Category manager vs manager, strategy

The differences between category managers and managers, strategy can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a category manager and a manager, strategy. Additionally, a manager, strategy has an average salary of $109,831, which is higher than the $102,035 average annual salary of a category manager.

The top three skills for a category manager include strategic sourcing, category strategy and supplier performance. The most important skills for a manager, strategy are project management, portfolio, and client facing.

Category manager vs manager, strategy overview

	Category Manager	Manager, Strategy
Yearly salary	$102,035	$109,831
Hourly rate	$49.06	$52.80
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	108,424	148,326
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	10	10

What does a category manager do?

Category managers are usually employed in the retail industry. They are primarily responsible for the sales enhancement of a specific group of products. The managers are involved in pricing, marketing, inventory, and vendor management. Their daily tasks include meeting with suppliers to talk about the plans, conducting orientation to the market research company, and updating category reports. Qualified applicants must have a degree in business administration or a related field as well as relevant job experience in a related job.

What does a manager, strategy do?

A strategy manager is an individual who reviews a company's objectives for growth and works with executives to formulate actionable plans to achieve these objectives. To make comprehensive recommendations, strategy managers must conduct data analysis of the organization as well as the overall industry. They must provide assessments of market trends and identify business threats and opportunities. Strategy managers should also work with department heads to develop individual team goals and break them down into actionable steps for the employees to complete.

Category manager vs manager, strategy salary

Category managers and managers, strategy have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Category Manager	Manager, Strategy
Average salary	$102,035	$109,831
Salary range	Between $74,000 And $138,000	Between $78,000 And $152,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	California
Best paying company	McKinsey & Company Inc	McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between category manager and manager, strategy education

There are a few differences between a category manager and a manager, strategy in terms of educational background:

	Category Manager	Manager, Strategy
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Georgia	University of Georgia

Category manager vs manager, strategy demographics

Here are the differences between category managers' and managers, strategy' demographics:

	Category Manager	Manager, Strategy
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 55.7% Female, 44.3%	Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between category manager and manager, strategy duties and responsibilities

Category manager example responsibilities.

Lead team to manage predominantly seasonal fashion apparel by reacting to trends with appropriate buys and proactive exit strategies.
Manage and create purchase plans and OTB's.
Design and manage all BTL plans for the brands.
Manage multiple sources of data to mine for business voids and opportunities at both macro and micro levels.
Deliver profit and sales forecasts, manage merchandising budget, and used IRI data to produce optimal product mix.
Lead a high performance jewelry merchandising team in a digital commerce environment through television, e-commerce, and social media.

Manager, strategy example responsibilities.

Lead a scrum team by providing the larger picture and project goal.
Lead unprecedented benchmark analysis by IP design block between Intel and competiotor cost and compute.
Lead the quarterly valuation of the company's private stock which combine DCF and public comparable approaches.
Develop strong rapport with clients and vendors while managing logistics and execution through the complete event research process.
Manage paid search, digital campaign tracking, SEO, web content, and e-commerce performance for a travel-industry client.
Program manage and win Ingram-Micro RFP response for desktop virtualization software distribution relationship.

Category manager vs manager, strategy skills

Common category manager skills

Strategic Sourcing, 8%
Category Strategy, 8%
Supplier Performance, 5%
Supplier Relationships, 4%
Customer Service, 4%
Cost Savings, 4%

Common manager, strategy skills

Project Management, 9%
Portfolio, 6%
Client Facing, 6%
Business Development, 4%
Digital Marketing, 4%
Market Research, 3%

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Category Manager vs Manager, Strategy

Updated January 8, 2025

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