The Senior Manager, Category Management will report to the Senior Director, Category Management & Culinary and is responsible for developing and executing category, product, packaging, and innovation strategies that support Jimmy John’s long-term growth objectives. This role plays a critical leadership position in shaping the menu innovation roadmap, identifying growth opportunities, and translating consumer, operational, and business insights into actionable category strategies that drive sales, profitability, and brand differentiation.
The Senior Manager leads the end-to-end development and execution of menu and category initiatives, including innovation pipeline management, market testing, launch readiness, go-to-market planning, packaging and POP development and cross functional coordination across Culinary, Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, and Consumer Insights. This role is accountable for ensuring initiatives are strategically sound, operationally executable, and successfully activated within the brand calendar.
In addition, this position provides ongoing category stewardship through performance analysis, consumer and marketplace research, and identification of emerging trends and whitespace opportunities. As a key business partner, the Senior Manager influences organizational decision-making by delivering strategic recommendations, managing complex projects, and aligning cross-functional teams around initiatives that support sustainable growth and strengthen Jimmy John’s competitive position.
Responsibilities:
Lead Category Strategy and Growth
- Develop and execute short and long term category, menu, beverage, catering, and packaging strategies that support Jimmy John's business objectives and drive sustainable sales and profit growth.
- Identify emerging consumer trends, marketplace opportunities, and white space platforms to inform the innovation road map and future growth initiatives.
- Partner with senior leadership to establish category priorities and strategic recommendations.
Own Innovation Pipeline
- Lead the end to end innovation process from concept development through commercialization, including opportunity identification, business case development, product testing, launch planning, and post launch evaluation.
- Build and manage a pipeline of innovation initiatives across core menu, limited time offers, beverages, catering, and packaging.
- Collaborate with culinary to develop, refine, and validate new products and platforms.
Lead Market Testing and Launch Execution
- Oversee market test strategy, execution, and performance evaluation to ensure initiatives are operationally sound and commercially successful.
- Drive launch readiness activities, including stage gate deliverables, execution checklist, operational alignment, training requirements, and launch materials.
- Identify and mitigate risks while ensuring projects remain on schedule and meet business objectives.
Own Category Performance and Insights
- Monitor category, product, promotion, and test performance to identify opportunities for growth, optimization, and profitability improvement.
- Lead consumer research efforts and leverage marketplace, competitive, and operational insights to inform category strategy and innovation priorities.
- Develop >
Inspire is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 33,000 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC restaurants worldwide.
We’re made up of some of the world’s most iconic restaurant brands, but we’re much more than just a restaurant company. We’re a team of hundreds of thousands who individually and collectively are changing the way people eat, drink, and gather around the table. We know that food is much more than a staple—it’s an experience. At Inspire, that’s our purpose: to ignite and nourish flavorful experiences.
