analysis and executive reporting requests.

**Preferred Skills**

– Experience with BI and visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau, Excel advanced functions).
– Background in merchandising, category management, or vendor performance analytics.
– Exposure to automation and process improvement initiatives using data tools.