Category Manager

Category Manager

Food Sector

Based: Leicestershire

Basic Salary Circa: Up to £70,000 + Bonus + Company Car + 25 Days Holiday + Private Healthcare + Pension Scheme

My client is a category leading food manufacturing business who due to continued growth and the focus given to category thinking, are looking to recruit a Category Manager to develop their category marketing strategies with their high profile M&S account to assist with the growth of sales and the profitability of the product portfolio.

You will join a dynamic team that is creating imaginative and innovative consumer led category plans based on superior consumer understanding. This role may suit someone with previous Category experience or perhaps someone who has an Insights or Shopper Marketing background and would like to move their career to the next level.

The Role:

• With responsibility for my clients highest profile account with M&S, a multisite account worth circa £60m, will ensure all NPD market launches hit the mark as well as ensuring all consumer expectations are met.  
• Analyse market and consumer data to identify market shifts and trends and therefore drive insights and actions.
• Work closely with the sales team to maximise performance of the core range within the retailers to ensure maximum distribution and delivery of the brand plan.
• Build relationships and trust with key customers to influence the category for mutual benefit through; Category Reviews, Range Reviews, New Product Presentations and customer specific work that would include Promotional analysis and category recommendations.
• To develop and implement shopper activation plans to realise category growth opportunities.
• This position offers the successful candidate an opportunity to build an outstanding career within this organisation.

The Requirements:

• A demonstrable track record of working within a Category Management, Insights or Shopper Marketing team within an FMCG business.
• Ideally some experience of working collaboratively with M&S ideally but any of the Top 4 retailers would be of real interest.
• Experience of analysing and interpreting data from data providers such as Dunnhumby and presenting conclusions, recommendations and identifying trends.
• Prior experience of developing and implementing shopper marketing activity.
• The ability to develop relationships with internal and external customers.
• Time management and project management skills coupled with the ability to influence others where necessary.

Please apply with an up to date CV and details of your current salary and package to; andrew.bisby@vitaeselection.com