Category Manager, Walmart

At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals!

As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People.

At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.

Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today!

Job Description

Business Unit Overview

The Pet Retail team is a division within the US Pet Health team, focused on the sales of Elanco’s products through retail channels, including Mass, E-Commerce, and Pet Specialty. Elanco offers a diverse portfolio of pet health solutions. We are expanding our team with dedicated resources to drive strategic growth within the Walmart Inc. ecosystem.

Role Overview

The Category Manager, Walmart is the strategic analytical engine for the Walmart account team. This role provides critical business support to the Walmart Key Account Manager (KAM) and Customer Marketing teams, serving as a customer-facing category expert. This role is responsible for translating complex data into actionable insights & solutions that deepen buyer partnerships and grow the total category.

The successful candidate will lead the category management process, influencing growth of the category, modular recommendations, and omni-channel optimization. This seat supports the current Walmart business and provides strategic support for other accounts as needed.

Essential Job Functions

• Advanced Analytics: Provide analytics support to the Walmart team (Sales Director, KAM) and other accounts as needed. This will include analyzing data from multiple internal and external sources (including retailer POS data, Elanco sales data and third-party data such as Neilsen, Circana and others) and creating reports that support the needs of the sales organization and the retailer. This role will also leverage Scintilla and other Walmart data tools to deliver high-impact reporting and insights to Walmart account team and leadership.

• Thought Leadership: Regularly meet with retail customer’s category team to provide business updates & insights to Walmart buyers in conjunction with the KAM; role will act as a consultant, providing thought leadership on product mix, shelf/display space, and merchandising strategies to drive total category growth.

• Shopper Insights: Integrate multiple data sources—including Household Panel data, proprietary insights, and POS data—to formulate robust, customer-specific recommendations that account for omni-channel purchasing behaviors (Brick & Mortar, Pickup/Delivery, etc.).
• Modular Support: Support the modular development process by recommending optimal category assortments, flows, and adjacencies using space planning logic.
• Performance Measurement: Create and maintain scorecards, ROI dashboards, and new item trackers to support account planning and marketing mix decisions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with internal Elanco analytics groups, marketing research, IT and Sales teams to ensure alignment on brand and category performance.
• Strategic Presentations: Deliver accurate and compelling "fact-based storytelling" presentations to Sales teams, Project teams, and Business Leaders.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing, or related field (MBA preferred).
• Minimum 2 years of experience in Category Management, Business Analysis, or Customer Marketing.
• Requirement: Demonstrated proficiency and recent experience using Nielsen & Scintilla to drive retail insights.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (advanced functions/pivot tables) and PowerPoint.
• Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to be employed in the United States. Elanco Animal Health does not anticipate providing sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B or TN status) for this employment position.

Additional Skills / Preferences:

• Highly Preferred: Experience working with Household Panel data (e.g., Numerator, Nielsen Panel, etc.).
• Highly Preferred: Experience with space planning software.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a high level of curiosity regarding shopper behavior trends.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, able to influence and work across the Elanco organization and the retailer’s organization.
• Strong presentation skills
• Experience with data visualization software, Tableau
• Experience in Pet or Pet Health industries is a plus.

Additional Information:

• Travel: >20%
• Location: Must live in Indianapolis, IN or the greater Bentonville, AR area.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Elanco we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive work environment. If you think you might be a good fit for a role but don't necessarily meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply. You may be the right candidate for this role or other roles!

Elanco Benefits and Perks:

We offer a comprehensive benefits package focusing on financial, physical, and mental well-being while encouraging our employees to pursue our purpose! Some highlights include:

• Multiple relocation packages

• Two weeklong shutdowns (mid-summer and year-end) in the US (in addition to PTO)

• 8-week parental leave

• 9 Employee Resource Groups

• Annual bonus offering

• Flexible work arrangements

• Up to 6% 401K matching

Elanco currently anticipates that the base salary for this position could range from $89,400 to $125,000, depending partly on the successful candidate’s qualifications, including education and experience. Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending partly on company and individual performance). Additionally, Elanco offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees that includes a company-matching 401(k); vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities). Of course, the compensation is subject to change and could be higher or lower than the range described above. Elanco reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion, and Elanco’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Elanco employees.

Elanco is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status

Elanco may use automated tools, including AI, to support parts of our recruitment process, such as reviewing applications against job‑related criteria and/or transferrable skills. These tools help ensure a consistent, structured evaluation, but they do not make hiring decisions. All decisions involve a human reviewer. For more information on how we handle personal data, please see our Elanco Workforce Privacy Notice.

About Us

Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE: ELAN) is a global leader in animal health dedicated to innovating and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets, creating value for farmers, pet owners, veterinarians, stakeholders, and society as a whole. With nearly 70 years of animal health heritage, we are committed to helping our customers improve the health of animals in their care, while also making a meaningful impact on our local and global communities. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching life and our Elanco Healthy Purpose™ CSR framework – all to advance the health of animals, people and the planet. Learn more at www.elanco.com.