Category Analyst

Wow Bao is seeking a Category Analyst to join our team in this newly created role! The Category Analyst will support the CPG Sales and CPG marketings teams by providing fact-based guidance to continue growing our business. The successful candidate will craft sales stories with strategic recommendations that differentiate Wow Bao from competitors, helping to increase distribution and shelf space, driving overall sales growth.

This position requires 5 days a week on site in our River North office (Chicago, IL).

Why Join Wow Bao?

• Join the adventure! Be part of a fast-growing, innovative brand that’s shaping the future of food
• Make an impact. Opportunity to support leadership during a pivotal expansion phase.
• Collaborative and creative. Thrive in an entrepreneurial culture that values bold ideas and big growth.
• Bao-tastic perks! Enjoy all the delicious, flavorful bao you can handle!

ABOUT WOW BAO

At Wow Bao, we believe that life is too short for uninspired food. We’re here to transform the Asian Street Food experience from every day and expected to extraordinary and inventive.

Wow Bao is the fastest growing Frozen Asian Snack brand in the United States! Through strategic relationships with retail partners Wow Bao is now available in over 16,000 grocery stores nationwide!

Wow Bao has a proud history of delivering restaurant-quality food, beginning in 2003 with the opening of our first location. Since then, we’ve grown into an omni-channel brand, serving guests through our retail business, food service, Chicago restaurants, airports, virtual kitchens, and universities. Today, we’re excited to take the next step in our journey with the launch of our corporate-owned food manufacturing plant—positioning Wow Bao for continued growth across all verticals.

Wow Bao is one of only two brands to be recognized twice by Fast Casual magazine as the number one brand in their annual ranking of the Top 100 Movers & Shakers (2019 & 2022).

WE FOSTER A CULTURE OF CARING

At Wow Bao, every team member leads from a place of care. Whether it’s our guests or employees, we put people first. We strive to inspire, motivate, and appreciate one another every day. We live by the golden rule and treat everyone with kindness, empathy, respect, and a healthy dose of humor. We take our work, not ourselves, seriously.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Leverage syndicated and other data sources to mine and extract information to guide retail strategy and grow sales
• Prepare presentations for sales initiatives including pitch meetings, line reviews, and other ad hoc customer contacts as needed
• Own weekly and monthly syndicated reporting, processing and publishing in a timely manner to understand health of our business, identify competitive pressures, and proactively identify and solve potential pain points
• Collaborate with sales team regarding all aspects of category strategy in assigned customers
• Evaluate past performance of trade and marketing activity to ensure maximum ROI and foster operational efficiencies
• Effectively communicate findings and recommendations in writing and with data visualization for understanding and use by internal and external audiences
• Assist sales team with loading in promotions for certain accounts on retailer owned platforms
• Assist with new item set up at with retailers
• Other duties and projects assigned as necessary.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• 2+ years of experience in CPG industry, preferably in analytic or sales-focused roles
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a related field
• Proven record of fact-based recommendations using syndicated data (NielsenIQ, IRI, SPINS, and household panel resources)
• Strong planning/organizing skills; the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously
• Curiosity and motivation to mine a variety of resources to understand category and industry trends
• Experience with Tableau, Power BI or other data visualization software is a plus
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment with shifting priorities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to distill complex information into clear and concise insights and tell stories with data
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint or comparable presentation tools (e.g. Google Slides, Keynote)

The salary range for this position is between $80,000 to $90,000. The actual salary amount will vary depending on the applicant’s experience, skills and abilities as well as internal equity and market data. Wow Bao is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

• Health Insurance (medical, dental, vision)
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Voluntary life insurance
• Voluntary disability insurance
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Sick Leave
• Restaurant discounts
• Employee Discount Programs with Perkspot and Working Advantage
• We foster a culture of CARE