Sr. Category Strategy Manager

Contract and Compensation
6+ month contract

Pay Rate: $80- $83/hr DOE

Must Haves

Good technical/media research foundation (who gets the numbers and is able to make sense of them) but who is also really business-forward and can quickly become a thought partner to create new narratives, GTM, etc. that can drive revenue.

Need to be strong technically with media research tools but also strong on the strategic side and sales forward narratives.

Overview
As a strategic entity in the Advertising organization, the Category Strategy team works to ensure Advertising positioned to address our Clients' business needs while meeting the Company's long-term goals. The Category Strategy Sr. Manager, Consumer Packaged Goods (Client) and Retail supports the Category Strategy Director by contributing to winning Client strategies in these advertising verticals.

Responsibilities
The Category Strategy Sr. Manager supports the Category Strategy Director and Vice- President in developing category and client strategic narratives, GTM, and insights that drive ad sales revenue while addressing specific advertiser needs. The Category Strategy Sr. Manager will work closely with cross-functional teams including research, client/marketing solutions, data enablement, sales and sales communications to contribute to RFP responses, custom analyses, and go to market presentations.

This also includes setting up measurement studies, both in collaboration with the appropriate Research teams and by him/herself via syndicated sources.

He/She/They will work with the Category Strategy Director to develop evidence-based narratives that establish and broaden the value proposition of Advertising Sales in the marketplace, with a focus on the key pillars of the Company's value proposition.

The Sr. Manager will use a variety of syndicated sources to identify within the broad media portfolio the right opportunities for the right audiences to address Clients' goals.

The Sr. Manager will also be responsible for understanding consumer media trends, industry measurement solutions and competitive landscape to understand the environment in which both Advertising and its clients operate. Finally, He/She/They will present their findings and narratives both internally and externally.

Additional Responsibilities

Mine syndicated data sources (e.g., MRI, Nielsen NPower, YouGov, AdIntel, SMI, EDO, Pathmatics, MarketCast) for insights as part of cohesive analyses and presentations

Act as a liaison between Category Strategy, Research, and Sales to create measurement plans against Client KPIs

Actively contribute to creating an inclusive environment

Qualifications

7+ years of experience in advertising, media and/or marketing. Experience in the Client and/or Retail categories preferred.

Media experience at an agency or client-side or experience with a sales development/strategy role at a media company

Multi-platform media measurement with a strong background in addressable and data driven solutions

Comfort working in media tools such as Nielsen NPower, Comscore, and social listening among others and consolidating findings in a simple summary

Working knowledge of cross platform attribution vendors to measure brand lift and sales lift

A business-forward approach is strongly preferred

Out of the box thinker who enjoys brainstorming and finding new ways to do things

Critical thinking to identify gaps and opportunities to improve the teams' output

Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills

Strong presentation skills, capable of presenting to internal or external partners

Passion for The Walt Disney Company, its content, and the advertising landscape

Position Overview
The Senior Manager role is an addition to existing team resources and is intended to provide more senior-level support than a recently hired Associate Manager.

Foundation Skills

Media expertise

Media research expertise

Audience research

Measurement and attribution research (e.g., brand lift, sales lift)

Business acumen

Strategic thinking

Project management

Cross-functional stakeholder management

This role needs someone who can go beyond simply supplying data and instead help interpret results, build narratives, and influence business decisions.

Key Skills and Characteristics
1. Strategic Business Perspective
One of the primary distinctions from the Associate Manager position is the expectation that this person will:

Bring a strategic point of view

Translate research data into business recommendations

Help sales teams use insights effectively

Identify opportunities that stakeholders may not initially recognize

The individual should proactively contribute ideas rather than only responding to requests.

2. Research and Measurement Experience
The ideal candidate should possess experience with:

Audience research

Media measurement

Attribution methodologies

Brand lift studies

Sales lift studies

Data interpretation

Importance of someone who can quickly operate existing research tools and processes without extensive onboarding.

3. Narrative Building and Storytelling
Turning data into compelling business stories.

The candidate should be able to:

Build reactive narratives based on business questions

Develop proactive sales materials

Create opportunity frameworks

Produce research-driven recommendations

Help position data in ways that support advertising and sales efforts

Helping sales teams identify audience opportunities and creating strategic playbooks around seasonal business opportunities.

4. Relationship Building and Corporate Navigation
Importance of soft skills and organizational influence.

Build relationships across multiple teams

Navigate a matrixed corporate environment

Communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders

Act as a consultant rather than simply a data provider

Understand stakeholder needs before delivering recommendations

This was identified as an area where some technically strong researchers often struggle.

5. Project Management Responsibilities
Responsibilities include:

Managing multiple simultaneous initiatives

Ensuring teams have required data and resources

Connecting stakeholders

Keeping projects moving forward

Maintaining visibility across research activities

The job description included approximately seven years of experience in:

Advertising

Media

Marketing

Client and Retail experience should remain preferred, not required.

Media and research expertise should remain the primary requirement.

Excessive restrictions could unnecessarily reduce the available candidate pool.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities
Research Support

Pulling and analyzing data

Converting findings into insights

Strategic Consulting

Advising sales teams

Recommending research approaches

Helping explain findings

Narrative Development

Creating proactive sales stories

Identifying new business opportunities

Developing market-facing research narratives

Cross-Functional Coordination

Partnering with multiple research groups

Serving as a liaison between research and sales organizations

Benefits

medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) with company match, short-term disability, life insurance with AD&D.

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