Category Analyst

Suntory Global Spirits (SGS) is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World. Rooted in two centuries of family heritage, SGS has evolved into one of the world's leading premium spirits companies... where each employee is treated like family and trusted with a legacy. With our greatest assets - our premium spirits and our people - we're driving growth through impactful marketing, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. SGS was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and commitment to Growing for Good.  As the world’s 3rd largest premium spirits company, SGS is Crafting the Spirits Brands that Stir the World.  Headquartered in New York, SGS is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. 

Mission of Role 

The Category Analyst is a key member of the Commercial Category team, responsible for turning market, customer, shopper and internal data into clear, actionable insights. Supporting Category Managers and cross-functional teams across the SGS portfolio, the role owns core reporting and data quality and delivers performance analysis, competitor and trend monitoring, pricing and promotional analysis, innovation tracking and project-based analytical support. Success means moving beyond what happened to explain why it happened, what it means and what we should do next. This is a hands-on development role with broad exposure to category management, commercial strategy and customer decision-making.  

Role Responsibilities 

Performance Reporting & Analytics

• Own the creation, maintenance and continuous improvement of standard reporting on category, customer and brand performance.
• Analyse Circana, Quantium and internal data to identify trends, drivers, risks and opportunities across categories, customers, channels and brands.
• Deliver regular performance updates with clear interpretation, business implications and recommended next steps.
• Maintain high standards of data accuracy, consistency and timeliness, investigating and resolving reporting anomalies.

Insight & Category Support

• Support Category Managers with analysis for category plans, customer reviews, range reviews, annual planning and key commercial initiatives.
• Monitor competitor performance, market activity and emerging category, consumer and shopper trends, highlighting implications for SGS.
• Integrate shopper, consumer and market data to answer business questions and build evidence-based recommendations.
• Undertake ad hoc analysis and project support in response to changing business priorities.

Pricing, Promotion & Portfolio Analysis

• Conduct pricing and promotional analysis to understand effectiveness, price architecture, promotional intensity and market position.
• Support range, pack and portfolio analysis, including distribution, SKU productivity and mix opportunities. 

Innovation & NPD Performance

• Support category input into innovation and NPD through market benchmarking, size-of-prize analysis and performance context.
• Own post-launch tracking and performance updates for key innovations.
• Capture and share launch learnings to improve future innovation decisions.

Data, Tools & Continuous Improvement

• Own day-to-day relationships with key external data providers and coordinate category data requirements and support.
• Develop and improve reporting tools, dashboards and analytical processes, reducing manual work and increasing speed to insight.
• Maintain clear documentation, data definitions and best practice for core category reporting.
• Build capability in relevant analytical and visualisation tools and share knowledge across the Category team.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Team

• Partner with Sales, Marketing, Shopper, Finance and other stakeholders to provide timely, insight-led analytical support.
• Communicate findings clearly in presentations and meetings, tailoring the level of detail and story to the audience.
• Contribute to a high-performing Category function through curiosity, collaboration, knowledge sharing and a category-first mindset.

Qualifications & Experience

• 2–4 years’ experience in Category, Insights, Commercial Analytics, Sales Analytics or a related role, ideally within FMCG or retail.
• Tertiary qualifications in Business, Commerce, Economics, Marketing or a related discipline (preferred).
• Strong analytical capability, with experience using market, customer or shopper data sources such as Circana and Quantium or equivalent.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint; experience with Power BI or other data visualisation tools is desirable.
• Demonstrated experience working with recurring performance reporting, large datasets and multiple sources of information.

Capabilities & Behaviours

• Curious and insight-led, with a strong ability to move from data to the “so what” and “now what”.
• High attention to detail and a strong commitment to data accuracy and quality.
• Clear communicator and storyteller who can simplify complex analysis for different audiences.
• Strong organisation and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage recurring deliverables alongside ad hoc requests.
• Self-motivated, proactive and eager to learn in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Collaborative and comfortable building relationships across functions and with external data partners.

Suntory Behavioral Competencies

• Better Together – working collaboratively across functions to deliver stronger outcomes
• Future Oriented – identifying emerging trends and continuously improving how insights are delivered
• Gemba Mindset – grounding analysis in real customer, shopper and consumer reality
• Committing to Growth – demonstrating curiosity, learning agility and continuous improvement