Category Management Intern

Cleaning Category Intern

Who We Are

Highline Warren is a vertically integrated distributor of maintenance consumables with unmatched access to the North American market. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company operates 21 distribution and manufacturing facilities across North America, offering more than 30,000 products to over 10,000 customers.

Highline Warren provides access to over 400 trusted brands – including national, owned, and private label products – and serves as a strategic manufacturing partner to top retailers across North America. With industry-leading fill rates and a strategic network that reaches 99% of the U.S. population within two days, the company simplifies the supply chain for its customers. Employing more than 1,700 teammates, Highline Warren is driven by people powered performance. For more information, visit our website at www.HighlineWarren.com.

Internship Location: Lisle, IL

Setting: Hybrid: Monday – Thursday onsite, Friday remote flexibility

Duration: June 7, 2027 – August 13, 2027

Schedule: Monday-Friday, 40 hours/week

Position Overview

The Sprayway Category Intern will support the Sprayway team through category analysis, consumer insight development, sales enablement, trade show support, and project ownership. This role is designed to provide hands-on experience in consumer packaged goods, retail category management, professional and industrial channels, syndicated data, and cross-functional business planning.

Key Responsibilities

Capstone Project Ownership: Own and develop a summer-long project rooted in category, consumer, and shopper insights. The intern will be expected to identify an opportunity, develop a recommendation, and present the concept to leadership for potential future action by the Sprayway team.

Sprayway Professional Channel Support: Conduct a deep dive into the Sprayway Professional product lineup and build an understanding of industrial, professional, and commercial cleaning channels. This may include customer visits, trade shows, competitive research, customer feedback analysis, and identifying potential gaps or opportunities within the product portfolio.

Sales Deck and Sell Story Development: Assist with the development and maintenance of Sprayway sales materials, including sales decks, category stories, competitive comparisons, store set photography, product imagery, marketing copy, and supporting Circana or point-of-sale data as needed.

Trade Show Support: Support Sprayway-related trade show planning and execution, including sampling coordination, booth artwork direction, product presentation, show preparation, and on-site support when schedule and availability allow.

Data and Analytics: Learn and utilize Circana, retailer point-of-sale data, and other analytical resources to monitor category trends, competitive performance, retailer activity, and business implications. Prepare a biweekly category update summarizing what is happening in the market, how it impacts Sprayway, and where opportunities may exist.

Review and Consumer Feedback Analysis: Analyze Sprayway product reviews across key retail platforms, monitor competitor reviews, and help develop a repeatable process for tracking consumer feedback, identifying themes, and translating insights into actionable recommendations.

Qualifications and Skills

• Currently pursuing a degree in business, marketing, analytics, economics, or a related field.

• Strong interest in consumer packaged goods, retail, category management, sales strategy, or product marketing.

• Comfortable working with data and able to translate findings into clear business insights.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build polished presentations and summarize key takeaways.

• Proactive, curious, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing a project from concept through final recommendation.

• Experience with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint preferred; exposure to syndicated data platforms such as Circana is a plus.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the internship, the intern should have developed a stronger understanding of the Sprayway business, key retail and professional channels, category trends, consumer feedback, and competitive dynamics. The intern will also deliver a final capstone recommendation to leadership that identifies a clear opportunity and potential path forward for the brand.