Category Development Manager

Are you a Category Manager who loves getting under the skin of a category, finding the story in the data and turning that into something a customer can actually act on? We’re looking for a Category Development Manager to join an ambitious FMCG business, where you’ll have the opportunity to influence how some well-known brands grow within the grocery market.

This is a role for someone who wants to be more than the person who produces the category review. You’ll be expected to challenge, influence and bring ideas to the table, using your understanding of shoppers, customers and commercial performance to identify where the real opportunities lie.

You’ll work closely with a number of major grocery customers, building relationships and becoming someone they genuinely value having in the room. Internally, you’ll also have the opportunity to become a real category champion, working across Sales, Marketing and Insights to make sure the insight you uncover actually turns into action.

Key responsibilities of the role include:

• Own the category agenda across a portfolio of grocery customers, developing relationships and becoming a credible voice on category growth
• Dive into market, EPOS and shopper data to understand what’s really happening within the category, then turn the numbers into a clear and compelling story
• Lead customer meetings and presentations, bringing recommendations to life and confidently explaining the commercial opportunity behind them
• Identify opportunities across ranging, distribution, merchandising and promotions, using insight to help customers make better decisions
• Get involved in strategic customer conversations, from joint business planning through to innovation and category-focused sessions
• Work closely with Sales, Marketing, Shopper Marketing and Insights, connecting different perspectives to build stronger commercial recommendations

Who you are:

• An experienced FMCG Category Manager, or a strong Category Executive who is ready to step into a broader role
• Someone who genuinely enjoys understanding why a category is performing the way it is, rather than simply reporting what the data says - commercially curious, analytical and confident enough to turn insight into a point of view
• Comfortable presenting to customers and building relationships with senior stakeholders
• Experienced working with data such as NielsenIQ, Kantar or similar, with strong Excel skills
• Someone who can take a complicated dataset and explain the “so what?” in a way that makes sense to a commercial audience
• Highly organised and able to manage multiple customers, projects and priorities without losing sight of the bigger picture
• Collaborative, confident and proactive, with the ability to bring people with you and build strong relationships both internally and externally

This is a great opportunity for a Category Manager who wants genuine customer exposure and the chance to influence commercial decisions, rather than simply operating behind the scenes. You’ll be joining an ambitious team, working across an exciting portfolio and playing a key role in turning category insight into tangible growth.

To apply directly please send a copy of your CV to [email protected] or alternatively please apply via the link below.

Whilst we will always endeavour to respond to you, due to the high levels of applications we receive this isn’t always possible. If you are not contacted within 3 working days, you have unfortunately not been shortlisted for this role.

Please note Signature Career Management is acting as an employment agency.