Category Manager, Retail

This role is hybrid to; NYC, Chicago, IL or Boulder, CO HelloFresh Headquarters

In addition to our core direct-to-consumer business, Factor_ has more recently expanded into the retail channel, making our meals available for purchase at brick-and-mortar stores. We are seeking a strategic, data-driven, and highly collaborative Category Manager, Retail to own Factor_’s Retail Prepared Meals and adjacent food and beverage categories to support growth in this channel. In this pivotal role, you will champion the end-to-end retail product lifecycle—from driving overarching category strategy and formulation management to leading packaging design and continuous portfolio optimization. Acting as the ultimate product expert and a crucial cross-functional linchpin, you will partner seamlessly with Sales, Operations, DTC Product, and Nutrition teams to bridge deep consumer insights with specific retailer needs. Your core objective is to engineer a winning, scalable retail portfolio that commands attention on the shelf, drives exceptional sales velocity for our partners, and builds enduring brand loyalty through relentless, customer-centric innovation.

Key Responsibilities

Retail Product Strategy - Develop a winning retail prepared meals range consisting of core year-round SKUs, seasonal skus and may include the development of exclusive retailer ranges. Identify opportunities for expansion into adjacent categories based on retailer needs, white space and consumer research, as well as products available in our portfolio or ripe for development.
Portfolio Lifecycle Management - Evaluate existing meals, conduct sales performance reviews, leverage online ratings and commentary as well as market trends to optimize our product portfolio by retailer.
Formulation & Spec Management - Ensure the retail product range can consistently be offered to retail partners by planning for necessary formulation, ingredient, and packaging changes, owning the spec creation and management process.
Packaging Design - Own packaging design for retail products, ensuring alignment with the broader F_ brand and packaging creative guidelines, meeting retailer compliance standards and functionality and appeal on shelf.
Sales Support - Support sales and review meetings with retailers as the product expert, sharing performance insights, industry trends, and product strategy and development opportunities.
Cross-Functional Management - Partner with key members of the product team to ensure a strong understanding of the DTC product strategy, dietary lifestyles, consumer insights, and product development opportunities with the new formats team. Additionally, partner with operations, nutrition, FSQA, sourcing, retail team members, etc. to ensure the successful management of our retail program.

You are…

A problem solver - You are resourceful and scrappy and aren’t afraid to roll up your sleeves and figure it out. Where a process doesn’t exist, you’ll create one.
Curious & Passionate about Product - you are always looking to learn more about the industry, new products and ways we can delight our customers.
Data-driven to the core and leverage data to make key business decisions.
Detail-oriented – You possess strong organizational skills and demonstrate a methodical approach to your work, documenting new processes.
A project manager - You have excellent project management skills leading groups, as well as a demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and complete deliverables on time.
A critical thinker – You use logic to identify opportunities, evaluate alternatives, and present critical information to solve complex problems.
Highly collaborative - You enjoy working collaboratively with cross-functional teams to get things done.

At a minimum, you have...

Bachelor degree in Business Administration or other relevant field of study.
Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience with a background in physical product management, category management, product marketing or strategic sourcing across food/food tech or CPG industries.
Strong preference for experience within CPG or retail product development.
Fluent in Google Suite applications (especially sheets & slides), tableau, Gemini and an ability to quickly learn and leverage a range of other databases and tech tools.
Familiarity with retail data platforms (NIQ, SPINS, or Circana/IRI) to track category performance and support buyer conversations.
Ability to successfully manage multiple cross-functional stakeholders as well as to present to executive level colleagues.
Success in collaborating with cross-functional teams to get things done
Travel: <10%

You’ll get…

Competitive salary, 401k with company match that vest immediately upon participation, and company equity plan based on role
Generous PTO, including sabbatical, and parental leave of up to 16 weeks
Comprehensive health and wellness benefits with options at $0 monthly, effective first day of employment
Tuition reimbursement for continuing education (upon 2 years of service)
Up to 85% discount on subscriptions to HelloFresh meal plans (HelloFresh, Green Chef, Everyplate, and Factor_)
Access to 7 different Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) including those for BIPOC, women, veterans, parents, and LGBTQ+
Inclusive, collaborative, and dynamic work environment within a fast-paced, mission-driven company that is disrupting the traditional food supply chain

This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the responsibilities. However, the Company reserves the right to adjust, modify, or reassign work tasks and responsibilities as needed to meet changing business needs, operational requirements, or other factors.

Our company is committed to fair hiring practices and complies with all applicable laws, including the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act (JAFA). In accordance with JAFA, we will not request your age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution on your initial application for employment.

When submitting supporting documents such as a resume, curriculum vitae (CV), or educational transcripts, you may voluntarily redact or omit any information that would identify your age. This includes:

Dates of birth
Dates of attendance at educational institutions
Dates of graduation

Your decision to redact this information will not adversely affect the consideration of your application. We evaluate all candidates based on their skills, qualifications, and experience. Please be aware that should you receive a conditional offer of employment, we may be required to request this information for legally permissible purposes, such as verifying eligibility for employment or for benefits administration and background checks. #Factor #JD1008New York Pay Range$121,800—$137,050 USDColorado Pay Range$113,800—$128,050 USDIllinois Pay Range$113,800—$128,050 USD