The Category Manager is responsible for delivering category growth by successfully deploying the Global and/or regional category vision, customizing it for the cluster markets. The role leads, organizes, and controls category management strategies, working closely with sales to ensure alignment through joint-working projects with key customers. They provide depth in category expertise and advice to drive leadership and value creation, supporting Sales Acceleration in designing tailor-made approaches for local top customers.
Ownership for the local implementation of the regional category vision, strategy and related activities to drive brand growth through category penetration and conversion.
- Link to the Category and customer strategy manager in the region to access category strategy and category management insights.
- Understand specificities of markets part of the cluster -> transfer them as input to develop relevant category vision at market level.
- Work collaboratively with the region, sharing category management expertise and transferring best practice.
- Advocate the category first mindset through category growth and acceleration strategies both internally (customer marketing, key account management) and externally (strategic retail partners.
- Delivers market/customer/shopper insights to support the business processes calendard, initiates and runs the relevant shopper research and big data management to map and project future trends and opportunities for the pet care ecosystem.
- Customise the global category vision for the local markets into category deployment via customer or market projects and initiatives
- Work together with pillar heads to roll out category vision to sales teams.
- Provide category insights and guidance to Pillar Heads and represent the category at the customer level for top customers as required
- Develop customer communications for delivery by Sales
- Develop and maintain an effective relationship with Trade Marketing and Portfolio Managers associates to ensure alignment
- Link into S&F for category performance monitoring e.g. financial modelling
- Partner with key customers externally to deliver category growth strategy, tailored research and become the category growth partner of choice.
- 5+ years relevant experience in demand functions
- Strong track record of developing and executing insight led category vision with the ability to influence and inspire others to deliver business results.
- Ability to navigate complex situations and challenge the status quo with a can-do attitude.
- Self-reliant, decisive, and resilient and able to respond and adapt to a fast moving, swiftly changing environment.
- Strong stakeholder management capability with the ability to develop long term, effective business relationships with diverse stakeholders internally and externally.