Category Manager - Culinary

Key Responsibilities:

• Business Development - Drive category performance through regular analysis of revenue, volume, margin and SKU productivity, leading renovation, pricing, optimisation and delisting decisions where required.

• Build the Commercial Story - Create compelling sales propositions and pitch materials that communicate customer value, category fit, differentiation and commercial opportunity across Retail, Hospitality and Foodservice.

• Take Products from Concept to Launch - Own the end-to-end product journey from concept to first customer sale, coordinating R&D, Procurement, Production, Packaging and Regulatory while ensuring launch readiness.

• Demonstrate & Champion the Product - Lead internal tastings and customer demonstrations, partnering with chefs and Sales to showcase products effectively and build customer confidence.

• Drive Product Innovation - Identify market trends, customer needs and category white spaces, and translate insights into commercially viable product concepts with the Chef’s Kitchen and R&D teams.

• Build the Product & Brand Experience - Develop compelling packaging, photography and digital assets with chefs, designers and creative partners, ensuring consistency, compliance and strong brand presentation.

• Build Customer Engagement - Own customer feedback and engagement processes, partnering with Sales, Customer Service, QA and Supply Chain to turn customer insights into better products, stronger relationships and new opportunities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Food Science, Culinary Management or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in Category Management, Product/Brand Management, NPD or commercial roles within F&B, FMCG or food manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of NPD, food production and food safety fundamentals.
• Proven track record of taking products from concept to development and successful commercial launch.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally with R&D, Chefs, Sales, Supply Chain and Operations.
• Strong analytical and commercial skills, with proficiency in Excel, presentations and project-tracking tools.
• Ability to translate data and insights into clear commercial actions and recommendations.
• Comfortable managing creative, design, photography and packaging outputs to bring product propositions to life.