Sr. Director, Insights & Category Leadership

 

About Us

At Zevia we're creating a world of better-for-you flavor, better for people and the planet. Our team is made up of builders who are passionate about our mission. Together we aim to impact global health, provide affordable better-for-you products, and aid the planet through reduction of plastic. We operate with passion, openness, gratitude, accessibility, humanism, humility, and scrappiness as we fight the good fight to change the beverage industry for good.

Summary

The Sr Director of Insights and Category Leadership is a strategic, innovative, and collaborative role that elevates Zevia’s category and shopper understanding and retailer influence to drive business growth. It is pivotal in integrating insights into commercial decision-making, optimizing category strategies with retail partners, and embedding consumer-led thinking across the business. A passionate brand ambassador and expert in data and analytics, this executive will bring deep experience in syndicated data, shopper insights, category dynamics and consumer behavior to support Zevia’s mission and strategic goals.

The Ideal Candidate

The Sr Director Insights & Category Leadership is strategic, resourceful, innovative, forward-thinking, collaborative and committed. They are a passionate brand ambassador who believes in Zevia’s mission and products.  They are a leader and an expert in the beverage category and a master of syndicated data (i.e. IRI, Nielsen, Shopper Panel data, and Syndicated data.) They have an in-depth understanding and strategic perspective on Category Management analytics, tools & processes. They can translate the broader company vision and brand mission into a Category Management story to retail, taking a key leadership role in commercial strategy.  They deeply understand the consumer and the customer.  They stay close to changes in both beverage and adjacent relevant spaces. They are collaborative and capable of driving alignment among a variety of stakeholders, including retailers, senior management, commercial leadership, marketing leadership and other internal teams.  

Essential Functions 

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Category Leadership

• Define and drive overall category growth plans in alignment with internal and retail partners’ goals.
• Partner with key retailers to co-develop category strategies and elevate the better-for-you beverage aisle, and influence retailer decision-making to grow Zevia’s business and market share.
• Uplevel company-wide awareness of competitors within the category and in relevant adjacent categories, enabling leadership to ‘see around corners’ and to best compete in a rapidly changing environment.
• Provide strategic guidance on the development and maintenance of Customer Category Reviews.
• Lead the development and presentation of actionable insights and recommendations for assortment, shelving, pricing, and merchandising.
• Build and manage category scorecards to track KPIs and develop post-program analysis for promotions, planograms, and innovation launches.
• Offer guidance on shelf planograms to maximize conversion and sales.
• Manage vendor partnerships and ensure delivery of accurate, high-impact resources within budget.
• Serve as a trusted category consultant to internal teams and external retail partners, influencing decision-making for mutual business benefit.

Insights

• Drive strategic vision for the Insights & Category Leadership function using syndicated data (IRI, Nielsen), panel data, internal metrics, and shipment data.
• Translate company and brand strategy into compelling data stories and insight-driven recommendations to support Sales and Marketing.
• Lead and mentor a high-performing insights team that produces analysis, dashboards, and storytelling that drive business results.
• Develop and maintain tools and processes for data-driven decision-making across the commercial organization.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Sales, Innovation, Trade Marketing, and Finance to ensure alignment with overall strategy.
• Contribute to comprehensive understanding of consumer and shopper in collaboration with Marketing, delivering syndicated or customer research to support when needed.
• Contribute to research and analytics to drive decisions in portfolio development, marketing and sales prioritization and other strategies as required.
• Leverage syndicated data and mine for other insights to inform externally facing business narrative such as investor relations in partnership with Executive Leadership when needed.

Preferred Education, Experience, and Competencies

• BA Degree desired.
• Minimum 8-10 years' experience in similar position (preferably in CPG + Beverage).
• 4+ years of direct people management experience.
• Expert understanding of Category Management analytics, tools & process a must.
• Expert knowledge of Syndicated Data (Nielsen/IRI, Spectra, Panel Data), shopper insights and path-to-purchase analysis, a must.
• Proven leadership and people management experience.
• Strong communication and presentation skills; adept at turning complex data into actionable strategies.
• Influencing and selling skills to drive change at retail, from a consultative seat.
• Deep knowledge of the beverage industry and key retail channels (e.g., mass, club, grocery, natural).
• Highly analytical with strong problem-solving abilities.
• Track record of success in working cross-functionally and influencing at senior levels.
• Project management and vendor management skills, especially related to research and insights.
• Technologically proficient in Microsoft Office, analytics platforms, and shelf merchandising tools.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage multiple projects and priorities.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position is a direct supervisor and department leader.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to (30 pounds). Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Position Type

Full-time, Exempt

Travel

Periodic travel pending customer needs and internal training, though travel can often be replaced with technology. 

Maximum travel 20%

Work Authorization/Security Clearance 

Must be eligible to work in the U.S.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

 

What We Offer

• A collaborative environment, where everyone contributes and delivers
• A place where you can grow, develop and learn
• Competitive compensation that includes a base salary, discretionary bonus and stock options. See below for range.
• A comprehensive benefits package which includes:
  • An array of medical plans
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Group Life Insurance
  • Short-term disability + Long-term disability
  • Flexible Spending Accounts: Medical, Dependent and Limited Use
  • Health Savings Account
  • Accident Insurance
  • Critical Illness Insurance
  • Hospital Indemnity Insurance
  • Legal Insurance
  • Travel Assistance
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Pet Insurance
  • 401k Plan (Traditional and Roth)
  • Vacation, Personal/Sick Days, and Holidays
  • Professional development contributions
  • And of course, all the Zevia you can drink!

 

 

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified job candidates and employees. To that end, Zevia maintains a workplace free of discrimination and harassment on the basis of an individual’s race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists), color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical condition), gender (including gender identity, gender expression, change of sex, and transgender status), sexual orientation, sexual and reproductive health decisions, height, weight, age, any physical or mental disability (including gender dysphoria or similar gender-related conditions), medical condition, national origin, ancestry, marital status (including registered domestic partnership, civil union, or any other partnership status), familial status, caregiver status, military or veteran status (including unfavorable discharge from military status), genetic information, genetic testing, predisposing genetic characteristics, caregiver status, order of protection status, work authorization status, citizenship status, immigration status, conviction record or history, arrest record, pre-employment marijuana testing, credit history, salary history, Civil Air Patrol status, status as a victim of domestic violence, assault, or stalking, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal law (each, a “Protected Characteristic”).

Please review our California Consumer Privacy Act Notice for Candidates here