About The Job
To secure the future growth of the different Consumer Goods categories where Danone Belux is present with its products, we are looking for a Head of Category & Shopper Management.
In this role, you will lead both Category Management and Shopper Marketing teams, responsible for the design & implementation of growth vision, winning category development strategies, and impactful shopper activation plans across all our channels (Retail, Away-From-Home, e-Commerce, drug, ethnic, health), for all customers and the full portfolio of Danone.
Through strong internal & external engagement, you will enrich internal strategy development to realize sustainable growth for our categories & brands. In this position you will be leading a team of 16 (in)direct reports and will be reporting directly into the Sales Director Benelux.
Category Development
* Build top-notch category growth visions, strategies & plans to drive future growth of our categories & brands.
* Leverage global and EU expertise to enrich and adapt the local agenda, make it future-fit (Danone way-of-selling, shopper studies, IT & data revolution).
* Foster strong category growth partnerships with key customers, through acknowledged category, customer & JBP expertise and compelling tailored customer-facing category growth stories, establishing Danone as category captain within its consumer goods categories (Dairy, Plant-Based, Waters, Core Milks and First Diet).
* Build strong internal x-functional connections with Strategic Planning & Foresight, marketing leads, commercial leads and their teams to develop category growth strategies grounded in consumer, shopper, customer & channel insights.
* Provide thought leadership in category management and share personal expertise internally.
* Strengthen the bonds with NL Category & Shopper team, leveraging MCO strategy.
Shopper Marketing & Activation
* Define and implement shopper marketing strategies that drive conversion and loyalty across all channels (Retail, AFH, eCom, etc.).
* Lead the development of impactful shopper campaigns and activations aligned with brand and category priorities.
* Ensure excellence in in-store execution and visibility through close collaboration with Field Sales and Marketing teams.
* Translate shopper insights into actionable plans that enhance the shopper experience and deliver incremental growth.
* Manage relationships with external agencies and partners to deliver best-in-class shopper programs.
People Leadership
* Lead and coach a combined team of Category Managers and Shopper Marketing Managers to ensure they develop the right growth strategies for their respective categories & customers.
* Coach them to improve performance & support professional growth.
* Drive a culture of performance, innovation, and cross-functional teamwork.
* Manage people managers within the team.
Internal Strategy & Governance
* Support cross-enterprise business planning calendar definition led by SIA, driving continual improvement and increasing cross-functional collaboration.
* Develop and maintain a solid category performance insights sharing approach, feeding the organization with relevant category and shopper trends & market developments.
* Implement a customer and shopper data governance model to leverage the added value of data to the max and elevate commercial opportunities into internal strategy and execution.
About You
* You hold a Master's degree, preferably in Economics, Commercial Engineering, or related field.
* You have a very solid background in category management and shopper marketing, combined with relevant people management experience.
* You bring a near native level of Dutch, French and English.
* You think strategically and formulate effective strategies.
* You have strong analytical skills, integrating consumer, shopper, and customer insights to arrive at actionable conclusions.
* You are passionate for driving business results & striving for excellence.
* You master excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust with internal & external stakeholders.
* You are a strong people leader, with the ability to lead, coach, motivate and develop others.
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